Originally released for the Apple IIgs, Keef the Thief is a unique parody role-playing game about a young thief. The game and puzzles are quite absurd, but strangely addictive. Some inside scoop from developer Naughty Dog's website: "Keef was a classic sword and scorcery role-playing game. While we were making it, Andy entered sarcastic text as a place holder for what we believed would be the real text in the final release. EA liked the humor so much that they decided to make the entire game a comedy. The effect that this decision had on sales was no joke, however."
The 1987 sequel, Cosmic Soldier: Psychic War, was originally released for the MSX2 computer in Japan. In America, the game was released by Kyodai, and they changed the name to Psychic War and released the game for MS-DOS computers. The MS-DOS version censors Kayla's clothing. It changed the turn-based combat of its predecessor to a unique "tug of war" style real-time combat system, where battles are a clash of energy between the party and the enemy, with the player needing to push the energy towards the enemy to strike them, while being able to use a shield to block or a suction ability to absorb the opponent's power. The game also improves upon the conversation system of its predecessor and more closely resembles the one in Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei released around the same time.
Set in a sort of old Japan with fantasy overtones, Benkei Gaiden is a standard overhead RPG. Battle scenes are random and turn based (with quite a nice bit of music), and the game relies very heavily on Japanese text based menu systems.
The Rune Master who lives in the Castle Tower is missing and the land has been filled with monsters. Four warriors set out to reach the castle and rid the land of evil once and for all. Along the way you can also branch out into side missions to earn some extra cash
Dark Wraith is a first-person grid-based dungeon crawler game, similar to Wizardry or The Bard's Tale. The main character is Zion, a magic user that finds out that a friendly town-person's daughter has been kidnapped by the Dark Wraith as part of a periodic ritual sacrifice. Up to four other characters can accompany Zion as he searches various dungeons in search of the Dark Wraith. As with many Japanese dungeon crawlers, characters are not created by the player. Rather, they are met throughout the story. However, upon leveling up, the player gets to assign points to various skills and attributes. The game features turn-based combat with enemies appearing within the dungeon, similar to Might and Magic games.
In this epic role-playing game, you must guide Prince Logan all accross the beautiful and dngerious world of Isrenasa in the quest to regain his throne. This game features a huge world to explore and many companions to join you on your journey. This game features one of the largest quests and most advanced interface of any role-playing game for the TurboDuo system.
Avalon is the longest running online roleplaying game in the world at 25 years (a world record). It is from Avalon that numerous contemporary genre-defining features such as cooldowns, player run organisations such as guilds, and the foundation of skill-driven player vs player combat originate.
An online text-based RPG ahead of its time ever since it began in 1989 as the first multiplayer roleplaying game online. Avalon is a fair meritocracy. You may quicken your pace but you cannot achieve excellence without deserving it and excellence in any area takes time.
Dragon Ball 3: Goku-den is a role playing video game released only in Japan by Bandai on October 27, 1989, for the Nintendo Famicom. It is the third Dragon Ball video game for Famicom (its predecessors being Dragon Ball: Shenron no Nazo and Dragon Ball: Daimaou Fukkatsu). Its sequel is Dragon Ball Z: Kyoushuu! Saiyan.
The fourth game in the Ultima series features an improved game engine, with color graphics and enhanced character interaction: the player can have conversations with non-playable characters by typing names of various topics. However, the main difference between Ultima IV and its predecessors in the series (as well as other role-playing games) lies in the game's objectives and the ways to fulfill them.
A Japanese RPG loosely adapted from the 1985 Activision PC game Hacker. The player character uses a robotic fighter to hunt for clues behind a global conspiracy.
Magma Project Hacker is a sci-fi themed RPG and an adaptation of the 1985 PC/Amiga/Atari ST strategy game Hacker. As with the Famicom Disk System adaptation of Monty on the Run, a considerable number of liberties were taken with the game's themes practically transforming it into a completely different game. Ironically, the story more closely resembles another western PC game, Captive, with its plot.
The player character witnesses a murder and is told to seek information on a shadowy organization known as the Magma Project by the dying victim. In order to effectively hunt for clues, the player character uses a device to activate a robot on the other side of the planet and employs the robot's various combat and exploration functions to track down the Magma Project.
The original Japanese version of EarthBound Beginnings, released only in Japan for the Famicom, had some gameplay, story and level layout differences from the later Western port. This original version was never released outside of Japan.
The player controls a female character throughout most of the game. A male character is played towards the end of the game. The game uses "Levels", HP, items, and upgrades. Three game saving slots are used, rather than passwords. Overhead view action oriented battles. Randomly generated battles while traversing the overworld.
The lovely princess was abducted by a mysterious giant black bird. The bird carried the prisoner to a tower on the lake shore. Who would be brave enough to venture into the tower and to rescue the princess? Only the courageous knight Landis, aided by the Goddess herself!
Dragoon Armor for Adult is a very basic first-person dungeon crawler, with vector graphics (like in early Wizardry games), but without party members; Landis explores the similarly-looking mazes (no auto-map feature) all by himself, fighting randomly appearing enemies in simple turn-based combat. It is possible to buy weapons, armor, and items outside, but there are no other locations to access beside the tower. Event cut-scenes may feature nudity, but no "hardcore" sexual situations.
Centuries ago, Dragons and Demons roamed the country and brought terror into the lives of all people. However, a local legend states that the Sword of Thruth can restore peace to the land. It turns out that the almighty weapon is kept by the most ferocious dragon who ever lived but this doesn't stop the young Carl from willing to take on the challenge. He is small but the best archer the land has ever seen!
A PC Engine Action-RPG based on the famous Japanese novel series Nansou Satomi Hakkenden. The gameplay is at least partly inspired by Falcom's Ys series.
Makai Hakkenden Shada is an action-RPG from Data East that was released on the PC Engine (the Japanese TurboGrafx-16) in 1989. The game bears more than a close resemblance to Falcom's Ys: specifically the first game in the series, The Vanished Omens, which was a huge success for the PC Engine a few months prior as well as being a generally well-regarded computer RPG before then. As well as having a similar nude female figure in the opening intro, the game also borrows Ys's combat system: fighting occurs by walking into enemies at a slight angle, causing them to collide with the player character's weapon (which hurts them) rather than the player character himself (which hurts the player character). The various gauges for health and experience are also similar.
Makai Hakkenden Shada is based on a centuries-old Japanese novel series called Nansou Satomi Hakkenden,
Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead is a PC Engine remake of the MSX2 post apocalyptic RPG of the same name.
Due to a series of mysterious events, the town of Chany's Hill has been cut off from the rest of the world. People have suddenly gone missing and cannibalistic monsters now roam the land, killing all who cross their path. The protagonist of the game is Laila Arufon, the youngest female member of the S-SWAT (Supernatural and Special Weapon Attack Team). She was born in the small town and has developped strange psychic abilities. Her Psychic Seal ("PS") and Mind Force ("MF") powers allow her to increase any weapon destruction power but also to increase her defense capability greatly. Her mission is twofold - she must investigate the mysterious and supernatural incident in Chaneys Hill and to rescue all the remaining survivors she can find and lead them to the town's church.
Laila comes equipped with a combat knife and a Hand Gun (SIG/SAUER P226) - additional weapons appear later in the game including the Assault
Save the kingdom of Hamnlin from the Mad Mage Inshanis, by setting out to recover Artifacts hidden throughout the vast lands of Kairn. Recruit new adventurers from a variety of professions and level them up as you gain experience, slay monsters and explore the dungeons.
The Mad Mage is in possession of all the Artifacts save three. These you must recover, then journey to the Mad Mage’s island and use them to defeat him. The shareware version only includes the first dungeon; a registered copy adds the other 3.