Battle Fantasy (1994)

Battle Fantasy (バトルファンタジー) in Japan is a Sega Mega-CD fighting game that has a combination of RPG, vertical shooter, and fighting with a fantasy/anime style. There are ten available characters, each with their own animated backstory and fighting techniques. You must choose a hero and guide their stats to create a formidable fighter capable of taking down the Devil King and freeing the land. In the Quest mode, you name your selected character and start at a lowly Level 1. The local town acts as a hub with opportunities for training, equipment purchases and rest. You can leave town and battle contenders for money in the fighting game. You can advance the story by taking quests from the town's guild, which are played in the vertical shooter game. The fighting engine is further explored in two side modes - Tournament and Arena of Death. Tournament acts as a basic fighting game, allowing 1 or 2 players to progress through the ranks with the stock characters. No customization is available in this mode. Arena of Death allows eight players to be created using the stock character templates. You assign attributes by shifting various bars between two extremes. You can then match these creations against each other and watch as the computer simulates a battle between them. The primary use of this mode appears to be testing various tactics against each other to decide how best to play your character.