Fushigo no Umi no Nadia (1991), or Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, by Namco for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan was an adventure that tells a compact version of the anime series it's based on as mysterious forces pursue Nadia and her friends for the secret she bears. (an adventurous adaptation thread)

Fushigo no Umi no Nadia (1991), or Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, by Namco for the Sega Mega Drive in Japan was an adventure that tells a compact version of the anime series it's based on as mysterious forces pursue Nadia and her friends for the secret she bears. (an adventurous adaptation thread)

The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004) | RPG | PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox | Electronic Arts The FFX inspired adventure took creative liberties to insert players into many of its most pivotal moments whether it's battling the Balrog with Gandalf or happening upon a fiery Denethor as he runs by!

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future will return in Avengers: Doomsday

A 1998 ad for Battlespire, an action RPG by Bethesda Softworks for MS-DOS PCs A spinoff title from the main Elder Scrolls series, it took place within the Battlespire, the training ground for the empire's mages, until invaded by daedra leaving nearly everyone dead except for you. How fortuitous!

Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished -- The Final Chapter (1988) is an action RPG by Nihon Falcom originally debuting on the PC-8801. Taking place immediately after the events of Ys I following Adol's seeming victory, he is whisked by magic to the fabled land of Ys to face a new quest! (a lurking evil thread)

A hit on the PC-88 in Japan where it debuted, this 1990 ad celebrates the Sega Mega Drive port of Star Cruiser, a hybrid FPS/space fighter RPG by Arsys Software The page tempts readers to adventure in an open 3D world on the ground and in space with progress protected by a handy battery backup!

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (1989) | action RPG | Various platforms | Nihon Falcom The side-scrolling gameplay was a major departure from Ys I and II's top-down world of bump battling heroics! In 2005, it received a stunning remake with Ys: The Oath in Felghana using the engine from 2003's Ys VI.

A 1990 ad from Japan for Splendid Saga, a canceled RPG for the PC Engine by NCS An illustration by Yoshihisa Aran (an artist who also worked on ASCII's 1988 TTRPG adaptation of Wizardry in Japan) colors an ad that describes the game's night and day cycle, weather system, and trap laden dungeons!

Sakura Wars (1996) | tactical RPG | Sega Saturn | Red Company and Sega Sega's project brought in Kosuke Fujishima (Oh My Goddess!) to design many of the characters and composer, Kohei Tanaka, for its music creating a blend of visual novel, dating sim, and tactical steampunk in an alt 1920s Japan!

Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished (1987) is an action RPG by Nihon Falcom that debuted on the PC-8801 in Japan. A mysterious fortune teller, wicked monsters, and a legendary lost land await the adventurer, Adol, as he is drawn into a quest that will change the world. (a vanishing omen thread)

Lost Kingdoms (2002) | RPG | Nintendo GameCube | FromSoftware FromSoftware's diverse dev history included dabbling with a card-based battle system that transformed your abilities on the fly transforming you into a monster summoning master or even an empowered, hack 'n slash fighter!

Quiz & Dragons: Capcom Quiz Game (1992) | quiz game | arcade | Capcom Capcom let you slay dragons with a lucky guess in this arcade adventure mixing light RPG aesthetics and a Q&A format. It rolled dice as you moved across a "boardgame" like map where the wrong answers in battle sapped your health!

I hoped it would be good. Anthem had so much potential on paper only to be doomed as a messy live service product. Enjoyed flying about as Iron Man the Thaumaturge.

Tear Ring Saga: Yutona Eiyuu Senki (2001) is a Japan-only, tactical RPG released on the PlayStation. A once-blessed land is divided into war by a conquering empire. A prince and his best friend separate to find allies while the shadow of a dark god rises from the past! (an emblematic thread)

A 1990 ad for B.A.T., an adventure/RPG hybrid for PCs by Computer's Dream Touted as a "thrilling role playing adventure", this sci-fi mission to stop a mad scientist leaned more into point 'n click adventure gaming that featured detailed NPC interactions and a programmable assistant!

Tear Ring Saga: Yutona Eiyuu Senki (2001) is a Japan-only, tactical RPG released on the PlayStation. A once-blessed land is divided into war by a conquering empire. A prince and his best friend separate to find allies while the shadow of a dark god rises from the past! (an emblematic thread)

Dungeons & Dragons: Order of the Griffon (1992) | tactical RPG | TurboGrafx-16 | Westwood Associates Westwood flexed their RPG chops with a console exclusive placing pre-made characters hired by Lord Korrigan to investigate rumors of an evil plot. Fortunately, the source was only a password away!

Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished - Omen (1987) | action RPG | Various | Nihon Falcom Ys I had a plethora of ports with many taking advantage of their new homes in creative ways. Dempa Micomsoft ported a version to Sharp's X68k PC in '91 with better music, graphics, and more 'realistic' NPC portraits!

Willow (1989) | RPG and action adventure | console and arcade | Capcom Capcom went wild with different adaptations of the 1988 fantasy film, Willow. One was a top-down, action RPG with its own twists. The other was a side-scrolling arcade-only actioner turning Willow into a spellcasting juggernaut!

Happy New Year! Please watch your step when entering 2026!

Phantasy Star IV (1993) | RPG | Sega Genesis | Sega For everyone doing their best to stay ahead of the snow burying everything outside, please stay warm and safe. Also, watch out for starships coming in for a rough landing!

Fatal Labyrinth (1990) by Sega was a roguelike RPG first released on the Sega Game Toshokan then ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis. Enemies move when you do, loot may be cursed, and even overeating may be fatal as you fight through 30 floors to take back the Holy Goblet. (a sprouting fortress thread)

Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds (1993) | RPG | PC platforms | Looking Glass Technologies Attending a party in your honor, you and friends feast and make merry at Lord British's castle! But instead of a hangover the next morning, everyone awakens as prisoners of a vengeful adversary...

King's Field II (1995) is an action RPG by FromSoftware for the Sony PlayStation. Introduced outside of Japan as King's Field, you take on the role of the brave Alexander sent to the cursed island of Melanat to recover a fabled blade stolen by the wicked Necron! (a get used to dying thread)

A 1998 ad from Japan for the Sega Saturn port of Farland Saga, an isometric 3D tactical RPG by TGL Part of the extensive Farland series, this iteration took full advantage of its new home by boasting an extensive voice acting cast that included Noboyuki Hiyama, Masaaki Tsukada, and Tomoe Hanba!

Four games that defined my 2025

King's Field (1994) is an action RPG by FromSoftware for the Sony PlayStation in Japan. An ancient sanctuary has become infested with evil, and the King has tasked your father to cleanse it. Now it is up to you to take up your sword when your father goes missing within... (a launch dungeon thread)

Ys II Special (1994) | RPG | PC platforms | Mantra Licensed by Falcom and developed for South Korea, Mantra's take on Ys II created an almost entirely new experience involving enhanced graphics, a sword action, and music courtesy of SoundTeMP members such as Kwon Goo-Hee as Music Director.

Fire Bam (1988) is an action RPG by HAL Laboratory for the Nintendo Famicom Disk System in Japan. Bam has returned to his village only to find that the people have gone missing and his parents turned into giant lizards by the evil Dome clan. Time to save them all! (a blazing bamventure thread)

Fire Bam (1988) is an action RPG by HAL Laboratory for the Nintendo Famicom Disk System in Japan. Bam has returned to his village only to find that the people have gone missing and his parents turned into giant lizards by the evil Dome clan. Time to save them all! (a blazing bamventure thread)

A 1990 ad for DragonStrike, the "FIRST-EVER dragon combat simulator" for PCs by Westwood Associates Illustrating the backdrop is a piece by Keith Parkinson which was also used on the cover of Dragons of Hope, an adventure module from 1984 for the Dragonlance TTRPG setting.

I loved the tile editor Virgin/Westwood used for their 2D games like this. I've forgotten Ed's last name from the Irvine office who wrote a lot of it, and I'm sure Westwood probably made their own, but I have fond memories of the magic that it seemed to easily make. It was one of the first "tools".

Dragon View (1994) was an action RPG for the Super Nintendo by Kotobuki System. Released in Japan as Super Drakkhen, it was the sequel to Infogrames' Drakkhen though was more of a standalone adventure unrelated to the original as you quest to rescue your beloved! (a lone heroics thread)

Treasure Conflix (1996) | action/adventure with light RPG elements | Nintendo Satellaview | Square Beamed via a satellite to the Super Famicom, this neat actioner was a potpourri of Mode 7 powered airship exploration and combat mixed in with treasure hunts, auctions, and ancient secrets!

Treasure Conflix (1996) was an action adventure game with light RPG elements by Square for the Nintendo Satellaview. In a vast galaxy, treasure hunters prowl worlds in search of lost riches. As one of these vaunted adventurers, you find yourself on the trail of an ancient legend! (an airship thread)

A 1994 ad from Japan for Dungeon Master II: Skullkeep, a dungeon crawling RPG for the Sega Mega CD by FTL FTL's follow-up to their iconic dungeon crawling masterpiece would launch in Japan for the PC-98 first before receiving a number of ports inviting players to battle its "AI" powered beasties!

Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun (1992) | RPG | Sega Genesis | Westwood Associates This neat adaptation of TSR's Hollow World setting for D&D combined top-down exploration and battles with first-person dungeons! PSA: cast lightning in enclosed spaces may bounce back and wreck you.

Merry Christmas! And watch out for pollywogs in your presents!

Kamen Rider Wizard (2012) Episode 16

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

Shining in the Darkness (1991) | RPG | Sega Mega Drive/Genesis | Climax Entertainment The quest: to rescue a missing princess and discover the fate of your father who had also vanished with her! And you won't be alone. Two friends, Pyra and Milo, are ready to join the dungeon crawl alongside you.

A 1990 ad for Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday, an RPG for PCs by SSI An action-packed illustration by Jerry Bingham provided the cover for TSR's tabletop take on Buck Rogers' legacy sending players to the 25th century! SSI also used it in the ad for their first adaptation of TSR's sci-fi RPG.

Shining in the Darkness (1991) by Climax for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis was one of the first RPGs for the console and the first in Sega's long-running Shining series. Turn-based combat and first-person dungeon crawling put you on a quest to save the Kingdom of Thornwood! (a legend begins thread)

Satoshi Urushihara's artwork fills this 1998 ad from Japan for Langrisser: Dramatic Edition, a tactical RPG compilation by CareerSoft for the Sega Saturn It included remakes of Langrisser I and II with enhanced features such as anime cuts and added plot elements on top of their tactical challenges!

Breath of Fire III (1997) | RPG | Sony PlayStation | Capcom Tiny dragon freed from a crystal: "How long have I been trapped? Oh, there are two creatures here! Maybe they can help? One of them is waving--" *is beaned in the head with a rock* Tiny dragon freed from a crystal: "ALL WILL DIE"

A late 1997 ad for Descent to Undermountain, a first-person, action RPG by Interplay Jumping onboard the 3D breakout wave of the 90s with the Descent engine, this adventure enticed prospective dungeon crawlers with its take on the Forgotten Realms' largest dungeon. It was also quite buggy.

Released 20 years ago today in Japan, Kingdom Hearts II is an action RPG for the PlayStation 2 by Square Enix This two-page ad celebrates its North American release only a few months later in March '06 returning fans to this unique get together of memorable Disney characters and Square Enix!

Two 1984 ads over the Christmas holiday for Dungeons & Dragons featuring a Sears-exclusive poster by Larry Elmore Among the hundreds of pages in Sears' holiday catalog in '84 was a section for D&D showcasing everything from miniatures, the Basic Set ($8.99), to the Player's Handbook (also $8.99)!

46 Okunen Monogatari ~The Shinka Ron~ (1990) | RPG | PC-98 | Almanic Corporation This precursor to the E.V.O.: Search for Eden on the SNES takes players on a journey of evolution across millions of years as Gaia's agent! Here, you discover ruins hiding a mysterious secret linked to Lord Lucifer...