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Exile, also known as XZR II, is the side scrolling, action RPG sequel to XZR. It was first released for Japanese computers in 1988. Both North American releases, especially the Genesis one, were censored due to the heavy religious, adult and drug-related themes.
An early first-person role-playing shooter released by Arsys Software. Ahead of its time, it had 3D polygon graphics, FPS gameplay, strafing controls, open-world space exploration, and an epic sci-fi space opera plot.
Psychic World is an action-shooter-platformer developed by Hertz, originally released as Psycho World for the MSX in 1988. It was ported to the Master System and Game Gear by Sanitsu and published worldwide by Sega in 1991.
A side-scrolling brawler for the Arcade and PC Engine featuring the titular Japanese Sengoku warlord. Not to be confused with the NES strategy game of the same name.
First Queen (PC, Super Famicom, etc) was a unique hybrid RTS/RPG/action game first released in 1988. It was one of the first games by Kure Software Koubou and helped establish their eventually popular Multiple Character gameplay system that they went on to use in many later games.
The Scheme is an action RPG released by Bothtec (later known as Quest) for the PC-88 in 1988. It features Metroidvania-style open-world exploration, side-scrolling run & gun shooter combat, and chiptune music by Yuzo Koshiro.
A unique hybrid RTS/Action/RPG game first released in 1988. It was the first game by Kure Software Koubou and introduced their eventually popular Multiple Character gameplay system that they went on to use in many later games.
The direct sequel to Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished developed by Falcom and released on a number of platforms.
Bionic Commando follows hero Rad Spencer as he fights through enemy territory to rescue fellow commando, Super Joe.
Make your way through a nasty, robot-filled maze with a friend in Xybots, a cooperative shooter from Atari.
A french role-playing game.
Sorcerian, also known as Dragon Slayer V: Sorcerian, is an action RPG released by Nihon Falcom in 1987. It was considered unique for its party-based action combat, magic combination system, and open-ended multi-scenario system that could be extended with expansion packs.
Final Fantasy was the first entry in the now widely recognized Final Fantasy franchise, originally developed on the NES by Square (now Square-Enix).
Sherlock: Riddle of the Crown Jewels is an interactive fiction adventure written by Infocom. It was first released in 1987 and pits the player as Dr. Watson, with Sherlock Holmes in tow, against Dr. Moriarty.
An action RPG developed by Rare Ltd. and the first in a trilogy of games for the NES. The game features a swordsman named Kuros saving a number of damsels in distress on his way to defeat the evil wizard Malkil.
A spin-off to Nihon Falcom's Xanadu series, Faxanadu is a side-scrolling action RPG developed by Hudson for the NES.
One of the first action RPGs, The Magic of Scheherazade is a Culture Brain title for the NES (1989) and Famicom (1987, as Arabian Dream Scheherazade).
An early example of a "Metroidvania"-style platformer, Legacy of the Wizard tells the tale of a family of adventurers who must use their combined abilities to seek the Dragon Slayer sword and defeat a powerful dragon deep in a twisting labyrinth.
Action-adventure-RPG released in 1987 by Konami only in Japan. It features both side-scrolling and "3D" (third-person, behind-the-shoulder) segments, open-world exploration, and hack & slash combat, including the earliest third-person hack & slash combat.
A fantasy action RPG developed for MSX and NES by Lenar and published by Hi-Score Media Work.
The first game in the Ys series. The player controls Adol Christin who is on a quest to retrieve the six books of Ys which he will use to destroy the evil forces.
Gandhara (ガンダーラ), also known as Crusade of Gandhara Buddha (ガンダーラ仏陀の聖戦), is an action-adventure-RPG that was released by Enix in 1987, for home computers exclusively in Japan.
Wonder Boy is back and trouble has brewed in Monster Land. This is the second in the Wonder Boy series, developed by Westone and published for many consoles and home computers, occasionally with whole new graphics.
Larn is a 'roguelike' where players explore procedurally generated dungeons to gain experience and enough gold to venture into the volcano to retrieve the potion that will save the protagonist's daughter's life.
Side-scrolling action game with an importance on offensive and defensive tactics. Best known for the intense battles against other fighters, where both yours and the enemies armor and weapons can be damaged and lost.
An early role-playing shooter released by Arsys Software for the PC-88, PC-98 and FM-7 computers in 1986 and ported to MS-DOS by Brøderbund. An early RPG-shooter hybrid, it was one of the first computer games with polygonal 3D environments, along with full 360-degree third-person exploration for indoor environments.
The sequel to Tower of Druaga and an asynchronous two-player action-RPG. After rescuing Ki at the end of the first game, Gilgamesh and Ki must escape the Tower of Druaga by descending through its floors.
A top-down dungeon crawler released for Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum.
An action RPG released by Nihon Falcom in 1985 that was the company's first blockbuster success, becoming one of the best selling Japanese PC games of all time.
Bard's Tale is a critically acclaimed party-based roleplaying game based loosely on the Dungeons & Dragons rule set, with first-person navigation and text-based combat.
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