The Atari 2600 was a quaint home console but the market didn’t really explode until Nintendo kicked the doors open with the NES. Packing impressive 8-bit graphics at the time, they transformed the home console market seemingly overnight. Other notable 8-bit consoles include the Sega Master System, Game Boy, and Game Boy Color.
While these 8-bit systems don’t generally hold up as well as their 16-bit counterparts, they were still important for their era. There are still some good games worth taking a look at too. Let’s begin with a look back at some action RPGs, many of which remain hidden to Westerners.
8Grand Master
A Mega Man Style RPG
Grand Masterwas never released in the West but despite that, it’s very easy to play even without fan patches in English. It’s different than most action RPGs as the world map is presented like aMega Mangame. Players could choose a stage and then progress through it from a top-down perspective from a water-filled dungeon to a looming tower. Players could increase their HP and MP stats as they plowed through waves of enemies in this 1991forgotten NES RPG. Although very much a product of its time that can be somewhat hard to appreciated in this day and age,Grand Masterwas pretty advanced for its era.
River City Ransomupgraded theconcept of a beat ‘emup by introducing RPG mechanics in an open-city environment. Players could scroll through the city, beating up teen punks along the way who dropped money upon defeat. Players could take that money and upgrade their hero at restaurants which would increase stats. This system continued in the series likeRiver City Girlsalong with inspiring brawlers likeScott Pilgrim via The World: The Game, makingRiver City Ransoma very influential NES game that pushed its genre forward.
When it came to the NES, Nintendo didn’t exactly know how to make sequels, giving fans bizarre one-offs likeZelda 2: The Adventure of Link. Instead of offering another puzzle-filled top-down adventure, the perspective shifted between segments asplayers explored Hyrule.
The overworld wasn’t as detailed and players could get into random encounters that would then switch the perspective to 2D and Link could level up instead of progressing through item-based upgrades. This 2D perspective is also how players progress through towns and dungeons.
5The Samurai Lord Musashi: Gimmicks On The Run
What If Musashi Was A Robot?
Brave Fencer Musashiis a great action RPG on the PS1 but there was another action RPG influenced by the legendary samurai from Japan.The Samurai Lord Musashi: Gimmicks on the Runwas a Japan-only NES game that was released in 1991 and was based on an anime calledMusashi, the Samurai Lord. The titular Musashi was a robot that looked like a Gundam model or at least the SD versions of Gundams found in many games and anime. As this robotic samurai, players could progress through a colorful top-down world and level up traditionally. There is a fan patch which is great because this licensed-based game is top-notch.
4Chronicle Of The Radia War
A Hidden Gem From Tecmo
Chronicle of the Radia Waris another 1991 NES game that was only released in Japan and it was from abig developer Tecmo, which released big games on the NES likeNinja Gaiden. Players could scroll from screen to screen with their party with the chance of prompting a random encounter. In this instanced area, enemies would wander around, seemingly waiting for players to smash them to smithereens and gain EXP in the process. There is an English fan patch which is good because this action RPG has quite an extensive story that isn’t mind-blowing by modern standards but overall this is a Tecmo hidden gem.
Crystalisis from anotherbig company, SNK, and this one was actually released in the West. It was SNK’s answer to the Zelda series but it ditched puzzles in favor of creating a more in-depth combat system with traditional leveling up.
There was tons of gear and magic to find, with the magic being able to affect the world like ice could freeze over rivers. It was a forward-thinking game on many levels and while there is a Game Boy Color version, the original on NES is still the king which has been re-released via theSNK 40th Anniversary Collection.
2Star Ocean: Blue Sphere
A Trapped Entry
TheStar Oceanseriesbegan late into the SNES’ lifecycle in 1996 but the first game to release outside of Japan wasStar Ocean: The Second Storyin 1999. Despite its popularity on PS1, the next game,Star Ocean: Blue Sphere, which was a direct sequel, was an exclusive in Japan this time released for the Game Boy Color. Like other entries in the series, battles were action-based after transitioning from monster encounters in the world. Players could choose multiple characters to play with from the beginning, following a crash landing like an adorable mech driven by Precis. Fans have been working on a patch for years with a pretty comparable version playable now.
ThefirstManagamewas marketed as a Final Fantasy spinoff outside of Japan:Final Fantasy Adventure. In Japan,Mana isknown asSeiken Densetsubut whatever players call it, this is an original Game Boy classic that has been remade and ported too many times to count. Players assume the role of the hero, Sumo, and go around aZelda-like world, fighting monsters and leveling up along the way. Temporary party members join Sumo and offer attack aid or buffs like healing magic. The remakes, likeSword of Manaon the GBA, are perhaps easier to get into but there’s no denying the Game Boy version is still great.
