DOME is based on Shizuko Natsuki's novel of the same name. The original work as well as the game's plot focus on the construction of a nuclear shelter called "The Dome", capable of protecting humans from an impending atomic war. The player takes the role of an employee in an advertisement company, whose job is to raise people's awareness of the shelter's importance, and donate money to the project.
Novelware was a concept to oppose tiresome gameplay and at the same time present serious text-intensive stories. Game scenario reached over 700 pages which was unseen before.
Majoriko Inbizone (also known as Majoriko Inbikai, or “Majoriko in the Impure Zone”) is a side-scrolling action game with some mild RPG elements. Each of the game’s eight stages is open ended, as you hunt for keys to unlock the boss door, while defeating enemies to gain magic and gold.
The game was developed by Natsume, in conjunction with Dynamic Planning, the studio owned by famed manga artist Go Nagai, known for his stylistic blend of horror and erotica. Majoriko Inbizone is actually fairly subdued though – it’s rather softcore, and while the first level has some grotesque imagery, the terror is undercut by the appearance of some goofy enemies
The Dragon & Princess is the first known RPG developed in Japan. It tasks the player with finding a king's stolen treasure. It is a hybrid between the RPG, adventure and strategy genres, and laid the foundations for tactical RPGs.
Squaresoft's first RPG, this was an early futuristic sci-fi RPG for the PC-8801 and PC-9801 computers, featuring a post-apocalyptic setting and isometric, tactical turn-based battles.
The Scheme is an action RPG released by Bothtec (later known as Quest) for the PC-88 in 1988. It features Metroidvania-style open-world exploration, side-scrolling run & gun shooter combat, and chiptune music by Yuzo Koshiro.
Panorama Toh (ぱのらま島 "Panorama Island"), released by Nihon Falcom for the NEC PC-8801 computer in 1983, departed from the standard RPG formula in various ways. It combined RPG gameplay with real-time combat, combined fantasy with sci-fi elements, and introduced survival mechanics.
The game was designed by Yoshio Kiya, this was possibly the first action RPG. These innovative ideas about RPG design departed significantly from the turn-based norm at the time. It introduced real-time combat, sci-fi elements, a persistent open world with day-night cycle, and survival mechanics. This was a precursor to Falcom's seminal action RPG franchise, Dragon Slayer. In 1984, he would go on to create Nihon Falcom's Dragon Slayer franchise, which laid the foundations for the real-time, action RPG genre.