PLATFORMS

Xanadu was the name of the summer capital of the Mongolian-ruled Yuan Dynasty in 13th century China. The game, however, is set in a fantasy world, its Xanadu being mysterious ruins beneath a prosperous kingdom, where only the bravest adventurers dare to venture. The player takes the role of one of such explorers, who is … Continue reading “Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II”

Dragon Slayer is commonly considered one of the progenitors of the action RPG genre. The premise is similar to Roguelikes: the player takes control of a knight who must fight his way through large overhead maze-like dungeons. Unlike roguelikes, the combat in the game is fully action-oriented: the player must approach the monster and “bump” into it … Continue reading “Dragon Slayer”

The continent of Riglas is inhabited by two races: Miria and Galt. For years they have been fighting each other for dominance. Caught in the struggle between the two is the nearly forgotten Osborn race, discriminated and enslaved. Mei is a young man belonging to that races, who leaves his home village in order to … Continue reading “Riglas”

People inhabiting a world called Felix communicate with gods to divine their future. The king of the Forest Country is looking for a husband for his daughter and organizes a tournament for noble young men from different countries. The prince from the Lake Country is victorious, but an evil magician turns him into a strange-looking … Continue reading “Märchen Veil I”

Everything was peaceful on the island of Rwanda, until the evil demon lord Pay Valusa invaded it, sending hordes of monsters to do his bidding. A lone warrior named Tritorn is the only one who can defeat the demon and restore peace. Tritorn is, together with Dragon Slayer and Hydlide, an early progenitor of the … Continue reading “Tritorn”

The country of Babylon was once a thriving community, enjoying peace and prosperity. However, all that changed when monsters invaded the land. Eventually, the entire population was wiped out and Babylon became an enclosed area no one dared to enter. Only one brave adventurer traveled to Babylon in an attempt to destroy the evil that … Continue reading “Curse of Babylon”

Lost Power is a very typical mid-80s RPG since the dungeon crawling hack-and-slash gameplay itself is pretty straightforward, but has a high concept that allows the player to fill in the narrative gaps. The presentation is also noteworthy as most of the visuals are simple but the enemy portraits are very well done, and even seeing … Continue reading “Lost Power”

The title (translated as Do Dutchwives Dream of Electric Eel?, an obvious humorous allusion to Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) refers to a product of Japanese sex doll industry commonly known as “dutchwives”. One of such sex dolls has been stolen, and the Oranda Corporation hires a private investigator to retrieve it. The second … Continue reading “Oranda Tsuma wa Denki Unagi no Yume o Miru ka?”

Danchi-zuma no Yūwaku (“Seduction of Condominium Wives”) is the first in Koei’s self-designated “Strawberry Porno Series”. The player takes the role of a condom salesman from Kawasaki. He has to gain access to seven apartments on the first floor of a residential building and sell his wares to the women living there. The game mostly feels … Continue reading “Danchizuma no Yuwaku (Seduction of Codominium Wives)”

Run… fly… dodge those obstacles, but return fire on wave after wave of attacking aliens. Armed with a really big gun, you have to defend yourself against the alien hordes using your wits to navigate around the screen. But watch out for those end of level bosses! Originating in the arcades, Space Harrier is a third-person rail … Continue reading “Space Harrier”