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Game » consists of 0 releases. Released May 25, 1985
The first game in the Action RPG series. A human starship crashes into an alien planet and works with the natives to cure a deadly extra-terrestrial disease.
The first entry in the "Tales" RPG series, Tales of Phantasia centers around a group of unwitting time travelers as they try to stop the Evil King Dhaos and reverse the decay of their world.
Released in 1989, Sweet Home is quite possibly the first survival horror, or console horror RPG. A small team enters a haunted house to study the deceased owner's frescoes, only to become trapped by the angered spirits within. It inspired Resident Evil, the game that established the survival horror genre. Sweet Home can also be considered an early immersive sim.
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.
Released in 1987, War of the Dead is considered to be the first true survival horror game. SWAT officer Lila must rescue survivors in the demon-infested small town of Chaney’s Hill. It also featured open-world gameplay and RPG elements.
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).
Known as the first stealth-action game, Metal Gear tells the tale of Solid Snake, a rookie operative of the U.S. special forces unit FOXHOUND, as he infiltrates Outer Heaven, a fortified military compound, to destroy a mysterious superweapon known as "Metal Gear".
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is the second entry in the ground-breaking Zelda franchise. This controversial follow-up ditches the original's top-down perspective for 2D side-scrolling exploration and combat. The 2D towns, dungeons and combat arenas are tied together by a top-down overworld.
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 first Famicom adaptation of the Hokuto no Ken manga and anime franchise, best known in the US and Europe as Fist of the North Star.
Alpha (アルファ) is a visual novel adventure game, developed and published by Squaresoft in 1986, for the PC-8801 & PC-9801 and FM-7 computers. It was known for its real-time animated cutscenes, epic cyberpunk space opera narrative, and scantily-clad heroine.
A first-person adventure game with RPG elements, released by Microcabin in 1986. The game featured environments rendered in 3D polygon graphics, for possibly the first time in a home video game, along with early survival horror elements. However, the game is better remembered for its cyberpunk narrative, which was adapted into a sci-fi novel shortly afterwards.
The first role-playing game developed by Squaresoft, Cruise Chaser Blassty is a sci-fi title released in April 1986.
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.
RPG developed by Kogado and released for Japanese computers in 1985.
Hydlide (ハイドライド Haidoraido) is a 1984 action role-playing game developed by T&E Soft and published in 1985.
Tritorn is an action RPG developed by Sein Soft and released in 1985. It was one of the first action RPGs, improving on Dragon Slayer and Hydlide with the use of an action button to attack enemies, and one of the first Metroidvania-style games.
Squaresoft's first RPG, this was an early futuristic sci-fi RPG for the PC-8801 and PC-9801 computers, featuring a post-apocalyptic setting and isometric, tactical turn-based battles.
The Earth Fighter Rayieza (地球戦士ライーザ Chikyū Senshi Raīza?) is a role-playing game developed and published by Enix (currently Square Enix) in 1985 for the NEC PC-8801, FM-7, Sharp X1 and MSX personal computer systems, and later ported to the NES.
An early 3D, first-person, role-playing shooter, released by Bullet-Proof Software in 1985. Ahead of its time, it was an early example of both the Action-RPG and FPS genres.
Released in 1984, Hydlide was the first open-world action RPG. It was the first on-foot, fully-scaled, open-world game, and introduced innovations such as a health-regeneration mechanic. It influenced the action RPG genre as well as The Legend of Zelda franchise.
An early Japanese RPG released by Hot-B in 1984 that departed from the fantasy themes of most other early RPGs in favour of what is possibly gaming's first sci-fi cyberpunk plot. Set in a post-apocalyptic city, the game revolves around an amnesiac protagonist with psychic powers.
Dragon Slayer is an action RPG designed by Yoshio Kiya and developed by Nihon Falcom. The title helped to pioneer the action RPG genre in Japan and spawned many sequels that would spin-off into their own franchises over time.
Players climb the tower, defeat Druaga and rescue Princess Ki in this maze-style, action role-playing game. Originally released by Namco for arcades in 1984, its combination of hack & slash combat and RPG elements laid the foundations for the action RPG genre.
A sci-fi adventure game from Enix, released in 1983. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, the story is about the last survivors of a nuclear war going into crygenic sleep and waking up a hundred years later. The game features a day-night cycle that impacts the story, where certain events may only occur at a specific time.
Designed by Yoshio Kiya and released by Nihon Falcom in 1983, this was possibly the first action RPG. It introduced real-time combat, sci-fi elements, a persistent open world with day-night cycle, and survival mechanics. This was a precursor to Falcom's seminal action RPG franchise, Dragon Slayer.
Action RPG sequel to Cosmic Soldier, released for Japanese computers in 1987 and for North American PC in 1989.
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