MSX Games That Were Innovative and/or Ahead of Their Time
1982:
Zork I-III (PCs, /MSX, 1982) - Text Adventures
1983:
Hustle Chumy (MSX, 1983) - Single Screen Collectathon Platformer
-Same screen teleporters (Miner 2049er), loop back around when moving outside of the screen horizontally
Antarctic Adventure (MSX, 1983/Colecovision, 1984/NES, 1985) - Rail Platformer
-Temporary flight (helicap - collect flags), level map in-between levels
1982:
Zork I-III (PCs, /MSX, 1982) - Text Adventures
1983:
Hustle Chumy (MSX, 1983) - Single Screen Collectathon Platformer
-Same screen teleporters (Miner 2049er), loop back around when moving outside of the screen horizontally
Antarctic Adventure (MSX, 1983/Colecovision, 1984/NES, 1985) - Rail Platformer
-Temporary flight (helicap - collect flags), level map in-between levels
1984:
Binary Land (FM-7/PC-88, 1983/MSX, 1984/NES, 1985) - Action Puzzle/Maze
-Control mechanic used as a metaphor for a bond between people (later used in Brothers)
Ghostbusters (PCs/MSX, 1984/SMS, 1987) - Early RTS/Trapping/Sandbox game
-Map out your route before traveling to your location via top down racing segments
-Pick between four different cars with different properties
H.E.R.O. (PCs/MSX, 1984) - Maze Shooter/Rescue Mission, Side view
-Flight
-Bombs that temporarily light up dark rooms
-Partially destructible environment
-Limited fuel/timer
Flappy (X1, 1983/FM-7/MSX, 1984/NES, 1985) - Action Puzzle, TD/SV Hybrid gameplay
-Boulder Dash gets some of its physics from here I think (or Dig Dug inspired both)
3D Bomberman (PC-6001/X1/FM-7/MSX, 1984) - Faux 3D Maze Action, FP view, Tile-based movement
-Enemy radar in the GUI (smaller than average on MSX and larger on X1)
-Randomized level layouts
-Enemy counter
-Breakable clocks (Bomberman; however they all look the same here)
-Horror element to the enemies
Theseus (MSX, 1984) - Maze Platformer (similar to Major Havoc), Collectathon-lite (
-Pretty smooth scrolling in all directions
-Low gravity (major havoc)
-Some warps
-Influenced by Major Havoc according to its devs (who later made Thexder): https://www.kinephanos.ca/2015/history-of-japanese-video-games/
-Wall switches
Lode Runner (PCs, 1983/MSX, 1984)
Comic Bakery (C64/MSX, 1984) -
Binary Land (FM-7/PC-88, 1983/MSX, 1984/NES, 1985) - Action Puzzle/Maze
-Control mechanic used as a metaphor for a bond between people (later used in Brothers)
Ghostbusters (PCs/MSX, 1984/SMS, 1987) - Early RTS/Trapping/Sandbox game
-Map out your route before traveling to your location via top down racing segments
-Pick between four different cars with different properties
H.E.R.O. (PCs/MSX, 1984) - Maze Shooter/Rescue Mission, Side view
-Flight
-Bombs that temporarily light up dark rooms
-Partially destructible environment
-Limited fuel/timer
Flappy (X1, 1983/FM-7/MSX, 1984/NES, 1985) - Action Puzzle, TD/SV Hybrid gameplay
-Boulder Dash gets some of its physics from here I think (or Dig Dug inspired both)
3D Bomberman (PC-6001/X1/FM-7/MSX, 1984) - Faux 3D Maze Action, FP view, Tile-based movement
-Enemy radar in the GUI (smaller than average on MSX and larger on X1)
-Randomized level layouts
-Enemy counter
-Breakable clocks (Bomberman; however they all look the same here)
-Horror element to the enemies
Theseus (MSX, 1984) - Maze Platformer (similar to Major Havoc), Collectathon-lite (
-Pretty smooth scrolling in all directions
-Low gravity (major havoc)
-Some warps
-Influenced by Major Havoc according to its devs (who later made Thexder): https://www.kinephanos.ca/2015/history-of-japanese-video-games/
-Wall switches
Lode Runner (PCs, 1983/MSX, 1984)
Comic Bakery (C64/MSX, 1984) -
1985:
Eggerland Mystery (MSX, 1985) - Action Puzzle, Collectathon, Top Down View
-Pretty creative level design (evolution of Sokoban: can move half a tile's length, can block two tiles with one block, distinct enemies, can shoot some enemies (certain jewel icons give shot ammo) to turn them eggs which can be pushed around (can be used as temporary boats if pushed into water in some levels) or shot to remove the enemy from the level for a short time, timing based puzzles, arrow tiles - one way movement, still water and water streams)
-Pretty good variation
-Construction mode (basic level editor)
-Good length (105 levels)
-Password save (pretty short but only once every five levels)
-Two game modes (types a and b - a plays like the NES game, b adds a time limit and hidden items you can collect for points), unlockable final five levels (get part of the special word in the bonus levels - these are quite hard though), limited special abilities in some levels (flip arrow tile, place bridge, place block), can use some enemies as shields against other enemies, good puzzles overall and starts off fairly easy, some levels have more than one solution,
-Temporary rafts
Hydlide (PC-60/PC-88, 1984/MSX/PC-98, 1985/NES, 1986) - Open World ARPG (overworld & dungeons split, no NPCs, inspired by The Black Onyx and The Tower of Druaga), TD view
-One of the first ARPGs (along with Courageous Perseus and Dragon Slayer)
-Health and magic slowly regenerates when standing still
-Quick save/load via passwords
-Switch between attack and defense modes/stances
-Bump combat without positioning
-Partially destructible environment via magic
-Lamp item for seeing underground
-Single use auto revive item called “fake medicine” (needed for the final boss)
Dragon Slayer (PC-88/PC-98/FM-7/X1, 1984/MSX, 1985/GB, 1990) - ARPG/Dungeon Crawler RPG (tile-based movement), Collectathon, TD View
-Map feature (as a spell), warp points
-Pushable blocks (need the ring - similar to the bracelet in Zelda) and you can also push your house around (!)
-Ghost enemies can steal any item in your inventory (they'll put the item somewhere else on the map)
-Other enemies can permanently reduce your attributes
-Diagonal movement after gaining 30K exp
-Plays a melody as you move on PC-88
-Some interesting items (can't be attacked while carrying a cross and it also kills the reaper enemy (which makes you unable to cast spells), tombstone - spawns monsters) and spells (teleport (to the last item a ghost dropped after stealing it) with the jump spell or home with the return spell, break - breaks blocks, kick - moves blocks which can also kill enemies, freeze - freeze all enemies near your avatar, flash - temporarily paralyze all enemies on the map, fly - temporarily transform into a bird to move over obstacles (also changes the bgm))
-Heal and buy stuff at your home
-Buy attack power upgrades with orbs
-Warp points
Courageous Perseus (FM-7, 1984/MSX, 1985) - Open World ARPG, TD View
-Hunger/draining HP mechanic
-Large inventory and world for the time
King's Valley (MSX, 1985) - Puzzle Platformer/Trapping (Lode Runner/Montezuma's Revenge-like), Collectathon
-Pretty good enemy AI
-A thrown weapon stays in the level where it landed
-Some interesting level design (one way gates that change direction after passing through them) and puzzles
-No time limit?
-Second loop (didn't seem harder? tried one level)
Starquake (PCs/MSX, 1985) - Platform Adventure/Proto-Metroid
The Goonies (MSX, 1985) - Maze Platformer/Proto-Platform Adventure (level-based), Collectathon/Rescue Mission, Side view
-Gear that carries over to the next level
-Pretty good enemy AI (the human enemies)
-Some traversal/exploration abilities gained (bombs to open skull doors and spring shoes to reach a hidden warp from stage 3 to stage 5)
-Password save which doesn't save your items...
-No maps?
Alien 8 (PCs/MSX, 1985) -
Boulder Dash (PCs, 1984/MSX, 1985) -
Jet Set Willy (PCs, /MSX, 1985) -
Jet Set Willy II (PCs, /MSX, 1985) -
Master of the Lamps (PCs/MSX, 1985) -
Spellbound (PCs/MSX, 1985) -
Pippols (MSX, 1985) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
Eggerland Mystery (MSX, 1985) - Action Puzzle, Collectathon, Top Down View
-Pretty creative level design (evolution of Sokoban: can move half a tile's length, can block two tiles with one block, distinct enemies, can shoot some enemies (certain jewel icons give shot ammo) to turn them eggs which can be pushed around (can be used as temporary boats if pushed into water in some levels) or shot to remove the enemy from the level for a short time, timing based puzzles, arrow tiles - one way movement, still water and water streams)
-Pretty good variation
-Construction mode (basic level editor)
-Good length (105 levels)
-Password save (pretty short but only once every five levels)
-Two game modes (types a and b - a plays like the NES game, b adds a time limit and hidden items you can collect for points), unlockable final five levels (get part of the special word in the bonus levels - these are quite hard though), limited special abilities in some levels (flip arrow tile, place bridge, place block), can use some enemies as shields against other enemies, good puzzles overall and starts off fairly easy, some levels have more than one solution,
-Temporary rafts
Hydlide (PC-60/PC-88, 1984/MSX/PC-98, 1985/NES, 1986) - Open World ARPG (overworld & dungeons split, no NPCs, inspired by The Black Onyx and The Tower of Druaga), TD view
-One of the first ARPGs (along with Courageous Perseus and Dragon Slayer)
-Health and magic slowly regenerates when standing still
-Quick save/load via passwords
-Switch between attack and defense modes/stances
-Bump combat without positioning
-Partially destructible environment via magic
-Lamp item for seeing underground
-Single use auto revive item called “fake medicine” (needed for the final boss)
Dragon Slayer (PC-88/PC-98/FM-7/X1, 1984/MSX, 1985/GB, 1990) - ARPG/Dungeon Crawler RPG (tile-based movement), Collectathon, TD View
-Map feature (as a spell), warp points
-Pushable blocks (need the ring - similar to the bracelet in Zelda) and you can also push your house around (!)
-Ghost enemies can steal any item in your inventory (they'll put the item somewhere else on the map)
-Other enemies can permanently reduce your attributes
-Diagonal movement after gaining 30K exp
-Plays a melody as you move on PC-88
-Some interesting items (can't be attacked while carrying a cross and it also kills the reaper enemy (which makes you unable to cast spells), tombstone - spawns monsters) and spells (teleport (to the last item a ghost dropped after stealing it) with the jump spell or home with the return spell, break - breaks blocks, kick - moves blocks which can also kill enemies, freeze - freeze all enemies near your avatar, flash - temporarily paralyze all enemies on the map, fly - temporarily transform into a bird to move over obstacles (also changes the bgm))
-Heal and buy stuff at your home
-Buy attack power upgrades with orbs
-Warp points
Courageous Perseus (FM-7, 1984/MSX, 1985) - Open World ARPG, TD View
-Hunger/draining HP mechanic
-Large inventory and world for the time
King's Valley (MSX, 1985) - Puzzle Platformer/Trapping (Lode Runner/Montezuma's Revenge-like), Collectathon
-Pretty good enemy AI
-A thrown weapon stays in the level where it landed
-Some interesting level design (one way gates that change direction after passing through them) and puzzles
-No time limit?
-Second loop (didn't seem harder? tried one level)
Starquake (PCs/MSX, 1985) - Platform Adventure/Proto-Metroid
The Goonies (MSX, 1985) - Maze Platformer/Proto-Platform Adventure (level-based), Collectathon/Rescue Mission, Side view
-Gear that carries over to the next level
-Pretty good enemy AI (the human enemies)
-Some traversal/exploration abilities gained (bombs to open skull doors and spring shoes to reach a hidden warp from stage 3 to stage 5)
-Password save which doesn't save your items...
-No maps?
Alien 8 (PCs/MSX, 1985) -
Boulder Dash (PCs, 1984/MSX, 1985) -
Jet Set Willy (PCs, /MSX, 1985) -
Jet Set Willy II (PCs, /MSX, 1985) -
Master of the Lamps (PCs/MSX, 1985) -
Spellbound (PCs/MSX, 1985) -
Pippols (MSX, 1985) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
1986:
Vampire Killer/Akumajou Dracula? (MSX, 1986) - Proto-Platform Adventure/Maze Platformer/Action Platformer (linear and level-based; shops, locked doors and chests;
-Well realized horror theme
-Good variation (most enemies require a different strategy to beat)
-Cool and mostly useful sub weapons (though less varied and useful than on NES)
-Hidden items (SMB)
-Smart bombs and invincibility power ups (however they activate as soon as you pick them up)
-Less linear level design than in the NES game
-Hidden shopkeepers
-Shield gear (red one lowers damage by half, yellow/beige one blocks projectiles)
-Walking speed and jump height power ups (boots and wings respectively)
-Map feature (need to find the map in each area)
-Adds an item (candle) that shows breakable blocks
-Some areas loop/wrap around horizontally (Defender or Mario Bros.?)
-Need to find keys to open chests (yellow) and to progress in levels (white)
-No save or password save (does have frequent checkpoints but no continues)
-Items and weapons don't carry over between levels
King Kong 2: Yomigaeru Densetsu (MSX, 1986) - Action Adventure/ARPG, Top Down View
-Early Zelda/Ys-like gameplay (explore a large world for the time, NPCs who give hints and directions, shops, basic character building, overworld and dungeons (cellars) layout, weapon & item inventory)
-Mini-bosses
-Pretty good enemy variation
-Save feature (cart combination?)
-Three different endings (use less continues and spend less time for a better one)
-Can walk away from any dialogue (down)
-Water sandals (walk on water)
-The game shows enemies' stats as you face them (up to two kinds per screen)
-Some large and detailed sprites
-Do more damage by attacking from behind? (some enemies can only be hit from behind - Zelda 1)
-Spin attack (via the whirl spell, very strong)
-Partially non-linear
-Can use some objects as weapons (big boulder - very situational though as it only damages one enemy type in the first area)
-Loosely based on the 1986 movie King Kong Lives
-Unlimited continues
-Modern-ish island setting (similar to an Indiana Jones movie)
-14 unique bosses
Dragon Quest (NES/MSX, 1986) - (J)RPG, TD view (FP view battles)
-Basically a streamlined and simpler version of Ultima III/IV with better presentation
-Teleport out of dungeons and back to the previous save point
-Pretty open ended/non-linear structure
-HP regen gear
-Items that ward off encounters
-Alternate bad ending (sort of)
-In-game epilogue
-Terrain effect during exploration (damage tiles)
Bouken Roman (MSX, 1986) - Maze Platformer/Puzzle Platformer (linear and level-based but each level plays like a mini-Platform Adventure, only E's (ammo) and the red+blue pills/discs (HP) carry over to the next level)
-Item inventory (3 items)
-Basic map feature (shows the world layout and your location but nothing else)
-Hidden doors
-Flight power up
-Teleport back to beginning item (W)
-No Save or password save?
Eggerland 2/Eggerland Mystery 2 (MSX, 1986) - Action Puzzle/Action Adventure (one large maze), TD view
-Basic map feature (shows basic layout+your location+visited rooms, have to find it, final area is on a different floor and isn't mapped)
-Password save
-Temporary rafts
-Locked doors
-Vague hint system in the GUI
-Can find four NPCs who will grant you abilities (infinite ammo, super speed, etc.) in the final few puzzles
Zanac EX (MSX, 1986) - Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
-Basic dynamic difficulty balancing (the enemy AI gets more aggressive/difficult depending on a few factors (weapon power (weapons 2 and 3 increase enemy aggression more), how many enemies you kill and how much you fire, how long you stay alive, if you fail to destroy a base within the time limit; using weapon 6 and smart bombs decreases aggression)
-Large special weapon arsenal (8 different kinds) with 3-6 levels of upgrades per weapon (depends on the weapon and weapon 5 can turn into a different weapon (the laser) with its own levels, 6 for the standard weapon but it can only be reached normally if you use special weapon 0 and there's no upgrade between the 5th and 13th power chip you collect - the other ways of reaching it are crashing into boxes containing power chips or shooting the Eye Eye building (appears in lvl 3, 5, 8, 11, 12) with the standard gun)
-Respawn on the spot without losing all weapon power
-Intense action
-Mini-bosses
-Smart bombs (they trigger when picked up but you can let them hover for a while, weapon 6 also shoots slow moving smart bomb style projectiles - however these will destroy power chips)
-Some hidden items (fairies - acts as a smart bomb when appearing and sticks around to destroy the next boss, also lowers the difficulty)
-Two special weapons also serve as a shield
-Very long for a shoot 'em up (12 levels)
-Smooth scrolling
-Can upgrade your rate of fire several times (red lander - shoot blue lander (very rare power up you can get from the sander ships) until it turns red)
-Can destroy enemy projectiles with certain special weapons
-Unlimited continues?
-Ammo/time limit on weapons (see Fantasy Zone)
Penguin Adventure (MSX, 1986) - Rail Shooter/Rail Platformer, Time limited levels (green heart adds time)
-Acceleration control (can almost stop completely, can speed up and slow down in mid-air)
-Pretty large and detailed sprites overall, Good visual variation, Cute animations when beating a level (similar to Kirby), Level map screen (non-interactive - see Ghosts 'n Goblins etc.)
-Puzzle style boss fights
-Hidden bonus levels/warps/shops (buy items with the fish you collect) - drop into the slightly smaller holes
-Temporary flight via the cloud power up
-Temporary invincibility power up (also lets you break certain obstacles)
-Speed/HP (rare)/jump height upgrade items
-Bell item rings when near a warp (sound queue)
-Respawn on the spot
-Two endings (however the way to get a good ending is pure trial & error and unrelated to what the king says - need to pause the game a certain number of times during your playthrough)
-Pretty good length (~45-60 min if you play well)
-Santa Claus cameo (gives a free item - best to pick the map since you'll need it in levels he appears in)
-Slot machine mini-game in shops (win fish), keep all items after dying
Knight Lore (PCs, 1984/MSX, 1986) - Action Adventure/Maze Platformer, Collectathon element (14 items that you need to put in a cauldron in a certain order), Isometric view, Flip screen/multi-screen
-Block pushing and carrying (move objects to reach some items)
-Persistent items (can be placed in any room and picked up later)
-Time limit (40 days)
-Day/night cycle
-Werewolf transformation (turn into one at night, some monsters only attack you in this form but otherwise gameplay is the same)
-Puzzles reset by re-entering rooms
-Randomized quest item and cauldron locations
-FDS/NES ver.: Broken up into nine stages consisting of eleven rooms each, Increases the number of items to find from eight to eleven, Eighty days instead of forty to complete the game, The ability to move objects in order to reach items was removed
Castle Excellent (MSX, 1986) - Platform Adventure
-One permanent upgrade (scuba gear lets you move through water)
-Platforming and physics puzzles
-Basic map feature
Cross Blaim (MSX, 1986) - ARPG-ish Platform Adventure (mostly linear?, basic leveling system (killing certain bosses makes you level up which extends your lifebar), shops)
-Shops
-Destroy certain walls and blocks with grenades or exploding darts
-Basic leveling system (killing bosses certain bosses makes you level up which extends your lifebar)
-Can choose to kill or save the guy near the final boss
-Pretty bland and repetitive level design and background visuals
-The bosses are pretty large but they're all stationary
-Password save
-No map?
Knightmare (MSX, 1986) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
-Upgradeable speed and weapons (Gradius)
-Smart bombs (trigger when touched though)
-Levels loop horizontally (see the vertical segments in SMB2 for example)
-Time stopper power up
-Temporary shield (only protects your front against smaller projectiles though) and invincibility power ups
-Hidden warps
Hydlide II (PC-88/X1, 1985/MSX, 1986) - ARPG (basic character creation (stat distribution (hp, str and magic) and name), bump combat), TD View
-Cartridge version is one of the first cartridge games with battery save
-Basic morality system (good aka justice/neutral aka normal/bad aka evil, you lose morality by hurting good monsters and gain it by fighting only evil ones, being evil makes good monsters and townspeople ignore you so there's no point to being evil)
-Training mini-games for stat increases
-Health draining tiles (deserts, forests, or graveyards) and a cursed item that stops your health regen (can be dropped)
-Game speed toggle
-Long quest for the time
Romancia/Dragon Slayer Jr. (PC-88 & 98/MSX, 1986/NES, 1987) - ARPG-ish (towns, trading, fetch quests), Time limit (30 mins), Sequel to Dragon Slayer II
-Upgradeable defense (bought)
-Can get stuck
-No save feature (added in the 1999 remake)
-NES ver.: Much larger world, some puzzles are different and some are removed, more action focus, no timer, an item lets you resurrect from death a handful of times, some invincibility time after you get hit, enemies drop health power-ups, some obtuse puzzle design (see HG101 review), smoother but still slow movement, wider gameplay viewport
Batman (PCs/MSX, 1986) - Knight Lore-like Action Adventure w/ Platforming, Isometric
-Checkpoint system (batstone clusters) - No save or password save (added in more recent fan remakes), Lives system
-Object manipulation
-Some ability/tool gating (The Batbag allows you to pick up and drop objects, Jet Batboots allow you to jump, the Thruster allows Road-Runnering (movement while you fall), and the Low Gravity Batbelt keeps you in the air for longer, temporary enhanced jump item)
-Multiple floors
-No maps
Magical Kid Wiz/Mahou Tsukai Wiz (MSX, 1986) - Action Platformer
Arkanoid (Multi/MSX, 1986) - Breakout clone, Action Puzzle
Nemesis (MSX, 1986?/SMS, 1987) - See Gradius 1 (1985)
Knight Tyme (PCs/MSX, 1986) -
Nightshade (PCs, 1985/MSX, 1986) - Isometric
Choplifter (1982 PC/1985 ARC port/SMS, 1986/MSX, ?) - Hostage rescue, scrolls in both directions (Defender), 2.5D element (foreground enemies),
Yie Ar Kung Fu II (MSX, 1986) - Fighting/Beat 'Em Up, Side View
Trailblazer (PCs/MSX, 1986) -
Moai no Hibou (MSX, 1986) - Puzzle Platformer
Guardic (MSX, 1986) - Maze Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up, Top Down
Mobile Planet Stylus (MSX, 1986) - Maze Shooter
The Tower of Druaga (ARC, 1984/NES, 1985/MSX, 1986/GB, 1990) - Maze Action w/ some AA/ARPG elements (level-based), TD View
-Block magic attacks with the shield and put out fire magic (sorcerer enemies) with the sword
-Random starting locations
-Hidden treasure
-Need to find a magic rod during the game to make the final boss appear (if you don't you are teleported to a previous floor/level)
-Druid/druid ghosts/blue slime enemies can break walls
-Can choose to sheathe or draw your sword and one enemy type can't kill you if it's not drawn (ropers)
-Bump into enemies-style combat (a similar system was used later in the Ys games)
Youkai Yashiki (Ghost House) (MSX, 1986/FDS, 1987) - Proto-Platform Adventure/Level-based Collectathon
-Teleporters (Warp wells)
-No save or password save?, No maps
-FDS version: Can't travel between levels, new levels, new bosses after the first one, fewer items to collect, new OST and visually more distinct levels
Tritorn (Multi, 1985/MSX, 1986) - ARPG (No equipment management or friendly areas)
-Save feature
-Ability gating? (walking faster is one gained ability)
Super Tritorn (MSX, 1986)? - ARPG
Dungeon Master (MSX, 1986)(Different, untranslated) - Ys/Hydlide-like ARPG w/ basic character creation (bump combat, overworld & dungeons), TD view, Party-based (you control all 3 chars which is kind of like in Sorcerian except the others don't auto-follow a leader so you tend to get stuck on walls)
-Password save
-No maps
The Stone of Wisdom/Kenja no Ishi (MSX, ?1986) - Zelda-like ARPG (Dungeon only, 3 stats), TD view
-No save or password save, No maps
Games taking advantage of the two cartridge slots for combination easter eggs (similar to the later lock-on Sonic games for MD/GEN)
Vampire Killer/Akumajou Dracula? (MSX, 1986) - Proto-Platform Adventure/Maze Platformer/Action Platformer (linear and level-based; shops, locked doors and chests;
-Well realized horror theme
-Good variation (most enemies require a different strategy to beat)
-Cool and mostly useful sub weapons (though less varied and useful than on NES)
-Hidden items (SMB)
-Smart bombs and invincibility power ups (however they activate as soon as you pick them up)
-Less linear level design than in the NES game
-Hidden shopkeepers
-Shield gear (red one lowers damage by half, yellow/beige one blocks projectiles)
-Walking speed and jump height power ups (boots and wings respectively)
-Map feature (need to find the map in each area)
-Adds an item (candle) that shows breakable blocks
-Some areas loop/wrap around horizontally (Defender or Mario Bros.?)
-Need to find keys to open chests (yellow) and to progress in levels (white)
-No save or password save (does have frequent checkpoints but no continues)
-Items and weapons don't carry over between levels
King Kong 2: Yomigaeru Densetsu (MSX, 1986) - Action Adventure/ARPG, Top Down View
-Early Zelda/Ys-like gameplay (explore a large world for the time, NPCs who give hints and directions, shops, basic character building, overworld and dungeons (cellars) layout, weapon & item inventory)
-Mini-bosses
-Pretty good enemy variation
-Save feature (cart combination?)
-Three different endings (use less continues and spend less time for a better one)
-Can walk away from any dialogue (down)
-Water sandals (walk on water)
-The game shows enemies' stats as you face them (up to two kinds per screen)
-Some large and detailed sprites
-Do more damage by attacking from behind? (some enemies can only be hit from behind - Zelda 1)
-Spin attack (via the whirl spell, very strong)
-Partially non-linear
-Can use some objects as weapons (big boulder - very situational though as it only damages one enemy type in the first area)
-Loosely based on the 1986 movie King Kong Lives
-Unlimited continues
-Modern-ish island setting (similar to an Indiana Jones movie)
-14 unique bosses
Dragon Quest (NES/MSX, 1986) - (J)RPG, TD view (FP view battles)
-Basically a streamlined and simpler version of Ultima III/IV with better presentation
-Teleport out of dungeons and back to the previous save point
-Pretty open ended/non-linear structure
-HP regen gear
-Items that ward off encounters
-Alternate bad ending (sort of)
-In-game epilogue
-Terrain effect during exploration (damage tiles)
Bouken Roman (MSX, 1986) - Maze Platformer/Puzzle Platformer (linear and level-based but each level plays like a mini-Platform Adventure, only E's (ammo) and the red+blue pills/discs (HP) carry over to the next level)
-Item inventory (3 items)
-Basic map feature (shows the world layout and your location but nothing else)
-Hidden doors
-Flight power up
-Teleport back to beginning item (W)
-No Save or password save?
Eggerland 2/Eggerland Mystery 2 (MSX, 1986) - Action Puzzle/Action Adventure (one large maze), TD view
-Basic map feature (shows basic layout+your location+visited rooms, have to find it, final area is on a different floor and isn't mapped)
-Password save
-Temporary rafts
-Locked doors
-Vague hint system in the GUI
-Can find four NPCs who will grant you abilities (infinite ammo, super speed, etc.) in the final few puzzles
Zanac EX (MSX, 1986) - Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
-Basic dynamic difficulty balancing (the enemy AI gets more aggressive/difficult depending on a few factors (weapon power (weapons 2 and 3 increase enemy aggression more), how many enemies you kill and how much you fire, how long you stay alive, if you fail to destroy a base within the time limit; using weapon 6 and smart bombs decreases aggression)
-Large special weapon arsenal (8 different kinds) with 3-6 levels of upgrades per weapon (depends on the weapon and weapon 5 can turn into a different weapon (the laser) with its own levels, 6 for the standard weapon but it can only be reached normally if you use special weapon 0 and there's no upgrade between the 5th and 13th power chip you collect - the other ways of reaching it are crashing into boxes containing power chips or shooting the Eye Eye building (appears in lvl 3, 5, 8, 11, 12) with the standard gun)
-Respawn on the spot without losing all weapon power
-Intense action
-Mini-bosses
-Smart bombs (they trigger when picked up but you can let them hover for a while, weapon 6 also shoots slow moving smart bomb style projectiles - however these will destroy power chips)
-Some hidden items (fairies - acts as a smart bomb when appearing and sticks around to destroy the next boss, also lowers the difficulty)
-Two special weapons also serve as a shield
-Very long for a shoot 'em up (12 levels)
-Smooth scrolling
-Can upgrade your rate of fire several times (red lander - shoot blue lander (very rare power up you can get from the sander ships) until it turns red)
-Can destroy enemy projectiles with certain special weapons
-Unlimited continues?
-Ammo/time limit on weapons (see Fantasy Zone)
Penguin Adventure (MSX, 1986) - Rail Shooter/Rail Platformer, Time limited levels (green heart adds time)
-Acceleration control (can almost stop completely, can speed up and slow down in mid-air)
-Pretty large and detailed sprites overall, Good visual variation, Cute animations when beating a level (similar to Kirby), Level map screen (non-interactive - see Ghosts 'n Goblins etc.)
-Puzzle style boss fights
-Hidden bonus levels/warps/shops (buy items with the fish you collect) - drop into the slightly smaller holes
-Temporary flight via the cloud power up
-Temporary invincibility power up (also lets you break certain obstacles)
-Speed/HP (rare)/jump height upgrade items
-Bell item rings when near a warp (sound queue)
-Respawn on the spot
-Two endings (however the way to get a good ending is pure trial & error and unrelated to what the king says - need to pause the game a certain number of times during your playthrough)
-Pretty good length (~45-60 min if you play well)
-Santa Claus cameo (gives a free item - best to pick the map since you'll need it in levels he appears in)
-Slot machine mini-game in shops (win fish), keep all items after dying
Knight Lore (PCs, 1984/MSX, 1986) - Action Adventure/Maze Platformer, Collectathon element (14 items that you need to put in a cauldron in a certain order), Isometric view, Flip screen/multi-screen
-Block pushing and carrying (move objects to reach some items)
-Persistent items (can be placed in any room and picked up later)
-Time limit (40 days)
-Day/night cycle
-Werewolf transformation (turn into one at night, some monsters only attack you in this form but otherwise gameplay is the same)
-Puzzles reset by re-entering rooms
-Randomized quest item and cauldron locations
-FDS/NES ver.: Broken up into nine stages consisting of eleven rooms each, Increases the number of items to find from eight to eleven, Eighty days instead of forty to complete the game, The ability to move objects in order to reach items was removed
Castle Excellent (MSX, 1986) - Platform Adventure
-One permanent upgrade (scuba gear lets you move through water)
-Platforming and physics puzzles
-Basic map feature
Cross Blaim (MSX, 1986) - ARPG-ish Platform Adventure (mostly linear?, basic leveling system (killing certain bosses makes you level up which extends your lifebar), shops)
-Shops
-Destroy certain walls and blocks with grenades or exploding darts
-Basic leveling system (killing bosses certain bosses makes you level up which extends your lifebar)
-Can choose to kill or save the guy near the final boss
-Pretty bland and repetitive level design and background visuals
-The bosses are pretty large but they're all stationary
-Password save
-No map?
Knightmare (MSX, 1986) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
-Upgradeable speed and weapons (Gradius)
-Smart bombs (trigger when touched though)
-Levels loop horizontally (see the vertical segments in SMB2 for example)
-Time stopper power up
-Temporary shield (only protects your front against smaller projectiles though) and invincibility power ups
-Hidden warps
Hydlide II (PC-88/X1, 1985/MSX, 1986) - ARPG (basic character creation (stat distribution (hp, str and magic) and name), bump combat), TD View
-Cartridge version is one of the first cartridge games with battery save
-Basic morality system (good aka justice/neutral aka normal/bad aka evil, you lose morality by hurting good monsters and gain it by fighting only evil ones, being evil makes good monsters and townspeople ignore you so there's no point to being evil)
-Training mini-games for stat increases
-Health draining tiles (deserts, forests, or graveyards) and a cursed item that stops your health regen (can be dropped)
-Game speed toggle
-Long quest for the time
Romancia/Dragon Slayer Jr. (PC-88 & 98/MSX, 1986/NES, 1987) - ARPG-ish (towns, trading, fetch quests), Time limit (30 mins), Sequel to Dragon Slayer II
-Upgradeable defense (bought)
-Can get stuck
-No save feature (added in the 1999 remake)
-NES ver.: Much larger world, some puzzles are different and some are removed, more action focus, no timer, an item lets you resurrect from death a handful of times, some invincibility time after you get hit, enemies drop health power-ups, some obtuse puzzle design (see HG101 review), smoother but still slow movement, wider gameplay viewport
Batman (PCs/MSX, 1986) - Knight Lore-like Action Adventure w/ Platforming, Isometric
-Checkpoint system (batstone clusters) - No save or password save (added in more recent fan remakes), Lives system
-Object manipulation
-Some ability/tool gating (The Batbag allows you to pick up and drop objects, Jet Batboots allow you to jump, the Thruster allows Road-Runnering (movement while you fall), and the Low Gravity Batbelt keeps you in the air for longer, temporary enhanced jump item)
-Multiple floors
-No maps
Magical Kid Wiz/Mahou Tsukai Wiz (MSX, 1986) - Action Platformer
Arkanoid (Multi/MSX, 1986) - Breakout clone, Action Puzzle
Nemesis (MSX, 1986?/SMS, 1987) - See Gradius 1 (1985)
Knight Tyme (PCs/MSX, 1986) -
Nightshade (PCs, 1985/MSX, 1986) - Isometric
Choplifter (1982 PC/1985 ARC port/SMS, 1986/MSX, ?) - Hostage rescue, scrolls in both directions (Defender), 2.5D element (foreground enemies),
Yie Ar Kung Fu II (MSX, 1986) - Fighting/Beat 'Em Up, Side View
Trailblazer (PCs/MSX, 1986) -
Moai no Hibou (MSX, 1986) - Puzzle Platformer
Guardic (MSX, 1986) - Maze Shooter/Shoot 'Em Up, Top Down
Mobile Planet Stylus (MSX, 1986) - Maze Shooter
The Tower of Druaga (ARC, 1984/NES, 1985/MSX, 1986/GB, 1990) - Maze Action w/ some AA/ARPG elements (level-based), TD View
-Block magic attacks with the shield and put out fire magic (sorcerer enemies) with the sword
-Random starting locations
-Hidden treasure
-Need to find a magic rod during the game to make the final boss appear (if you don't you are teleported to a previous floor/level)
-Druid/druid ghosts/blue slime enemies can break walls
-Can choose to sheathe or draw your sword and one enemy type can't kill you if it's not drawn (ropers)
-Bump into enemies-style combat (a similar system was used later in the Ys games)
Youkai Yashiki (Ghost House) (MSX, 1986/FDS, 1987) - Proto-Platform Adventure/Level-based Collectathon
-Teleporters (Warp wells)
-No save or password save?, No maps
-FDS version: Can't travel between levels, new levels, new bosses after the first one, fewer items to collect, new OST and visually more distinct levels
Tritorn (Multi, 1985/MSX, 1986) - ARPG (No equipment management or friendly areas)
-Save feature
-Ability gating? (walking faster is one gained ability)
Super Tritorn (MSX, 1986)? - ARPG
Dungeon Master (MSX, 1986)(Different, untranslated) - Ys/Hydlide-like ARPG w/ basic character creation (bump combat, overworld & dungeons), TD view, Party-based (you control all 3 chars which is kind of like in Sorcerian except the others don't auto-follow a leader so you tend to get stuck on walls)
-Password save
-No maps
The Stone of Wisdom/Kenja no Ishi (MSX, ?1986) - Zelda-like ARPG (Dungeon only, 3 stats), TD view
-No save or password save, No maps
Games taking advantage of the two cartridge slots for combination easter eggs (similar to the later lock-on Sonic games for MD/GEN)
1987:
Metal Gear (MSX2/NES, 1987) - Stealth Action/Action Adventure, TD view
-Version differences: http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2009/08/metal-gear-msx-and-nes-comparison.html
-Stealth mechanics
-Radio communication feature (can get tips from NPCs)
-Interesting gear (binoculars (view adjacent screens - respawns enemies on NES), enemy uniform, tracker item (can be placed on you by the enemy if you get captured), silencer, etc.)
-Boss introductions
-Find destructible walls by listening for differing sounds when hitting them
-Creates a sense of vulnerability at times (the dogs, losing your gear before the first boss)
-Checkpoints at the beginning of each area and when exiting or entering a building
-Some interesting level design (flying enemy triggering an electric floor trap, moving infrared beam alarm room, tank fire in the desert)
-Basic level up/rank system (lets you carry more equipment and ammo but also sometimes determines if an NPC will answer you on the radio, 4 levels and increases with every 5th rescued prisoner, killing prisoners lowers rank; Zelda, Metroid)
-Fairly impressive PSG music
-Escape sequence (Metroid)
-Save feature (loading puts you in the previous elevator room though)
-No maps
Ys: Vanished Omen/Ancient Ys Vanished (MSX, 1987/SMS, 1988) - ARPG, Top down view
-Sometimes interactive dialogue (select topics from a list, ys/no prompts, sometimes affected by what you've done/who you've met before?)
-Bargain with one of the clerks
-Teleport back to town (wing)
-Health regen outside dungeons if standing still
-Detailed artwork during important dialogue
-Save anywhere except during dialogue or boss battles
-Somewhat non-linear structure
-Fairly impressive FM (YM2413) music?
-Bump combat w/ positioning (similar to horseback duels and inspired by Hydlide probably)
-Gradually learn enemies' stats by killing more of them (post PCE versions - Eternal/Complete)
-No maps
Knightmare II: Maze of Galious (MSX, 1987) - Platform Adventure/ARPG-ish/Action Adventure (shops, some NPCs, basic character building - beat bosses to upgrade your health bar, hub area), Side View
-Switch between two different characters on the fly (one boy and one girl - boy jumps higher and destroys rocks quicker but can only shoot/put 2 sub weapons at once (without the earrings and bracelet) and dies quickly from being underwater, girl can shoot/put 3 sub weapons at once and swim+stay longer underwater but needs 15 hits to destroy a rock (without the ring) and can't destroy weak walls (without the pendant) nor pass the rotating doors (without bread & water)+has a set jump height, )
-Basic character building (beat bosses to upgrade your health bar)
-Large consumables inventory (keys and arrows)
-Good enemy variation
-Some good enemy AI (blue knights, shooting ghosts, yellow enemies in world 8)
-Pretty large arsenal of sub weapons and various tools/items
-Fairy rooms (Zelda)
-Large world (9 sub areas+1 hub area)
-Some interesting items/tools (mines, rolling fire (fireball moving around a platform similar to in SMB2 - it won't go up a wall though), oar - walk on water, magnifying glass - examine gravestones, vase - boosts exp gain, carpet - turns the lava in world 8 to stone and removes fireballs, bible - freezes all enemies in a room, halo - lets you teleport from any world/sub area back to the beginning/hub area (last password room - F1 then Enter), feather - teleports you to an opened world portal/door (press the corresponding number key), bell - rings when nearing a world/sub area (Penguin Adventure & Dragon Quest?)
-Speed upgrade item (boots - Monster World/WBiML or Golvellius?)
-Minor puzzles (breakable walls - usually obvious where to strike, read gravestones to find the spell/word to open the seal to the boss in a world/sub area - kinda like Zillion, kill all enemies in certain rooms to make an item appear - Zelda 1?)
-Sub area maps (need to find them, no hub area map)
-Can revive the other character at death's shrine (room L11, fairly expensive, reload to be able to do it again)
-Pretty large bosses
-Optional handicap items that help with the boss fight in each world
-Password save (consumables (key, coins, arrows) respawn when loading)
-Consumables (key, coins, arrows) respawn when loading a password save
-Partially non-linear structure (need to tackle the sub areas in a set order though as each boss gives the key to the next one)
-Different and mostly worse on NES (missing five worlds/sub areas, less varied level design)
Golvellius (MSX, 1987) - Action Adventure/Action Platformer/Vertical Shoot 'em up Hybrid (similar to Zelda 1, shops and NPCs), TD view/SV hybrid
-Fairly large boss sprites
-Good musical and visual variation
-Pretty impressive PSG music overall
-Movement speed upgrades
-Password save (fairly long)
-Lifebar and wallet upgrades
-Herb that triggers when near death (Zelda 1?)
-No maps
Legacy of the Wizard/Dragon Slayer IV: DF (MSX/NES, 1987) - Platform Adventure/Puzzle Platformer/ARPG-ish Hybrid (no exp point leveling system, shops and inns in the dungeon, limited inventory (three items), the room with a large dragon painting is a hub connecting to four sub areas designed with one of the playable chars in mind, locked doors and keys - unlocked doors don't stay unlocked), Side View
-Early sidescrolling ARPG
-Five different playable characters (Xemn - push certain blocks into enemies (killing them) as well as rearrange them in 8 directions to progress w/ block moving glove+throw axes which is a strong attack+use armor for partial invincibility and taking out enemies you move into, Meyna - poor jump but great magic and can equip a rod that lets her "shoot" blocks around (making them ricochet off any enemy/wall/party member they come into contact with - back and forth a few times before disappearing which is similar in purpose to the glove but more limited as you can't slide push them diagonally)+the key stick (permanent key which drains 1 MP per use), Roas - weak but can wield the dragon slayer sword+use armor, Lyll - high jump which can be upgraded and can break blocks with the mattock, Pochi - is a monster meaning he doesn't get attacked by most enemies and can either walk through or ride them/strong but short range attack/can't use items and his jump sucks; switch back at the family house, three different stats which differ for each char (jump height, attack power, attack range), different chars can use different tool items and some have a special inherent ability))
-Large world
-Partially destructible environment (Metroid?)
-Warps/fast travel (consumable crystal item works like a one way town/surface portal, can use the paintings/pictures to teleport after getting crowns from bosses in the late game)
-Use certain enemies as platforms
-Stash/vault at your house and at inns (limited inventory when moving around - only 3 items; have to find/go back to an inn to equip an item that you just found or bought)
-A few shops and inns
-Elixir can save you from death (Zelda?)
-Password save (updates at the house on the surface only, no checkpoints or respawns in the dungeon unless you carry an elixir)
-Fall damage when falling past your char's jump height
-Flight (wings item - actually works more like being able walk/climb in mid-air and drains MP while used)
-Can stand on enemies
-High jump
-No map (one teleporter maze in the late game)
-Partially non-linear structure (can do Xemn's area before Pochi's if you collect the glove first and can skip using Pochi, have to do part of Xemn's area before Meyna's, can partially explore some areas in advance with Pochi; the sub area boss that you fight is determined by how many crowns you've collected meaning the order is always the same but you can generally choose who to use for each fight as long as you can find/get to a crown with that char, can switch to Meyna after getting the wings as Lyll (or Xemn if you double jumped into her area)? - only Meyna can fly so she has to finish her area, key stick is required in Meyna's area? (and only she can use it))
-Temporary invincibility and speed power ups - the latter can stack three times, Smart bombs which trigger when touched
-One negative power up (poison) - SMB2 JP?
-Two permanent stat buff gear items (AP and Attack Range) though not everyone can use them and they have to be in an active item slot to be used
-Some decent-good platforming/block and spatial awareness puzzles (breakable and movable blocks, no gravity effect on pushable blocks means you can rearrange them into bridges)
-Some sequence breaking possibilities (pochi can ride on some enemies (he doesn't take damage) to for example reach the power knuckle a bit sooner, can use an unintended double jump trick (involves pausing two times during a jump and then holding jump as you unpause the second time - pretty easy to use and is quite useful as it lets you skip or simplify some block puzzles; can also skip buying most items since you can find them instead - seems buying the key stick is faster than finding it though, can skip some of Xemn's block puzzles with Lyll (mattock))
-Some shortcuts
MSX:
-Many different rooms compared to the NES ver. (mainly on the eastern side of the world)
-No scrolling here
The Treasure of Usas/Usas (MSX, 1987) - Maze Platformer/Puzzle Platformer/Proto Platform Adventure-ish (only partially non-linear structure and interconnected world - 4 levels at a time holding keys to a boss room which are accessed from a simple hub area and you move between this in a linear fashion)
-Two playable characters with different stats and moves
-Basic character building (speed and jump length can be upgraded using money you collect during the levels)
-Can heal using collected money (pretty cheap) outside of boss battles
-Choose your own path (small hub area with four levels holding keys that unlock a boss's chamber, then four more?)
-Each character has four different moves (but can only perform one at a time by collecting the correct power up)
-Walk in mid-air as Cles using the fourth/rightmost power up (keep holding the d-pad)
-Minor puzzles (block pushing and stacking (Boulder Dash) to reach higher, timed doors opened with switches)
-Short warning sfx when low on health which doesn't repeat
-Can stomp small enemies but you'll get no money from them if you do
-Some creative level design/mechanics (bounce pads - similar to Sonic springs, roll move as Cles - can jump during it, double jump (only when using Wit's leftmost/fourth move))
-Password save
-No maps
War of the Dead (MSX, 1987/PC-88, 1989) - Action Adventure/Survival Horror
-Zombie invasion/horror theme (the backstory is pretty similar to Resident Evil)
-Survivor rescue mechanic (escort one at a time to safety by leaving the building he/she's in - previously you had to escort them all the way to the church?)
-Radio item
-Resource management (ammo, limited item inventory)
-Similar to Zelda II from the same year
-Upgrade weapons manually via the pause menu (PS REM/Psychic Sealed Remedy - seal psychic energy in the weapons; need to collect and use mind force - basically MP but it also affects your defense when stored)
-Can switch weapons during combat (pause)
-Skippable dialogue but you can only skip the entire conversation?
-Some cool weapons (Flamethrower - effective against aquatic creatures, Grenade Launcher, Bazooka)
-Female protagonist (Lila Alphon)
-Need to talk to NPCs over and over to trigger more dialogue and some events
-When you're in the boat you can almost completely eliminate random encounters by hugging the coast
-Returning to the church will cancel the effect of PS REM on your weapons so you'll have to re-use it after leaving (you go there to restore HP and MP/MF if needed so it's kinda weird)
-At key moments in the plot you will be notified that your MAX MF has increased - this is also a good time to go back to the church and talk to everyone as the dialogue tends to have updated (manual tip)
-More advanced interaction controls compared to the PCE version
-Lose mind force/MF when injured in battle
High School! Kimengumi (SMS, 1986/MSX, 1987) - Early (Top Down View) Quest Adventure
-Comical tone
-Expressive sprites
-Anime/manga license
Bubble Bobble (ARC, 1986/MSX, 1987/Multi) - 2-player Co-op Action Platformer/Collectathon, Single Screen
-An invincible ghost appears and kills you after some time (a sort of time limit)
-Use enemies as platforms
-Large bosses
-Unlock items by collecting letters to a word
-Many levels
Firebird/Hi no Tori Hououhen (MSX, 1987) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up/Maze Shooter (each level consists of three parallel paths connected only on some screens, if you take the wrong path then the level path you're on keeps looping, need to touch phoenix statues to open gates and proceed)
-Jumping in a shoot 'em up (can jump over enemies and shots, can't jump out of water)
-Shop (buy weapons with money (phoenix feathers) collected from the brown statues in a menu that you can bring up at any time)
-Alternate paths through levels
-Basic map feature (F4 - shows the basic layout and gates of a level as well as your current location but not important items)
-Rate of fire and shot distance upgrades
-Temporary invincibility and time stopper power ups
-Smart bombs (trigger when touched though and won't hit the statue/turret enemies)
-Some terrain differences (pools of water that slow down your movement)
-Press F3 to show how many of each item you have (speed upgrade/shoes, compass - not sure, ladybird/ladybug (rate of fire and distance of shots), tebako/present box (keep upgrades after game over), brown scroll/map - disappear after use, white scroll/fast travel map part, square letter symbols/gate keys, special items/round letter symbols - needed to face the final boss)
-The phoenix statues give clues (get the fan translation) on how to proceed through the game
-Respawn almost on the spot with all upgrades intact (boss fights don't even restart fully) until using a continue (which takes you to a nearby checkpoint)
-Password save (F1 then Home)
-Odd fast travel/hub map feature (shows how levels are connected and lets you move back to earlier levels and even two later ones but only if you're on the third level - if you go back to one of the first two levels you can't fast travel back to the level you were on again)
-Unlimited continues (you'll lose all upgrades and money after using up your accessory items though (present/tebako box))
-Movement speed upgrades
-Auto-fire via a cheat password
-Unusually dark premise (hero is a partially disabled thief who accidentally killed his wife due to a disease taking hold of him and now needs to fight his inner demons to redeem himself)
-Pretty smooth scrolling, Very little slowdown and flicker
Head over Heels (PCs/MSX, 1987) - Isometric Action Adventure/Puzzle Platformer
-Two character team gameplay (switch on the fly)
-Object interaction
-No character upgrades?
-No save or password save until the remake (can eat a fish for a checkpoint), No map
Welcome to Heaven/Tengoku Yoitoko (MSX, 1987) - Platform Adventure/ARPG/Action Platformer (hub town with NPCs, shopping, gear and tools, stat building (collect stars from killed enemies - each kind of star boosts either a stat or your gold))
-Unusual premise and setting (a japanese/buddhist version of the christian heaven?)
-Can stand on NPCs and enemies (SMB2, kill enemies by jumping on them repeatedly to bury them in the ground beneath)
-Very good jump controls (SMB1) and separate jump button
-Can kill town NPCs and you're punished for it (you'll lose virtue although it's a very small amount, virtue stat is increased by killing enemies)
-Comments from some enemies during gameplay which doesn't interrupt it (see River City Ransom)
-Some interesting gear (wings allow flight but only in one dungeon (button mash style), halo - thrown projectile that locks enemies in place, upgraded halo - gets stuck where it's thrown and can then be used as a platform (similar to the plungers in Quackshot))
-Can replay beaten dungeons
-Return points in dungeons (similar to Wonder Boy III but not as well implemented)
-Burying enemies on a single tile platform just makes them fall through it (sometimes into spikes)
-Somewhat non-linear structure (need to grind to break from the beaten path though and can only do this in some places)
-Basic karma system (virtue stat)
-No save or password save?, No maps
Hydlide III/Super Hydlide (Multi, 1987/MD, 1990) - ARPG (char creation, 4 classes, spend exp to level up or learn spells in town, towns w/ shops), TD view
-Basic morality system
-Fatigue and resting mechanics, Hunger mechanic, Weight mechanic
-Day/night cycle, Time skip spell
-Move spell lets you teleport to any visited town that you've slept in
-Minor ability/tool gating (flash spell=temporarily light up dark areas)
-Save feature
-New gear shows on your avatar
-Banks w/ interest mechanic
-No maps
OutRun (1986 ARC port/SMS, 1987/MSX, ?) - Driving/Race against the clock
-Many alternate routes (shows a course map after completion)
-Slopes
-Music selection before play
-Gear shifting (Hang-On)
-Very good visual variation
-Stone arcs (similar to a tunnel)
Nemesis 2 (MSX/SMS, 1987) - See Gradius 2?
Salamander (ARC, 1986/MSX, 1987) - Different?
Colony (PCs/MSX, 1987) -
Super Runner (MSX, 1987) - 2-player Action Platformer/Racing?
Higemaru Makaijima (Makai Island) (MSX/NES, 1987)(fan translated) - Zelda-like Action Adventure w/ Jumping, TD view
-Pirate theme (travel between locations by ship)
-No permanent weapons (use barrels and rocks in the environment)
-Password save
-Map (have to find it)
-Upgradeable lifebar (no other char upgrades?)
-Some basic decoding puzzles
-No ability gating?
Elite (PCs, 1984/MSX, 1987) -
Ashguine Story II (MSX, 1987) - Top Down Hack 'n Slash/Maze Action
AshGuine Story III (MSX, 1987) - ARPG? (separate and avoidable battle encounters), Top Down view
-Password save
-No map feature?
Knightmare III: Shalom (MSX, 1987) - JRPG
Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu (Multi, 1985/MSX, 1987) - ARPG/Proto-Platform Adventure Hybrid (stat distribution in town when beginning, action-based character growth for spells and weapons, linear structure, level up your char at temples, one town, shops in the dungeons, tile-based movement), Side View (most exploration and the boss battles) & TD view Hybrid (regular battles and castles within dungeons are top down)
-Pay to save or let the game auto-save at certain points
-Dark rooms which can be lit with lamps
-Some interesting gear (an elixir lets you revive from the spot you died (like Fairies in Zelda), spectacles to read an enemy’s status - default, invincibility rings (temporary?), a mantle that allows to pass through walls for a short time)
-Basic karma system (a bit weird and unintuitive, need to keep it low to enter the final dungeon and get the dragon slayer sword as well as to enter temples in which you can level up, can lower it with poison but these items are limited)
-Level gating (have to reach a certain level to get to the next dungeon)
-Can escape from battles
-Nameable char
-Which side you're attacked from matters
-Limited enemies per dungeon
-Hunger mechanic
-Shows enemy HP and your damage output
Woody Poco/Woody Poko (PC-88/PC-98, 1986/FM-7/NES/MSX, 1987) - Maze Platformer w/ ARPG/Action Adventure elements (level-based), Tilted View (see Double Dragon)
-Hunger mechanic
-Shops are only open at certain times of the day - sleeping at inns makes time fast forward
-Seasons change in accordance with the in-game clock
-The use of an item sometimes changes depending on which hand you hold it in
-Some other innovative mechanics (gamble, bribe other characters, can steal items from stores but Poco's appearance will be altered in the process and shops will stop doing business with him)
-Many optional tunnels?
-Dark rooms (Zelda II?)
-Can perform long hover jumps using an umbrella (several screens on NES)
-Some large sprites
-Modern setting with some fantasy elements
-Can lower the difficulty... by choosing to play as a girl character at the beginning of the adventure
-Password save
Taiyou no Shinden/Asteka II: Temple of the Sun (Templo del Sol: Asteka II) (PCs, 1986 (JP developed)/MSX, 1987/SAT, 1998 (Falcom Classics II - Remaster based on PC versions)) - Graphical Adventure (location exploration)/Action Adventure (overworld) hybrid, FP (locations)/TD (overworld) hybrid, Icon interface (verb commands)
-Mayan civilization theme (not Aztec)
-Item inventory
-Shrinking item for shrinking yourself
-Puzzles (some item combination puzzles)
-Password save
-Compass (have to make it)
-No maps (early versions came with a world map?)
-Larger overworld on PC-88 (some puzzles are also different between the MSX and PC-88 versions; smallest world but also smooth scrolling in the NES game (Tombs & Treasure) which is more of a remix)
Death Wish III (C64/Spectrum/Amstrad/MSX, 1987) - Maze Shooter (track down riot/gang leaders and kill them, no jumping), Tilted view (but the gameplay is side view)
-Mini-map and compass features
-Sniping through windows inside buildings (FP view)
-No ending and no difficulty progression?
Borfes to 5-jin no Akuma (Borfes and the Five Devils) (MSX, 1987)? - Zelda-like Action Adventure (overworld & dungeons), TD view
-Save feature?
-No map?
Märchen Veil (FDS/FM-7/MSX, 1987) - Proto-Action Adventure/Collectathon? (level/area-based w/ backtracking to previous levels to progress, jumping), TD view
-Save points
-Lifebar upgrades
-No maps?
Mashou no Yakata Gabalin (MSX, 1987)? - Maze Action/Shoot ‘em up hybrid w/ AA elements, TD view
Kidou Wakusei Stils (Roving Planet Styllus) (MSX, 1987) - Maze Action/Puzzle, TD view
Metal Gear (MSX2/NES, 1987) - Stealth Action/Action Adventure, TD view
-Version differences: http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2009/08/metal-gear-msx-and-nes-comparison.html
-Stealth mechanics
-Radio communication feature (can get tips from NPCs)
-Interesting gear (binoculars (view adjacent screens - respawns enemies on NES), enemy uniform, tracker item (can be placed on you by the enemy if you get captured), silencer, etc.)
-Boss introductions
-Find destructible walls by listening for differing sounds when hitting them
-Creates a sense of vulnerability at times (the dogs, losing your gear before the first boss)
-Checkpoints at the beginning of each area and when exiting or entering a building
-Some interesting level design (flying enemy triggering an electric floor trap, moving infrared beam alarm room, tank fire in the desert)
-Basic level up/rank system (lets you carry more equipment and ammo but also sometimes determines if an NPC will answer you on the radio, 4 levels and increases with every 5th rescued prisoner, killing prisoners lowers rank; Zelda, Metroid)
-Fairly impressive PSG music
-Escape sequence (Metroid)
-Save feature (loading puts you in the previous elevator room though)
-No maps
Ys: Vanished Omen/Ancient Ys Vanished (MSX, 1987/SMS, 1988) - ARPG, Top down view
-Sometimes interactive dialogue (select topics from a list, ys/no prompts, sometimes affected by what you've done/who you've met before?)
-Bargain with one of the clerks
-Teleport back to town (wing)
-Health regen outside dungeons if standing still
-Detailed artwork during important dialogue
-Save anywhere except during dialogue or boss battles
-Somewhat non-linear structure
-Fairly impressive FM (YM2413) music?
-Bump combat w/ positioning (similar to horseback duels and inspired by Hydlide probably)
-Gradually learn enemies' stats by killing more of them (post PCE versions - Eternal/Complete)
-No maps
Knightmare II: Maze of Galious (MSX, 1987) - Platform Adventure/ARPG-ish/Action Adventure (shops, some NPCs, basic character building - beat bosses to upgrade your health bar, hub area), Side View
-Switch between two different characters on the fly (one boy and one girl - boy jumps higher and destroys rocks quicker but can only shoot/put 2 sub weapons at once (without the earrings and bracelet) and dies quickly from being underwater, girl can shoot/put 3 sub weapons at once and swim+stay longer underwater but needs 15 hits to destroy a rock (without the ring) and can't destroy weak walls (without the pendant) nor pass the rotating doors (without bread & water)+has a set jump height, )
-Basic character building (beat bosses to upgrade your health bar)
-Large consumables inventory (keys and arrows)
-Good enemy variation
-Some good enemy AI (blue knights, shooting ghosts, yellow enemies in world 8)
-Pretty large arsenal of sub weapons and various tools/items
-Fairy rooms (Zelda)
-Large world (9 sub areas+1 hub area)
-Some interesting items/tools (mines, rolling fire (fireball moving around a platform similar to in SMB2 - it won't go up a wall though), oar - walk on water, magnifying glass - examine gravestones, vase - boosts exp gain, carpet - turns the lava in world 8 to stone and removes fireballs, bible - freezes all enemies in a room, halo - lets you teleport from any world/sub area back to the beginning/hub area (last password room - F1 then Enter), feather - teleports you to an opened world portal/door (press the corresponding number key), bell - rings when nearing a world/sub area (Penguin Adventure & Dragon Quest?)
-Speed upgrade item (boots - Monster World/WBiML or Golvellius?)
-Minor puzzles (breakable walls - usually obvious where to strike, read gravestones to find the spell/word to open the seal to the boss in a world/sub area - kinda like Zillion, kill all enemies in certain rooms to make an item appear - Zelda 1?)
-Sub area maps (need to find them, no hub area map)
-Can revive the other character at death's shrine (room L11, fairly expensive, reload to be able to do it again)
-Pretty large bosses
-Optional handicap items that help with the boss fight in each world
-Password save (consumables (key, coins, arrows) respawn when loading)
-Consumables (key, coins, arrows) respawn when loading a password save
-Partially non-linear structure (need to tackle the sub areas in a set order though as each boss gives the key to the next one)
-Different and mostly worse on NES (missing five worlds/sub areas, less varied level design)
Golvellius (MSX, 1987) - Action Adventure/Action Platformer/Vertical Shoot 'em up Hybrid (similar to Zelda 1, shops and NPCs), TD view/SV hybrid
-Fairly large boss sprites
-Good musical and visual variation
-Pretty impressive PSG music overall
-Movement speed upgrades
-Password save (fairly long)
-Lifebar and wallet upgrades
-Herb that triggers when near death (Zelda 1?)
-No maps
Legacy of the Wizard/Dragon Slayer IV: DF (MSX/NES, 1987) - Platform Adventure/Puzzle Platformer/ARPG-ish Hybrid (no exp point leveling system, shops and inns in the dungeon, limited inventory (three items), the room with a large dragon painting is a hub connecting to four sub areas designed with one of the playable chars in mind, locked doors and keys - unlocked doors don't stay unlocked), Side View
-Early sidescrolling ARPG
-Five different playable characters (Xemn - push certain blocks into enemies (killing them) as well as rearrange them in 8 directions to progress w/ block moving glove+throw axes which is a strong attack+use armor for partial invincibility and taking out enemies you move into, Meyna - poor jump but great magic and can equip a rod that lets her "shoot" blocks around (making them ricochet off any enemy/wall/party member they come into contact with - back and forth a few times before disappearing which is similar in purpose to the glove but more limited as you can't slide push them diagonally)+the key stick (permanent key which drains 1 MP per use), Roas - weak but can wield the dragon slayer sword+use armor, Lyll - high jump which can be upgraded and can break blocks with the mattock, Pochi - is a monster meaning he doesn't get attacked by most enemies and can either walk through or ride them/strong but short range attack/can't use items and his jump sucks; switch back at the family house, three different stats which differ for each char (jump height, attack power, attack range), different chars can use different tool items and some have a special inherent ability))
-Large world
-Partially destructible environment (Metroid?)
-Warps/fast travel (consumable crystal item works like a one way town/surface portal, can use the paintings/pictures to teleport after getting crowns from bosses in the late game)
-Use certain enemies as platforms
-Stash/vault at your house and at inns (limited inventory when moving around - only 3 items; have to find/go back to an inn to equip an item that you just found or bought)
-A few shops and inns
-Elixir can save you from death (Zelda?)
-Password save (updates at the house on the surface only, no checkpoints or respawns in the dungeon unless you carry an elixir)
-Fall damage when falling past your char's jump height
-Flight (wings item - actually works more like being able walk/climb in mid-air and drains MP while used)
-Can stand on enemies
-High jump
-No map (one teleporter maze in the late game)
-Partially non-linear structure (can do Xemn's area before Pochi's if you collect the glove first and can skip using Pochi, have to do part of Xemn's area before Meyna's, can partially explore some areas in advance with Pochi; the sub area boss that you fight is determined by how many crowns you've collected meaning the order is always the same but you can generally choose who to use for each fight as long as you can find/get to a crown with that char, can switch to Meyna after getting the wings as Lyll (or Xemn if you double jumped into her area)? - only Meyna can fly so she has to finish her area, key stick is required in Meyna's area? (and only she can use it))
-Temporary invincibility and speed power ups - the latter can stack three times, Smart bombs which trigger when touched
-One negative power up (poison) - SMB2 JP?
-Two permanent stat buff gear items (AP and Attack Range) though not everyone can use them and they have to be in an active item slot to be used
-Some decent-good platforming/block and spatial awareness puzzles (breakable and movable blocks, no gravity effect on pushable blocks means you can rearrange them into bridges)
-Some sequence breaking possibilities (pochi can ride on some enemies (he doesn't take damage) to for example reach the power knuckle a bit sooner, can use an unintended double jump trick (involves pausing two times during a jump and then holding jump as you unpause the second time - pretty easy to use and is quite useful as it lets you skip or simplify some block puzzles; can also skip buying most items since you can find them instead - seems buying the key stick is faster than finding it though, can skip some of Xemn's block puzzles with Lyll (mattock))
-Some shortcuts
MSX:
-Many different rooms compared to the NES ver. (mainly on the eastern side of the world)
-No scrolling here
The Treasure of Usas/Usas (MSX, 1987) - Maze Platformer/Puzzle Platformer/Proto Platform Adventure-ish (only partially non-linear structure and interconnected world - 4 levels at a time holding keys to a boss room which are accessed from a simple hub area and you move between this in a linear fashion)
-Two playable characters with different stats and moves
-Basic character building (speed and jump length can be upgraded using money you collect during the levels)
-Can heal using collected money (pretty cheap) outside of boss battles
-Choose your own path (small hub area with four levels holding keys that unlock a boss's chamber, then four more?)
-Each character has four different moves (but can only perform one at a time by collecting the correct power up)
-Walk in mid-air as Cles using the fourth/rightmost power up (keep holding the d-pad)
-Minor puzzles (block pushing and stacking (Boulder Dash) to reach higher, timed doors opened with switches)
-Short warning sfx when low on health which doesn't repeat
-Can stomp small enemies but you'll get no money from them if you do
-Some creative level design/mechanics (bounce pads - similar to Sonic springs, roll move as Cles - can jump during it, double jump (only when using Wit's leftmost/fourth move))
-Password save
-No maps
War of the Dead (MSX, 1987/PC-88, 1989) - Action Adventure/Survival Horror
-Zombie invasion/horror theme (the backstory is pretty similar to Resident Evil)
-Survivor rescue mechanic (escort one at a time to safety by leaving the building he/she's in - previously you had to escort them all the way to the church?)
-Radio item
-Resource management (ammo, limited item inventory)
-Similar to Zelda II from the same year
-Upgrade weapons manually via the pause menu (PS REM/Psychic Sealed Remedy - seal psychic energy in the weapons; need to collect and use mind force - basically MP but it also affects your defense when stored)
-Can switch weapons during combat (pause)
-Skippable dialogue but you can only skip the entire conversation?
-Some cool weapons (Flamethrower - effective against aquatic creatures, Grenade Launcher, Bazooka)
-Female protagonist (Lila Alphon)
-Need to talk to NPCs over and over to trigger more dialogue and some events
-When you're in the boat you can almost completely eliminate random encounters by hugging the coast
-Returning to the church will cancel the effect of PS REM on your weapons so you'll have to re-use it after leaving (you go there to restore HP and MP/MF if needed so it's kinda weird)
-At key moments in the plot you will be notified that your MAX MF has increased - this is also a good time to go back to the church and talk to everyone as the dialogue tends to have updated (manual tip)
-More advanced interaction controls compared to the PCE version
-Lose mind force/MF when injured in battle
High School! Kimengumi (SMS, 1986/MSX, 1987) - Early (Top Down View) Quest Adventure
-Comical tone
-Expressive sprites
-Anime/manga license
Bubble Bobble (ARC, 1986/MSX, 1987/Multi) - 2-player Co-op Action Platformer/Collectathon, Single Screen
-An invincible ghost appears and kills you after some time (a sort of time limit)
-Use enemies as platforms
-Large bosses
-Unlock items by collecting letters to a word
-Many levels
Firebird/Hi no Tori Hououhen (MSX, 1987) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up/Maze Shooter (each level consists of three parallel paths connected only on some screens, if you take the wrong path then the level path you're on keeps looping, need to touch phoenix statues to open gates and proceed)
-Jumping in a shoot 'em up (can jump over enemies and shots, can't jump out of water)
-Shop (buy weapons with money (phoenix feathers) collected from the brown statues in a menu that you can bring up at any time)
-Alternate paths through levels
-Basic map feature (F4 - shows the basic layout and gates of a level as well as your current location but not important items)
-Rate of fire and shot distance upgrades
-Temporary invincibility and time stopper power ups
-Smart bombs (trigger when touched though and won't hit the statue/turret enemies)
-Some terrain differences (pools of water that slow down your movement)
-Press F3 to show how many of each item you have (speed upgrade/shoes, compass - not sure, ladybird/ladybug (rate of fire and distance of shots), tebako/present box (keep upgrades after game over), brown scroll/map - disappear after use, white scroll/fast travel map part, square letter symbols/gate keys, special items/round letter symbols - needed to face the final boss)
-The phoenix statues give clues (get the fan translation) on how to proceed through the game
-Respawn almost on the spot with all upgrades intact (boss fights don't even restart fully) until using a continue (which takes you to a nearby checkpoint)
-Password save (F1 then Home)
-Odd fast travel/hub map feature (shows how levels are connected and lets you move back to earlier levels and even two later ones but only if you're on the third level - if you go back to one of the first two levels you can't fast travel back to the level you were on again)
-Unlimited continues (you'll lose all upgrades and money after using up your accessory items though (present/tebako box))
-Movement speed upgrades
-Auto-fire via a cheat password
-Unusually dark premise (hero is a partially disabled thief who accidentally killed his wife due to a disease taking hold of him and now needs to fight his inner demons to redeem himself)
-Pretty smooth scrolling, Very little slowdown and flicker
Head over Heels (PCs/MSX, 1987) - Isometric Action Adventure/Puzzle Platformer
-Two character team gameplay (switch on the fly)
-Object interaction
-No character upgrades?
-No save or password save until the remake (can eat a fish for a checkpoint), No map
Welcome to Heaven/Tengoku Yoitoko (MSX, 1987) - Platform Adventure/ARPG/Action Platformer (hub town with NPCs, shopping, gear and tools, stat building (collect stars from killed enemies - each kind of star boosts either a stat or your gold))
-Unusual premise and setting (a japanese/buddhist version of the christian heaven?)
-Can stand on NPCs and enemies (SMB2, kill enemies by jumping on them repeatedly to bury them in the ground beneath)
-Very good jump controls (SMB1) and separate jump button
-Can kill town NPCs and you're punished for it (you'll lose virtue although it's a very small amount, virtue stat is increased by killing enemies)
-Comments from some enemies during gameplay which doesn't interrupt it (see River City Ransom)
-Some interesting gear (wings allow flight but only in one dungeon (button mash style), halo - thrown projectile that locks enemies in place, upgraded halo - gets stuck where it's thrown and can then be used as a platform (similar to the plungers in Quackshot))
-Can replay beaten dungeons
-Return points in dungeons (similar to Wonder Boy III but not as well implemented)
-Burying enemies on a single tile platform just makes them fall through it (sometimes into spikes)
-Somewhat non-linear structure (need to grind to break from the beaten path though and can only do this in some places)
-Basic karma system (virtue stat)
-No save or password save?, No maps
Hydlide III/Super Hydlide (Multi, 1987/MD, 1990) - ARPG (char creation, 4 classes, spend exp to level up or learn spells in town, towns w/ shops), TD view
-Basic morality system
-Fatigue and resting mechanics, Hunger mechanic, Weight mechanic
-Day/night cycle, Time skip spell
-Move spell lets you teleport to any visited town that you've slept in
-Minor ability/tool gating (flash spell=temporarily light up dark areas)
-Save feature
-New gear shows on your avatar
-Banks w/ interest mechanic
-No maps
OutRun (1986 ARC port/SMS, 1987/MSX, ?) - Driving/Race against the clock
-Many alternate routes (shows a course map after completion)
-Slopes
-Music selection before play
-Gear shifting (Hang-On)
-Very good visual variation
-Stone arcs (similar to a tunnel)
Nemesis 2 (MSX/SMS, 1987) - See Gradius 2?
Salamander (ARC, 1986/MSX, 1987) - Different?
Colony (PCs/MSX, 1987) -
Super Runner (MSX, 1987) - 2-player Action Platformer/Racing?
Higemaru Makaijima (Makai Island) (MSX/NES, 1987)(fan translated) - Zelda-like Action Adventure w/ Jumping, TD view
-Pirate theme (travel between locations by ship)
-No permanent weapons (use barrels and rocks in the environment)
-Password save
-Map (have to find it)
-Upgradeable lifebar (no other char upgrades?)
-Some basic decoding puzzles
-No ability gating?
Elite (PCs, 1984/MSX, 1987) -
Ashguine Story II (MSX, 1987) - Top Down Hack 'n Slash/Maze Action
AshGuine Story III (MSX, 1987) - ARPG? (separate and avoidable battle encounters), Top Down view
-Password save
-No map feature?
Knightmare III: Shalom (MSX, 1987) - JRPG
Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu (Multi, 1985/MSX, 1987) - ARPG/Proto-Platform Adventure Hybrid (stat distribution in town when beginning, action-based character growth for spells and weapons, linear structure, level up your char at temples, one town, shops in the dungeons, tile-based movement), Side View (most exploration and the boss battles) & TD view Hybrid (regular battles and castles within dungeons are top down)
-Pay to save or let the game auto-save at certain points
-Dark rooms which can be lit with lamps
-Some interesting gear (an elixir lets you revive from the spot you died (like Fairies in Zelda), spectacles to read an enemy’s status - default, invincibility rings (temporary?), a mantle that allows to pass through walls for a short time)
-Basic karma system (a bit weird and unintuitive, need to keep it low to enter the final dungeon and get the dragon slayer sword as well as to enter temples in which you can level up, can lower it with poison but these items are limited)
-Level gating (have to reach a certain level to get to the next dungeon)
-Can escape from battles
-Nameable char
-Which side you're attacked from matters
-Limited enemies per dungeon
-Hunger mechanic
-Shows enemy HP and your damage output
Woody Poco/Woody Poko (PC-88/PC-98, 1986/FM-7/NES/MSX, 1987) - Maze Platformer w/ ARPG/Action Adventure elements (level-based), Tilted View (see Double Dragon)
-Hunger mechanic
-Shops are only open at certain times of the day - sleeping at inns makes time fast forward
-Seasons change in accordance with the in-game clock
-The use of an item sometimes changes depending on which hand you hold it in
-Some other innovative mechanics (gamble, bribe other characters, can steal items from stores but Poco's appearance will be altered in the process and shops will stop doing business with him)
-Many optional tunnels?
-Dark rooms (Zelda II?)
-Can perform long hover jumps using an umbrella (several screens on NES)
-Some large sprites
-Modern setting with some fantasy elements
-Can lower the difficulty... by choosing to play as a girl character at the beginning of the adventure
-Password save
Taiyou no Shinden/Asteka II: Temple of the Sun (Templo del Sol: Asteka II) (PCs, 1986 (JP developed)/MSX, 1987/SAT, 1998 (Falcom Classics II - Remaster based on PC versions)) - Graphical Adventure (location exploration)/Action Adventure (overworld) hybrid, FP (locations)/TD (overworld) hybrid, Icon interface (verb commands)
-Mayan civilization theme (not Aztec)
-Item inventory
-Shrinking item for shrinking yourself
-Puzzles (some item combination puzzles)
-Password save
-Compass (have to make it)
-No maps (early versions came with a world map?)
-Larger overworld on PC-88 (some puzzles are also different between the MSX and PC-88 versions; smallest world but also smooth scrolling in the NES game (Tombs & Treasure) which is more of a remix)
Death Wish III (C64/Spectrum/Amstrad/MSX, 1987) - Maze Shooter (track down riot/gang leaders and kill them, no jumping), Tilted view (but the gameplay is side view)
-Mini-map and compass features
-Sniping through windows inside buildings (FP view)
-No ending and no difficulty progression?
Borfes to 5-jin no Akuma (Borfes and the Five Devils) (MSX, 1987)? - Zelda-like Action Adventure (overworld & dungeons), TD view
-Save feature?
-No map?
Märchen Veil (FDS/FM-7/MSX, 1987) - Proto-Action Adventure/Collectathon? (level/area-based w/ backtracking to previous levels to progress, jumping), TD view
-Save points
-Lifebar upgrades
-No maps?
Mashou no Yakata Gabalin (MSX, 1987)? - Maze Action/Shoot ‘em up hybrid w/ AA elements, TD view
Kidou Wakusei Stils (Roving Planet Styllus) (MSX, 1987) - Maze Action/Puzzle, TD view
1988:
Snatcher (MSX/PC-88, 1988/) - Graphic Adventure/Visual Novel
-Large and detailed artwork with some animation
-Impressive music
-Cyberpunk theme
-Pretty interactive environment and rich lore
-Good writing for the time (heavily based on Terminator, Blade Runner and Akira)
-Partially non-linear
Shin Maou Golvellius (MSX, 1988) - Action Adventure/Action Platformer/Vertical Shoot 'em up Hybrid (lifebar and wallet upgrades, overworld and dungeons), TD view
-Early-ish action adventure
-Some tool/ability gating (ring that lets you break some rocks, water boots (Zelda II), flight boots (hover over trees and water but not mountains)
-Adds a hometown and NPC encounters on the overworld
-Fairly large boss sprites
-Very good musical and visual variation
-Better bosses than in Zelda overall
-Impressive FM music overall
-Separate final area a bit reminiscent of SMW and Zelda 3
-Diagonal movement (but not attacks)
-Herb that triggers when near death
-Projectile shields
-Save feature (three slots, save anywhere in the overworld)
-No map
Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter (PC-88/PC-98/FM-7/X1/MSX, 1988/PCE CD, 1989/NES, 1990/PC DOS, 1994) - ARPG (bump combat), TD View
-Some innovative mechanics (transform into a demon to talk to enemies, gradually learn enemy stats by killing more of them (need to drink the bestiary potion first - later versions only?), bargain for a better iron ore price)
-Magic (fire - ranged attack, reveal/mask of eyes (helps with the limited field of vision in some dungeons), teleportation/wing)
-Some ability/tool gating (mattock for breaking a couple of walls, stone shoes to not slide down icy slopes, fireballs melt ice blocks, the monster transformation, other more key-like tools)
-Diary feature (it's not a full fledged journal/log feature though)
-Healing points in dungeons
-Teleport to any visited town (Wing/Warp)
-You can shoot villagers with fire magic (harmless but sometimes results in new dialogue)
-Interesting how the first dungeon actually connects to the first town via someone's basement
-Interactive dialogue with key characters - choose the subject to ask about
-Regenerating health if you stand still in the overworld (not in dungeons)) - Ys I
-Text displaying the name of the current location, etc. - Post PCE versions only?
-Lets you occasionally block enemy attacks like in Ys I SMS via a ring
-Save anywhere except during dialogue or boss battles (tons of slots, slots show the location and time spent) - Ys I?
-Off screen enemy respawning (generally a good thing except for some cases in the dungeons)
-Can't access the equipment and item menus during boss fights (can still use consumables if equipped before the fight), Rings have no effect during boss fights
-You can exit most boss battles at will
-No maps (more maze-focused level design)
-Revival item (life drop/elixir, only one in the game and it’s expensive) - Zelda 1?
-Later versions only?:
-Quick toggle between rings (l1; not spells though (can be done in the PSP version of Chronicles)), stackable healing items, faster level/gear progression early on, faster saving than in Chronicles PSP, difficulty options, time attack mode, choose between midi or chip music, free movement (instead of four- or eight way), walking no longer helps with combat (hits are more frequent when running), don't need to care about positioning during combat on Easy difficulty, no exp or gold losses after death and there are checkpoints where you entered each area
R-Type (1987 ARC port/SMS/MSX, 1988) - Horizontal Shoot 'em up
-Pod mechanic
-Large bosses
-Battleship level
-Great variation
-Fairly impressive FM (YM2413) music
-Hidden optional level on SMS
Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead Part 2 (MSX, 1988/PC-88, 1989) - Action Adventure/Survival Horror (NPCs, no leveling or separate world map, no separate battle encounters, no platforming?, no day/night cycle), TD View
-Female protagonist
-Save feature
-Shows enemy health bars
-Life bar upgrades from bosses
-Infinite ammo and no alternate guns
-No real puzzles
-No ability/tool gating? (maybe the dynamite and night vision goggles items)
-No map
-Runs better on PC-88 and has somewhat more advanced music
King's Valley II (MSX, 1988) - Puzzle Platformer (no abilities/tools gained that are used to progress or get optional items in previous areas, linear w/ maze levels)
-Level editor (can save levels)
-Basic level map feature (shows room connections plus the gems and the exit locations but not the full layouts with ladders and platforms)
-A thrown weapon can keep flying indefinitely in a looping segment of a level
-Pretty good enemy AI
-One new weapon (boomerang) and three new digging tools (drill - two 1x2 blocks horizontally, hammer - one 1x2 block horizontally, shovel - one 2x1 block downward)
-Some interesting level design additions (levels tend to loop around horizontally and/or vertically like in SMB2, one way gates/revolving doors that change direction after passing through them, pushable 2x2 blocks - Boulder Dash, disappearing floors and ladders) and puzzles
-Some hidden bonus levels (tricky to find as you need to fall or jump at the right spot, some of these are sound test screens with the keys of a keyboard representing each track selection)
-Password save (very short)
-Much longer (60 levels)
Malaya no Hihou (Malaya's Treasure) (MSX, 1988) - Maze Platformer (level-based) w/ RPG/AA elements (small towns with NPCs (tips and flavor text) and shops, minor puzzles), Side view
-Bombable walls (HERO, Aztec, Metroid and Zelda)
-Upgradeable sub weapon (fire projectile)
-Shows bosses' health bars
-Password save (pretty short)
Nemesis 3: The Eve of Destruction (MSX, 1988) - Horizontal Shoot 'Em Up
-Four different player ships and each one has some customization options (two different shield types, three gun drone/option formations - up to 2 drones at once)
-Pretty impressive music (SCC chip)
-Animated background elements
-Large and detailed bosses
-Background hazards - Gradius
-Boss explosion samples
-Some interesting level design (gravitational fields in level 3, sand waterfalls in level 6, parts of the interior being torn off and flying towards you in the green base level)
-Smart bombs (rare though and they trigger when touched)
-Hidden items (there's also a hidden item radar but it appears after three of the four hidden items (green base level) and it's pretty much needed to find the items) - forced collecting
-Two endings
-Upgradeable laser (moai level, level 6, level 7?) - with three upgrades you have pretty great firepower shooting in three directions at once
-Some multi-jointed sprites
-Extended play/new game+ (can't save after beating the game though),
Silviana: Ai Ippai no Little Angel (FDS, 1988/MSX2, 1989)(fan translated) - Ys/Hydlide-like ARPG (leveling, towns w/ shops, zoomed out overworld), TD view
-Hydlide-like (bump into enemies, health regeneration while standing still, temporary quick save, non-linear structure?)
-Dark parallel world
-Save feature
-Female protagonist
-No map feature?
Power Strike/Aleste (SMS/MSX, 1988) - Vertical Shoot 'em up
-Large weapon arsenal with several levels of upgrades (Zanac)
-Intense action (Zanac)
-Respawn on the spot without losing all weapon power
-Ammo/time limit on weapons (Fantasy Zone, Zanac)
-Mini-bosses
-Fairly impressive PSG & FM music overall
Rastan/Rastan Saga (1987 ARC port/MSX, 1988/SMS, 1989) - Action Platformer
-Down- and up stab (Dragon Buster, Zelda II was first on consoles)
-Wall jump?
-Slopes (SMB3 first on consoles?)
-Partially destructible environment (SMB1)
Zoids (MSX, 1988) - JRPG w/ FPS battles;
Psycho World/Psychic World (MSX, 1988/SMS, 1991) - Action Platformer/Maze Platformer
-Cutscenes between some levels
-Female protagonists
-Temporary flight power
-Teleport power (back to previous checkpoint)
-Create platforms in some segments (Solomon's Key)
Herzog (MSX, 1988) - TD Run 'n Gun/RTS Hybrid
-Buy cpu-controlled troops that fight alongside you in the levels
Zombie Hunter (NES, 1987/MSX, 1988) - ARPG/Proto-Platform Adventure (exp point leveling, shops), Level-based w/ some branching paths (similar to Castlevania 3 but with locked doors at the end of levels, different paths have the same layout but different enemies)
-Can escape from boss fights if you have a bag item
-Weapon deterioration
-Shows enemy health and names if you have a candle
-Limited item inventory (10)
-Some randomized loot
-Second quest via a simple code
-No save or password save, No maps, No ability gating besides candles to see in the dark
XZR: Hakai no Gouzou (PC-88/PC-98/X1/MSX, 1988)(Untranslated) - ARPG/Platform Adventure? (no hub map?), TD view hybrid (town/overworld exploration)
-Save feature?
-No map?
XZR II: Toki no Hazama ni (PC-88/PC-98/MSX, 1988?) - Zelda II/Clash At Demonhead-ish ARPG (hub map, leveling, towns w/ NPCs and shops), TD view town exploration
-Linear structure w/ maze dungeons (can't go back to earlier areas at certain points in the story)?
-No ability gating?
-Later remade as Exile (MD/PCE CD)?
Parodius (MSX, 1988) -
Predator (MSX ver., 1988) - Platform Adventure?
-Different from NES ver:
-Branching paths and a vague world map shown when moving between areas (Battle of Olympus)
-Weapon inventory and you start out with three different weapons
-Mines are useful since predator bosses start off being invisible except for their eyes / falling into water moves you back to the beginning of an area
-No continues?
KKoedori/KKoedori Mickey (MSX, 1988) - Solomon's Key-like Puzzle Platformer, Single Screen
-Unique block teleporting (creation and removal) mechanic - you create and then teleport a set of 5 red blocks - one at a time to in front of your current location - in a set pattern and have to consider how to place them to reach the key and the exit (usually located around the top of the level)
-Projectile armor upgrade (doesn't carry over?)
-Half-tile blocks (King's Valley II)
-Some breakable blocks
Temptations (MSX, 1988) - Action Platformer
Barbarian II (C64/MSX, 1988) -
Quinpl (MSX, 1988) - Platformer
Laydock 2: Last Attack (MSX, 1988) - Shoot 'em up
Strategic Mars (MSX, 1988) - Shoot 'em up
Tritorn II: Road of Darkness (PC-88, 1988/PC-98/X1/MSX, 1989) - ARPG (towns w/ NPCs and shops), Side view?
-4 playable chars (basically the same?, switch on the fly?)
-Ability gating?
Exodus: Ultima III (AII, 1983/MSX, 1988)? - RPG
Snatcher (MSX/PC-88, 1988/) - Graphic Adventure/Visual Novel
-Large and detailed artwork with some animation
-Impressive music
-Cyberpunk theme
-Pretty interactive environment and rich lore
-Good writing for the time (heavily based on Terminator, Blade Runner and Akira)
-Partially non-linear
Shin Maou Golvellius (MSX, 1988) - Action Adventure/Action Platformer/Vertical Shoot 'em up Hybrid (lifebar and wallet upgrades, overworld and dungeons), TD view
-Early-ish action adventure
-Some tool/ability gating (ring that lets you break some rocks, water boots (Zelda II), flight boots (hover over trees and water but not mountains)
-Adds a hometown and NPC encounters on the overworld
-Fairly large boss sprites
-Very good musical and visual variation
-Better bosses than in Zelda overall
-Impressive FM music overall
-Separate final area a bit reminiscent of SMW and Zelda 3
-Diagonal movement (but not attacks)
-Herb that triggers when near death
-Projectile shields
-Save feature (three slots, save anywhere in the overworld)
-No map
Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter (PC-88/PC-98/FM-7/X1/MSX, 1988/PCE CD, 1989/NES, 1990/PC DOS, 1994) - ARPG (bump combat), TD View
-Some innovative mechanics (transform into a demon to talk to enemies, gradually learn enemy stats by killing more of them (need to drink the bestiary potion first - later versions only?), bargain for a better iron ore price)
-Magic (fire - ranged attack, reveal/mask of eyes (helps with the limited field of vision in some dungeons), teleportation/wing)
-Some ability/tool gating (mattock for breaking a couple of walls, stone shoes to not slide down icy slopes, fireballs melt ice blocks, the monster transformation, other more key-like tools)
-Diary feature (it's not a full fledged journal/log feature though)
-Healing points in dungeons
-Teleport to any visited town (Wing/Warp)
-You can shoot villagers with fire magic (harmless but sometimes results in new dialogue)
-Interesting how the first dungeon actually connects to the first town via someone's basement
-Interactive dialogue with key characters - choose the subject to ask about
-Regenerating health if you stand still in the overworld (not in dungeons)) - Ys I
-Text displaying the name of the current location, etc. - Post PCE versions only?
-Lets you occasionally block enemy attacks like in Ys I SMS via a ring
-Save anywhere except during dialogue or boss battles (tons of slots, slots show the location and time spent) - Ys I?
-Off screen enemy respawning (generally a good thing except for some cases in the dungeons)
-Can't access the equipment and item menus during boss fights (can still use consumables if equipped before the fight), Rings have no effect during boss fights
-You can exit most boss battles at will
-No maps (more maze-focused level design)
-Revival item (life drop/elixir, only one in the game and it’s expensive) - Zelda 1?
-Later versions only?:
-Quick toggle between rings (l1; not spells though (can be done in the PSP version of Chronicles)), stackable healing items, faster level/gear progression early on, faster saving than in Chronicles PSP, difficulty options, time attack mode, choose between midi or chip music, free movement (instead of four- or eight way), walking no longer helps with combat (hits are more frequent when running), don't need to care about positioning during combat on Easy difficulty, no exp or gold losses after death and there are checkpoints where you entered each area
R-Type (1987 ARC port/SMS/MSX, 1988) - Horizontal Shoot 'em up
-Pod mechanic
-Large bosses
-Battleship level
-Great variation
-Fairly impressive FM (YM2413) music
-Hidden optional level on SMS
Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead Part 2 (MSX, 1988/PC-88, 1989) - Action Adventure/Survival Horror (NPCs, no leveling or separate world map, no separate battle encounters, no platforming?, no day/night cycle), TD View
-Female protagonist
-Save feature
-Shows enemy health bars
-Life bar upgrades from bosses
-Infinite ammo and no alternate guns
-No real puzzles
-No ability/tool gating? (maybe the dynamite and night vision goggles items)
-No map
-Runs better on PC-88 and has somewhat more advanced music
King's Valley II (MSX, 1988) - Puzzle Platformer (no abilities/tools gained that are used to progress or get optional items in previous areas, linear w/ maze levels)
-Level editor (can save levels)
-Basic level map feature (shows room connections plus the gems and the exit locations but not the full layouts with ladders and platforms)
-A thrown weapon can keep flying indefinitely in a looping segment of a level
-Pretty good enemy AI
-One new weapon (boomerang) and three new digging tools (drill - two 1x2 blocks horizontally, hammer - one 1x2 block horizontally, shovel - one 2x1 block downward)
-Some interesting level design additions (levels tend to loop around horizontally and/or vertically like in SMB2, one way gates/revolving doors that change direction after passing through them, pushable 2x2 blocks - Boulder Dash, disappearing floors and ladders) and puzzles
-Some hidden bonus levels (tricky to find as you need to fall or jump at the right spot, some of these are sound test screens with the keys of a keyboard representing each track selection)
-Password save (very short)
-Much longer (60 levels)
Malaya no Hihou (Malaya's Treasure) (MSX, 1988) - Maze Platformer (level-based) w/ RPG/AA elements (small towns with NPCs (tips and flavor text) and shops, minor puzzles), Side view
-Bombable walls (HERO, Aztec, Metroid and Zelda)
-Upgradeable sub weapon (fire projectile)
-Shows bosses' health bars
-Password save (pretty short)
Nemesis 3: The Eve of Destruction (MSX, 1988) - Horizontal Shoot 'Em Up
-Four different player ships and each one has some customization options (two different shield types, three gun drone/option formations - up to 2 drones at once)
-Pretty impressive music (SCC chip)
-Animated background elements
-Large and detailed bosses
-Background hazards - Gradius
-Boss explosion samples
-Some interesting level design (gravitational fields in level 3, sand waterfalls in level 6, parts of the interior being torn off and flying towards you in the green base level)
-Smart bombs (rare though and they trigger when touched)
-Hidden items (there's also a hidden item radar but it appears after three of the four hidden items (green base level) and it's pretty much needed to find the items) - forced collecting
-Two endings
-Upgradeable laser (moai level, level 6, level 7?) - with three upgrades you have pretty great firepower shooting in three directions at once
-Some multi-jointed sprites
-Extended play/new game+ (can't save after beating the game though),
Silviana: Ai Ippai no Little Angel (FDS, 1988/MSX2, 1989)(fan translated) - Ys/Hydlide-like ARPG (leveling, towns w/ shops, zoomed out overworld), TD view
-Hydlide-like (bump into enemies, health regeneration while standing still, temporary quick save, non-linear structure?)
-Dark parallel world
-Save feature
-Female protagonist
-No map feature?
Power Strike/Aleste (SMS/MSX, 1988) - Vertical Shoot 'em up
-Large weapon arsenal with several levels of upgrades (Zanac)
-Intense action (Zanac)
-Respawn on the spot without losing all weapon power
-Ammo/time limit on weapons (Fantasy Zone, Zanac)
-Mini-bosses
-Fairly impressive PSG & FM music overall
Rastan/Rastan Saga (1987 ARC port/MSX, 1988/SMS, 1989) - Action Platformer
-Down- and up stab (Dragon Buster, Zelda II was first on consoles)
-Wall jump?
-Slopes (SMB3 first on consoles?)
-Partially destructible environment (SMB1)
Zoids (MSX, 1988) - JRPG w/ FPS battles;
Psycho World/Psychic World (MSX, 1988/SMS, 1991) - Action Platformer/Maze Platformer
-Cutscenes between some levels
-Female protagonists
-Temporary flight power
-Teleport power (back to previous checkpoint)
-Create platforms in some segments (Solomon's Key)
Herzog (MSX, 1988) - TD Run 'n Gun/RTS Hybrid
-Buy cpu-controlled troops that fight alongside you in the levels
Zombie Hunter (NES, 1987/MSX, 1988) - ARPG/Proto-Platform Adventure (exp point leveling, shops), Level-based w/ some branching paths (similar to Castlevania 3 but with locked doors at the end of levels, different paths have the same layout but different enemies)
-Can escape from boss fights if you have a bag item
-Weapon deterioration
-Shows enemy health and names if you have a candle
-Limited item inventory (10)
-Some randomized loot
-Second quest via a simple code
-No save or password save, No maps, No ability gating besides candles to see in the dark
XZR: Hakai no Gouzou (PC-88/PC-98/X1/MSX, 1988)(Untranslated) - ARPG/Platform Adventure? (no hub map?), TD view hybrid (town/overworld exploration)
-Save feature?
-No map?
XZR II: Toki no Hazama ni (PC-88/PC-98/MSX, 1988?) - Zelda II/Clash At Demonhead-ish ARPG (hub map, leveling, towns w/ NPCs and shops), TD view town exploration
-Linear structure w/ maze dungeons (can't go back to earlier areas at certain points in the story)?
-No ability gating?
-Later remade as Exile (MD/PCE CD)?
Parodius (MSX, 1988) -
Predator (MSX ver., 1988) - Platform Adventure?
-Different from NES ver:
-Branching paths and a vague world map shown when moving between areas (Battle of Olympus)
-Weapon inventory and you start out with three different weapons
-Mines are useful since predator bosses start off being invisible except for their eyes / falling into water moves you back to the beginning of an area
-No continues?
KKoedori/KKoedori Mickey (MSX, 1988) - Solomon's Key-like Puzzle Platformer, Single Screen
-Unique block teleporting (creation and removal) mechanic - you create and then teleport a set of 5 red blocks - one at a time to in front of your current location - in a set pattern and have to consider how to place them to reach the key and the exit (usually located around the top of the level)
-Projectile armor upgrade (doesn't carry over?)
-Half-tile blocks (King's Valley II)
-Some breakable blocks
Temptations (MSX, 1988) - Action Platformer
Barbarian II (C64/MSX, 1988) -
Quinpl (MSX, 1988) - Platformer
Laydock 2: Last Attack (MSX, 1988) - Shoot 'em up
Strategic Mars (MSX, 1988) - Shoot 'em up
Tritorn II: Road of Darkness (PC-88, 1988/PC-98/X1/MSX, 1989) - ARPG (towns w/ NPCs and shops), Side view?
-4 playable chars (basically the same?, switch on the fly?)
-Ability gating?
Exodus: Ultima III (AII, 1983/MSX, 1988)? - RPG
1989:
Super Cooks (MSX, 1989) - Zelda-like Action Adventure/ARPG-ish (no exp point leveling, various NPCs and shops, linear structure (the world is divided into sub areas and you need to find each hole or cook book in a specific order which leads to backtracking, even certain enemies don't spawn until you have enough books)), Top Down View/Side View Hybrid
-Parody theme (cooking themed remake/reimagining of Golvellius - Kelesis has a chef outfit, bibles turn into cook books, your sword turns into a frying pan, etc.)
-Improved platforming segments (can turn around, better variety and more interesting level design)
-Mini-bosses
-Less grinding than in Golvellius
-Save feature (anywhere on the overworld, three slots)
-Alternate main weapons (salt & pepper, kitchen knife, fire)
-Alternate attacks taught by NPCs (shift+space - you can freeze enemies temporarily with the pan, create a temporary shield/spin attack with the salt & pepper, throw the knife, make the fire move back and forth around a spot; each use of these costs a bit of money)
-Kelesis learns some new real world languages during the adventure to understand NPCs in some new areas (shallow gameplay-wise as it's just a lock and key/trigger to be able to buy items but it is immersion building in a way)
-NPCs change outfits to fit the theme of each new area
-Can melt the giant chocolate santas in the christmas candy area with the fire attack - the only ability gate here?
-No maps
-Shows bosses' health bars
Laser Squad (PCs, 1988/MSX, 1989) - TBS
Xak: The Art of Visual Stage (PC-88/PC-98/MSX, 1989/PCE CD, 1992)(fan translated on MSX) - Ys-like ARPG (bump combat, towns with shops), TD View
-Save feature (anywhere outside of boss fights?)
-Regen gear (a cloak)
-Teleport to town scroll
-Minor ability gating (break rocks with one spell, gear that lets you move through hazardous liquids but which can be skipped?)
-A bit different on SNES (manual attacks for example)
-No map?
Aleste 2 (MSX, 1989) - Vertical Shoot 'em up
-Well-sized weapons arsenal (6 special weapons with 5 (!) levels of upgrades each, many levels of upgrades for the main gun)
-Respawn on the spot (with the default special weapon and lowest levels - not enough later on)
-8 pretty long stages
-Frantic action
-Nice cutscenes
-Mini-bosses
-Pretty good variation and better pacing
-Landar power up (fully upgrades current special weapon, rare)
-Smart bombs (trigger upon touch though and are often handed out when not that useful)
-Temporary shield power up (spinning ball - can be stolen by bosses, can have three at once but it's hard to achieve this until level 5 or so)
-Adjustable ship speed
-Choose starting special weapon before beginning
-A couple of voice samples (scratchy though)
-Good bosses overall (some with multiple phases)
-Smooth scrolling
Mr. Ghost (MSX, 1989) - Flight-Based Action Platformer/Run 'n Gun
-Flying ghost avatar (Bubble Ghost)
-Partially destructible environment (breakable blocks and certain ground/wall tiles - SMB)
-Combo attacks (bonus points?) - butt slam into a block to make it hit enemies passing by (can also be used to dodge)
-Hidden time limited bonus levels
-Buy items with money collected during the levels (from enemies/blocks/bonus levels - WBiML)
-Mixes in some auto-scrolling levels, time stopper power up (lasts pretty long but activates when picked up)
-Temporary shield power up (makes your regular attack projectiles spin around your avatar - kinda slow though and not useful early on)
-Some large and detailed sprites (huge level 7 boss)
-Pretty impressive PSG music
Space Manbow (MSX, 1989) - Horizontal Shoot 'Em Up
-Some very large and detailed sprites
-Pretty good variety
-Some nice effects (parallax)
-Two gun drones (can't change their position but can switch between three formations - forward, backward, both directions vertically)
-Keep your current base weapon power level after dying
-Smart bombs (can be triggered manually but it's mapped to the fire button so it's hard to use it optimally)
-Level hazards (large tanks/ships/bases, asteroid field which blocks enemy laser shots)
-Parts of levels sometimes scroll diagonally and vertically
-Weapon upgrade levels degrade over time (the bar at the top of the screen show which level you're currently at)
Contra/Gryzor (ARC, 1987/NES, 1988/MSX, 1989) - Run 'n Gun/Action Platformer/Cabal-like, Side View/TP view hybrid, 1-player only
-Adds a lifebar
-Pretty good variation
-Longer (four more levels but the hangar zone one is missing here)
-Pretty good bosses overall (some go down too fast), Better final boss
-8-way targeting
-Some large sprites
-Respawn on the spot
-Can select which weapon you want after picking up a weapon power up
-More arcade accurate z-plane/rail shooter segments (choose your own path - no maps though)
-No way to refill life (not even refilled after beating a level)
-Adjustable jump height
-No rapid fire power up?
-No scrolling and lower intensity overall
Undead Line/Undeadline (MSX, 1989) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
-Choose your own path between the first six levels (out of seven) - MM1
-Level up in-between levels (strength - axe and throwing knife/spread damage, MP - ice beam and familiar damage, dexterity - fire and boomerang damage, agility - movement speed) - need to find and collect fairies during the levels
-Three different characters to choose from here (fighter has a shield (can't block while shooting though and generally only protects against small shots (one exception is the giant squid's and giant bat's shots))
-Sorcerer can turn invisible (makes you immobile while active, not as good but can avoid lava with it), ninja can jump)
-Very good enemy variation
-Some cool weapons (familiars (they work like the gun drones in gradius or the clones/shadows in ninja gaiden))
-Lifebar in a shoot 'em up (relatively long)
-Environmental hazards - Gradius
-Smart bombs (trigger when touched though)
-Armor power up (soaks up 1-2 hits of damage) and temporary invincibility potion (yellow - short duration though)
-Each weapon can be upgraded six times though the changes are less interesting than in the MD version
-Instant upgrade (P - rare, Zanac EX) and random item power ups
-Teleporters and breakable doors in level 5/cavern
-Smooth scrolling
-Some large and detailed sprites (dungeon boss, final boss)
-Nice cutscenes in this version (some animation)
Fire Hawk: Thexder - The Second Contact (PC-88/MSX, 1989/DOS, 1990) - Action Platformer, Mech-based
-Transform into a small plane at will
-Non-sexualized female military officer protagonist (save your male fiancé - role reversal)
-Optional tutorial
-NPC encounters
Final Fantasy (NES, 1987/MSX, 1989) - (J)RPG, TD view exploration/Tilted view battles
-Create your own party (4 chars and classes)
-Pretty open ended structure - the world gradually opens itself up (boats, airship, choose your own path through the dungeons in the second half)
-Class promotions which also change the in-game char sprites
-Some gear can be used as an item in battle for special attacks
-Can change gear during battle
-Churches (revive KO'd chars), can save on the world map by using a tent or a cabin item
-"Pensinsula of power" (level up spot which was apparently unintended but became a feature in a more balanced form in various later games)
-Pretty impressive music on MSX
Aleste Gaiden (MSX, 1989) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
Mon Mon Monster (MSX, 1989) - Action Platformer
Arcus II: Silent Symphony (MSX, 1989/PC-98/X68K, 1990) - RPG
Hydefos (MSX, 1989) -
Master of Monsters (PC-88, 1988/MSX, 1989) - TBS w/ Trainer RPG elements
Double Dragon II (ARC, 1988/MSX, 1989) - Beat 'em up w/ platformer elements, 2-player co-op, Tiled view
-Different and choppy port
-Throw barrels
-Pits
Xybots (ARC, 1987/MSX, 1989) - TPS/Maze Shooter, 2-player Co-op Split Screen
-MSX ver. is missing scaling and smooth turning effects for the backgrounds plus it doesn't display avatar health on their backpack
-Strafing
-90 degree turning (move in 4 directions)
-No friendly fire
-Map feature (auto-mapper)
-Shop (between levels)
-Teleporters
-Rooms that are more than one "tile" wide
Super Cooks (MSX, 1989) - Zelda-like Action Adventure/ARPG-ish (no exp point leveling, various NPCs and shops, linear structure (the world is divided into sub areas and you need to find each hole or cook book in a specific order which leads to backtracking, even certain enemies don't spawn until you have enough books)), Top Down View/Side View Hybrid
-Parody theme (cooking themed remake/reimagining of Golvellius - Kelesis has a chef outfit, bibles turn into cook books, your sword turns into a frying pan, etc.)
-Improved platforming segments (can turn around, better variety and more interesting level design)
-Mini-bosses
-Less grinding than in Golvellius
-Save feature (anywhere on the overworld, three slots)
-Alternate main weapons (salt & pepper, kitchen knife, fire)
-Alternate attacks taught by NPCs (shift+space - you can freeze enemies temporarily with the pan, create a temporary shield/spin attack with the salt & pepper, throw the knife, make the fire move back and forth around a spot; each use of these costs a bit of money)
-Kelesis learns some new real world languages during the adventure to understand NPCs in some new areas (shallow gameplay-wise as it's just a lock and key/trigger to be able to buy items but it is immersion building in a way)
-NPCs change outfits to fit the theme of each new area
-Can melt the giant chocolate santas in the christmas candy area with the fire attack - the only ability gate here?
-No maps
-Shows bosses' health bars
Laser Squad (PCs, 1988/MSX, 1989) - TBS
Xak: The Art of Visual Stage (PC-88/PC-98/MSX, 1989/PCE CD, 1992)(fan translated on MSX) - Ys-like ARPG (bump combat, towns with shops), TD View
-Save feature (anywhere outside of boss fights?)
-Regen gear (a cloak)
-Teleport to town scroll
-Minor ability gating (break rocks with one spell, gear that lets you move through hazardous liquids but which can be skipped?)
-A bit different on SNES (manual attacks for example)
-No map?
Aleste 2 (MSX, 1989) - Vertical Shoot 'em up
-Well-sized weapons arsenal (6 special weapons with 5 (!) levels of upgrades each, many levels of upgrades for the main gun)
-Respawn on the spot (with the default special weapon and lowest levels - not enough later on)
-8 pretty long stages
-Frantic action
-Nice cutscenes
-Mini-bosses
-Pretty good variation and better pacing
-Landar power up (fully upgrades current special weapon, rare)
-Smart bombs (trigger upon touch though and are often handed out when not that useful)
-Temporary shield power up (spinning ball - can be stolen by bosses, can have three at once but it's hard to achieve this until level 5 or so)
-Adjustable ship speed
-Choose starting special weapon before beginning
-A couple of voice samples (scratchy though)
-Good bosses overall (some with multiple phases)
-Smooth scrolling
Mr. Ghost (MSX, 1989) - Flight-Based Action Platformer/Run 'n Gun
-Flying ghost avatar (Bubble Ghost)
-Partially destructible environment (breakable blocks and certain ground/wall tiles - SMB)
-Combo attacks (bonus points?) - butt slam into a block to make it hit enemies passing by (can also be used to dodge)
-Hidden time limited bonus levels
-Buy items with money collected during the levels (from enemies/blocks/bonus levels - WBiML)
-Mixes in some auto-scrolling levels, time stopper power up (lasts pretty long but activates when picked up)
-Temporary shield power up (makes your regular attack projectiles spin around your avatar - kinda slow though and not useful early on)
-Some large and detailed sprites (huge level 7 boss)
-Pretty impressive PSG music
Space Manbow (MSX, 1989) - Horizontal Shoot 'Em Up
-Some very large and detailed sprites
-Pretty good variety
-Some nice effects (parallax)
-Two gun drones (can't change their position but can switch between three formations - forward, backward, both directions vertically)
-Keep your current base weapon power level after dying
-Smart bombs (can be triggered manually but it's mapped to the fire button so it's hard to use it optimally)
-Level hazards (large tanks/ships/bases, asteroid field which blocks enemy laser shots)
-Parts of levels sometimes scroll diagonally and vertically
-Weapon upgrade levels degrade over time (the bar at the top of the screen show which level you're currently at)
Contra/Gryzor (ARC, 1987/NES, 1988/MSX, 1989) - Run 'n Gun/Action Platformer/Cabal-like, Side View/TP view hybrid, 1-player only
-Adds a lifebar
-Pretty good variation
-Longer (four more levels but the hangar zone one is missing here)
-Pretty good bosses overall (some go down too fast), Better final boss
-8-way targeting
-Some large sprites
-Respawn on the spot
-Can select which weapon you want after picking up a weapon power up
-More arcade accurate z-plane/rail shooter segments (choose your own path - no maps though)
-No way to refill life (not even refilled after beating a level)
-Adjustable jump height
-No rapid fire power up?
-No scrolling and lower intensity overall
Undead Line/Undeadline (MSX, 1989) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
-Choose your own path between the first six levels (out of seven) - MM1
-Level up in-between levels (strength - axe and throwing knife/spread damage, MP - ice beam and familiar damage, dexterity - fire and boomerang damage, agility - movement speed) - need to find and collect fairies during the levels
-Three different characters to choose from here (fighter has a shield (can't block while shooting though and generally only protects against small shots (one exception is the giant squid's and giant bat's shots))
-Sorcerer can turn invisible (makes you immobile while active, not as good but can avoid lava with it), ninja can jump)
-Very good enemy variation
-Some cool weapons (familiars (they work like the gun drones in gradius or the clones/shadows in ninja gaiden))
-Lifebar in a shoot 'em up (relatively long)
-Environmental hazards - Gradius
-Smart bombs (trigger when touched though)
-Armor power up (soaks up 1-2 hits of damage) and temporary invincibility potion (yellow - short duration though)
-Each weapon can be upgraded six times though the changes are less interesting than in the MD version
-Instant upgrade (P - rare, Zanac EX) and random item power ups
-Teleporters and breakable doors in level 5/cavern
-Smooth scrolling
-Some large and detailed sprites (dungeon boss, final boss)
-Nice cutscenes in this version (some animation)
Fire Hawk: Thexder - The Second Contact (PC-88/MSX, 1989/DOS, 1990) - Action Platformer, Mech-based
-Transform into a small plane at will
-Non-sexualized female military officer protagonist (save your male fiancé - role reversal)
-Optional tutorial
-NPC encounters
Final Fantasy (NES, 1987/MSX, 1989) - (J)RPG, TD view exploration/Tilted view battles
-Create your own party (4 chars and classes)
-Pretty open ended structure - the world gradually opens itself up (boats, airship, choose your own path through the dungeons in the second half)
-Class promotions which also change the in-game char sprites
-Some gear can be used as an item in battle for special attacks
-Can change gear during battle
-Churches (revive KO'd chars), can save on the world map by using a tent or a cabin item
-"Pensinsula of power" (level up spot which was apparently unintended but became a feature in a more balanced form in various later games)
-Pretty impressive music on MSX
Aleste Gaiden (MSX, 1989) - Humanoid-Based Vertical Shoot 'Em Up
Mon Mon Monster (MSX, 1989) - Action Platformer
Arcus II: Silent Symphony (MSX, 1989/PC-98/X68K, 1990) - RPG
Hydefos (MSX, 1989) -
Master of Monsters (PC-88, 1988/MSX, 1989) - TBS w/ Trainer RPG elements
Double Dragon II (ARC, 1988/MSX, 1989) - Beat 'em up w/ platformer elements, 2-player co-op, Tiled view
-Different and choppy port
-Throw barrels
-Pits
Xybots (ARC, 1987/MSX, 1989) - TPS/Maze Shooter, 2-player Co-op Split Screen
-MSX ver. is missing scaling and smooth turning effects for the backgrounds plus it doesn't display avatar health on their backpack
-Strafing
-90 degree turning (move in 4 directions)
-No friendly fire
-Map feature (auto-mapper)
-Shop (between levels)
-Teleporters
-Rooms that are more than one "tile" wide
1990:
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX, 1990) - Stealth Action/Action Adventure
-Radar feature (turns off temporarily when detected or while in air ducts, shows enemies and some important NPCs)
-Enemy soldiers now move between screens (King's Valley)
-Somewhat improved stealth mechanics (you can now lure enemies towards a spot by punching the wall - doesn't always work as expected though, certain terrain makes noise that will get the enemies' attention, you can crawl under tables and some vehicles (also helps to avoid the aforementioned noises))
-Can speed up text on a per paragraph/text box basis
-More fleshed out characters and gear descriptions
-Better bosses overall
-More varied environments
-Checkpoints at the beginning of each area/when exiting or entering a building (Psycho World?)
-Get tips from NPCs via the transciever (they won't always reply though - a bit jarring in the beginning when you're told to call people and they don't reply)
-Some comical parts (mainly the bosses, the sauna soldier, lockers big enough to fit several people into)
-Some interesting level design (final bosses, more complex level architecture overall, getting transported to places by using the box disguise, escort segment, the rooms with soldiers hiding among soldier mannequins, moving infrared laser rooms (new variations on them, garbage room in the first building, enemies turning off the lights)
-Changed level up/rank system (increases inventory sizes and ammo supply) - now it's increased after each boss fight
-Boss introductions
-Pretty good at creating a sense of vulnerability at times (beginning, )
-Save feature (loading puts you at the previous checkpoint though)
-Some decent puzzles (pigeon message, Natasha's key)
-Other interesting gear (use the cigarettes to detect infrared lasers, mortar missile (chopper boss), mouse robots to distract enemies with, the enemy can place a tracker in your inventory if you get captured (can be thrown away), robot mouse, night vision goggles, national anthem casette tape (freezes soldiers for ~10 seconds), etc.)
-Two escape sequences
-About twice as long as the prequel
-Nice intro and ending
SD Snatcher (MSX, 1990) - JRPG
Xak II: Rising of the Redmoon (MSX, 1990/Multi) - Ys-like ARPG (bump combat, leveling; some platforming), Top Down view
-Save anywhere (outside of boss battles?)
-HP regen when still via an accessory item (outside of boss battles?)
-Minor ability/tool gating (scuba gear, shrink to go through a small passage at one point; destroy wall spell isn't used in II)
-Teleport spell for returning to the last visited town
-No maps?
Dragon Slayer VI: The Legend of Heroes (MSX, 1990/Multi, ) - JRPG
Columns (SMS/MSX, 1990) - Early match the colors puzzle game (Puzznic the first?), diagonal line ups, "clear all of one color" power up, 2-player (tetris),
Fray in Magical Adventure (MSX, 1990)(fan translated) - ARPG/Run 'n Gun/Vertical Scrolling Shooter w/ Platforming hybrid (level-based, towns w/ shops in-between levels), Top Down View
-Save in-between levels
-Char upgrades but no ability/tool gating?
-Animated NPC portraits
-Charge attack
-No maps
Rune Worth (MSX, X68K, 1990)? - ARPG-ish (no exp point leveling, hub map, towns w/ shops), TD view
-Partially non-linear
-Save feature?
-No area maps?
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX, 1990) - Stealth Action/Action Adventure
-Radar feature (turns off temporarily when detected or while in air ducts, shows enemies and some important NPCs)
-Enemy soldiers now move between screens (King's Valley)
-Somewhat improved stealth mechanics (you can now lure enemies towards a spot by punching the wall - doesn't always work as expected though, certain terrain makes noise that will get the enemies' attention, you can crawl under tables and some vehicles (also helps to avoid the aforementioned noises))
-Can speed up text on a per paragraph/text box basis
-More fleshed out characters and gear descriptions
-Better bosses overall
-More varied environments
-Checkpoints at the beginning of each area/when exiting or entering a building (Psycho World?)
-Get tips from NPCs via the transciever (they won't always reply though - a bit jarring in the beginning when you're told to call people and they don't reply)
-Some comical parts (mainly the bosses, the sauna soldier, lockers big enough to fit several people into)
-Some interesting level design (final bosses, more complex level architecture overall, getting transported to places by using the box disguise, escort segment, the rooms with soldiers hiding among soldier mannequins, moving infrared laser rooms (new variations on them, garbage room in the first building, enemies turning off the lights)
-Changed level up/rank system (increases inventory sizes and ammo supply) - now it's increased after each boss fight
-Boss introductions
-Pretty good at creating a sense of vulnerability at times (beginning, )
-Save feature (loading puts you at the previous checkpoint though)
-Some decent puzzles (pigeon message, Natasha's key)
-Other interesting gear (use the cigarettes to detect infrared lasers, mortar missile (chopper boss), mouse robots to distract enemies with, the enemy can place a tracker in your inventory if you get captured (can be thrown away), robot mouse, night vision goggles, national anthem casette tape (freezes soldiers for ~10 seconds), etc.)
-Two escape sequences
-About twice as long as the prequel
-Nice intro and ending
SD Snatcher (MSX, 1990) - JRPG
Xak II: Rising of the Redmoon (MSX, 1990/Multi) - Ys-like ARPG (bump combat, leveling; some platforming), Top Down view
-Save anywhere (outside of boss battles?)
-HP regen when still via an accessory item (outside of boss battles?)
-Minor ability/tool gating (scuba gear, shrink to go through a small passage at one point; destroy wall spell isn't used in II)
-Teleport spell for returning to the last visited town
-No maps?
Dragon Slayer VI: The Legend of Heroes (MSX, 1990/Multi, ) - JRPG
Columns (SMS/MSX, 1990) - Early match the colors puzzle game (Puzznic the first?), diagonal line ups, "clear all of one color" power up, 2-player (tetris),
Fray in Magical Adventure (MSX, 1990)(fan translated) - ARPG/Run 'n Gun/Vertical Scrolling Shooter w/ Platforming hybrid (level-based, towns w/ shops in-between levels), Top Down View
-Save in-between levels
-Char upgrades but no ability/tool gating?
-Animated NPC portraits
-Charge attack
-No maps
Rune Worth (MSX, X68K, 1990)? - ARPG-ish (no exp point leveling, hub map, towns w/ shops), TD view
-Partially non-linear
-Save feature?
-No area maps?
1991:
Illusion City: Gen'ei Toshi (MSX, 1991/PC-98, 1992/MCD/FMT/X68K, 1993) - JRPG (city setting rather than and overworld and dungeons), TD view/TP or "over the shoulder" view hybrid
-Non-random encounters (mostly avoidable)
-Use-based progression (char growth) for weapon proficiencies - FF2 and Dungeon Master
-Cyberpunk theme (Neuromancer, Snatcher)
-Non-chibi sprites (Phantasy Star)
Xak Precious Package: The Tower of Gazzel/Xak: The Tower of Gazzel/"Xak 2.5" (MSX/PC-88/PC-98, 1991/PC Win, 2018) - ARPG/Dungeon Crawler (some platforming, no ability/tool gating besides a scroll that removes a rock at one point?), Top Down view
-CPU allies (one at a time, these follow you around like in a JRPG and are used to solve some minor puzzles)
-Save anywhere outside of boss battles?
-Can teleport back to the beginning
-No maps
Sorcerian (PCs, 1987/MD, 1990)? - ARPG (Create and control a party of four all at the same time - rest of party follows the leader in a line, town and dungeons split)
-Flexible non-linear structure (can technically exit every quest by returning to the entrance, can play scenarios over and over to get more loot, can select any quest in the game at any time with the exception of the final one)
-Sometimes you're limited to 3 chars for a certain quest
-Minor puzzles (hidden switches for example)
-Save feature
-No maps?, No ability gating?
-Check for MSX differences
1992:
Frantic (MSX, 1992) - Maze Platformer w/ Puzzle elements (have to carry a tray of food throughout the levels)
-Pretty impressive music
-Jump boots and bombs for breaking certain walls
1993:
Brisk (MSX, 1993) - ? Chip's Challenge-like
D.A.S.S. (MSX, 1993) - ? Vertical Shoot 'em up; Pretty impressive music
1994:
Eggbert/Toki Tori (MSX, 1994) - Puzzle Platformer
1995:
Shrines of Enigma (MSX, 1995) - ? Spiritual sequel to King's Valley 2
1996:
1997:
1998:
1999:
Pleasure Hearts (MSX, 1999) - Homebrew
Illusion City: Gen'ei Toshi (MSX, 1991/PC-98, 1992/MCD/FMT/X68K, 1993) - JRPG (city setting rather than and overworld and dungeons), TD view/TP or "over the shoulder" view hybrid
-Non-random encounters (mostly avoidable)
-Use-based progression (char growth) for weapon proficiencies - FF2 and Dungeon Master
-Cyberpunk theme (Neuromancer, Snatcher)
-Non-chibi sprites (Phantasy Star)
Xak Precious Package: The Tower of Gazzel/Xak: The Tower of Gazzel/"Xak 2.5" (MSX/PC-88/PC-98, 1991/PC Win, 2018) - ARPG/Dungeon Crawler (some platforming, no ability/tool gating besides a scroll that removes a rock at one point?), Top Down view
-CPU allies (one at a time, these follow you around like in a JRPG and are used to solve some minor puzzles)
-Save anywhere outside of boss battles?
-Can teleport back to the beginning
-No maps
Sorcerian (PCs, 1987/MD, 1990)? - ARPG (Create and control a party of four all at the same time - rest of party follows the leader in a line, town and dungeons split)
-Flexible non-linear structure (can technically exit every quest by returning to the entrance, can play scenarios over and over to get more loot, can select any quest in the game at any time with the exception of the final one)
-Sometimes you're limited to 3 chars for a certain quest
-Minor puzzles (hidden switches for example)
-Save feature
-No maps?, No ability gating?
-Check for MSX differences
1992:
Frantic (MSX, 1992) - Maze Platformer w/ Puzzle elements (have to carry a tray of food throughout the levels)
-Pretty impressive music
-Jump boots and bombs for breaking certain walls
1993:
Brisk (MSX, 1993) - ? Chip's Challenge-like
D.A.S.S. (MSX, 1993) - ? Vertical Shoot 'em up; Pretty impressive music
1994:
Eggbert/Toki Tori (MSX, 1994) - Puzzle Platformer
1995:
Shrines of Enigma (MSX, 1995) - ? Spiritual sequel to King's Valley 2
1996:
1997:
1998:
1999:
Pleasure Hearts (MSX, 1999) - Homebrew
