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Game » consists of 3 releases. Released August 1986
Knight Arms: The Hybrid Framer was part third-person rail shooter and part side-scrolling platformer, released by Arsys Software for the Sharp X68000 computer in 1989. It featured some of the most advanced pseudo-3D sprite-scaling seen on a home system of the 1980's.
A sci-fi themed RPG from Nihon Bussan for the Famicom, released in late 1987. It was never released outside of Japan.
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.
Released for the Fujitsu FM-77 AV computer in 1986, this game was an early 3D first-person shooter. It was notable for its advanced 3D graphics engine, which processed 3D polygons at high frame rates for its time. It was the first FPS to use 3D polygons.
The second game in the Castlevania series, Vampire Killer has the player taking control of Simon Belmont in his quest to defeat Dracula.
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Hot Scramble is the first console Gundam game. It features some early first-person shooter elements, along with side-scrolling action segments.
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.
First-person action game, published by SystemSoft for Japanese computers in 1986. Its polygonal 3D graphics engine was a technical milestone, rendering 3D environments at a fast pace and (compared to the tile-based, right-angle movement of earlier first-person games) allowed the player to move with full 360-degree movement.
Brain Breaker is an epic open-world platform-adventure for the Sharp X1 Japanese home computer. It was an early Metroidvania-style game, predating both Metroid and Castlevania. It was designed by Hiroshi Ishikawa and published by Enix in 1985.
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.
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.
The Screamer is a 1985 cyberpunk-horror action RPG taking place in a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi setting. It was released by Magical Zoo, for the PC-8801 in 1985 and for the PC-9801 and X1 in 1986. An English fan translation was released in January 2015.
An action shooter game featuring a giant robot which can transform into a jet. Trapped within a mysterious facility, the goal is to navigate 16 maze-like levels and stay alive long enough to destroy the central computer.
Side-scrolling shooter developed by TechnoSoft in 1983.
Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 2: Tobe! Gundam (機動戦士ガンダム PART 2 翔べ!ガンダム "Mobile Suit Gundam Part 2: Fly! Gundam") is an adventure/shooter/RPG from 1984, based on the Mobile Suit Gundam anime series. It anticipated several gameplay elements later found in FPS, TPS and action RPG games.
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.
Kidou Senshi Gundam Part 1: Gundam Daishi ni Tatsu!! (機動戦士ガンダム PART 1 ガンダム大地に立つ!! "Mobile Suit Gundam Part 1: Gundam Stands on the Ground!!") is an adventure/shooter/RPG from 1983, based on the popular Mobile Suit Gundam anime television series.
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.
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