Action RPGs
Where the sword swings in real time — the adventures that fused the reflexes of action with the depth of a role-playing world.
45 games in this room
Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
The Tower of Druaga
ドルアーガの塔
The Tower of Druaga is a 1985 Famicom action RPG in which the knight Gil must climb sixty floors of a labyrinthine tower…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Valkyrie no Bouken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu
ワルキューレの冒険 時の鍵伝説
Valkyrie no Bouken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu is a 1986 Famicom action RPG in which the divine warrior Valkyrie must recover…
Read more →
Uncommon Family Computer Disk System
Esper Dream
エスパードリーム
Esper Dream (1987) is an action RPG by Konami for the Famicom Disk System, set in a fairy-tale world where a young boy w…
Read more →
Uncommon Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Getsu Fuuma Den
月風魔伝
Getsu Fuuma Den (1987) is one of Konami's most distinctive Famicom titles: a hybrid action game that blends side-scrolli…
Read more →
Uncommon Family Computer Disk System
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
悪魔城ドラキュラII 呪いの封印
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, released on the Famicom Disk System in August 1987, broke sharply from the original Castl…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Faxanadu
ファクサナドゥ
Released in November 1987, Faxanadu is a side-scrolling action RPG set in the World Tree — a giant tree whose branching …
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Dragon Buster
ドラゴンバスター
Dragon Buster is a 1987 Famicom action RPG in which the knight Clovis must rescue Princess Celes from the dragon Zambaqu…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
ゼルダII リンクの冒険
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is a 1987 action role-playing game for the famicom, developed by Nintendo Entertainment …
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Aspic: Majaou no Noroi
アスピック 魔蛇王の呪い
Aspic: Majaou no Noroi is a Japan-only role-playing game that mixes several viewpoints: an overhead world map, first-per…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Silviana: Ai Ippai no Little Angel
シルヴィアーナ 愛いっぱいの冒険者
Silviana: Ai Ippai no Little Angel is a Japan-only action RPG following a girl named Silviana who journeys to find Dr. D…
Read more →
Uncommon PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Ys I & II
イースI・II
Ys I & II, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM² on December 21, 1989, is one of the most historically significant games in…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Dungeon Explorer
ダンジョンエクスプローラー
Dungeon Explorer (1989) is one of the earliest home console games to support up to five simultaneous players in cooperat…
Read more →
Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
River City Ransom
ダウンタウン熱血物語
Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari — released internationally as River City Ransom — was the first entry in Technos Japan's Ku…
Read more →
Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Sword of Vermilion
ヴァーミリオン
An action role-playing game released in Japan for the Mega Drive in December 1989. It blends several viewpoints—overhead…
Read more →Game Boy
Final Fantasy Adventure
聖剣伝説 〜ファイナルファンタジー外伝〜
Final Fantasy Adventure is the 1991 Game Boy game that launched the entire Mana franchise — though at the time it was ma…
Read more →
Uncommon Super Famicom / SNES
Soul Blazer
ソウルブレイダー
The first entry in Quintet's World Trilogy — the series that would conclude with Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma — Soul …
Read more →
Uncommon Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
ランドストーカー 皇帝の財宝
Landstalker is Climax Entertainment's 1992 isometric action RPG for the Mega Drive — a precision platforming adventure i…
Read more →Game Boy
For the Frog the Bell Tolls
カエルの為に鐘は鳴る
Released in September 1992 exclusively in Japan, For the Frog the Bell Tolls is a Game Boy action RPG from Nintendo R&D1…
Read more →
Super Famicom / SNES
Secret of Mana
聖剣伝説2
Released in 1993, Secret of Mana introduced seamless real-time combat with a 'Ring Menu' system, three-player co-op via …
Read more →
Uncommon PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys
イースIV ザ・ドーン・オブ・イース
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys is the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² exclusive entry in Falcom's celebrated action RPG series — a title …
Read more →
Uncommon Super Famicom / SNES
Illusion of Gaia
ガイア幻想紀
Illusion of Gaia — Gaia Gensōki in Japan — is the second entry in Quintet's informal trilogy alongside Soul Blazer (1992…
Read more →
Uncommon Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Beyond Oasis
ザ・ストーリー・オブ・トア ～光を継ぐ者～
Released in Japan on December 9, 1994, The Story of Thor (Beyond Oasis in North America) is an action RPG developed by A…
Read more →
Uncommon Super Famicom / SNES
Seiken Densetsu 3
聖剣伝説3
Seiken Densetsu 3 (1995) is one of the finest action RPGs on the Super Famicom and among the most accomplished Japan-onl…
Read more →
Uncommon Super Famicom / SNES
Tales of Phantasia
テイルズ オブ ファンタジア
Tales of Phantasia (1995) is the origin of one of JRPG's most enduring franchises — the Tales series — and arrived as th…
Read more →
Uncommon Super Famicom / SNES
Terranigma
天地創造
The final entry in Quintet's informal World Trilogy — following Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia — Terranigma is an acti…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Light Crusader
ライトクルセイダー
Released in May 1995, Light Crusader was the final Mega Drive game from Treasure — the studio that had already delivered…
Read more →
Sega Saturn
Shining Wisdom
シャイニング・ウィズダム
Released in August 1995, Shining Wisdom is the eighth entry in Sega's Shining series and the first developed by Camelot …
Read more →Sega Saturn
Guardian Heroes
ガーディアンヒーローズ
Guardian Heroes (1996) is a Sega Saturn beat 'em up and action RPG hybrid developed by Treasure — their first game on CD…
Read more →
Super Famicom / SNES
Star Ocean
スターオーシャン
Star Ocean is an action role-playing game released for the Super Famicom in 1996. It was the debut title of tri-Ace, a s…
Read more →PlayStation
Diablo
ディアブロ
Diablo is a 1996 action role-playing game for the playstation, developed by Blizzard North, with music by Matt Uelmen. I…
Read more →
Uncommon PlayStation
Alundra
アランドラ
Released in 1997, Alundra is an action RPG following a young Dreamwalker who can enter and traverse the nightmares of ot…
Read more →Sega Saturn
Princess Crown
プリンセスクラウン
Princess Crown (1997) is the Sega Saturn action RPG that served as the creative origin of Vanillaware — the studio that …
Read more →
Uncommon PlayStation
Brave Fencer Musashi
ブレイヴフェンサー武蔵伝
Brave Fencer Musashi (1998) is Square's fast-paced 3D action RPG on PlayStation — a comedic adventure starring a miniatu…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Bomberman Quest
ボンバーマンクエスト
Bomberman Quest (1998) is an action RPG spin-off in the Bomberman series for Game Boy Color — a genre departure that see…
Read more →
Rare Sega Saturn
Dungeons & Dragons Collection
ダンジョンズ＆ドラゴンズ コレクション
Dungeons & Dragons Collection is a two-disc 1999 Sega Saturn compilation released exclusively in Japan, containing Capco…
Read more →Dreamcast
Maken X
魔剣X
Maken X, released in November 1999, was director Katsura Hashino's debut as a game director at Atlus — the same director…
Read more →
PlayStation
Threads of Fate
デュープリズム
Threads of Fate — Dewprism in Japan — is a lighthearted action RPG following two protagonists with opposite personalitie…
Read more →PlayStation
Legend of Mana
聖剣伝説 Legend of Mana
Released in July 1999, Legend of Mana is the fourth entry in Square's Mana series and the most experimental game the fra…
Read more →Nintendo 64
Hybrid Heaven
ハイブリッドヘブン
Hybrid Heaven is an action RPG developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka for Nintendo 64, released in Japan on Au…
Read more →
Uncommon PlayStation
Vagrant Story
ベイグラントストーリー
Vagrant Story (2000) is an action RPG developed and published by Square, directed, produced, written, and designed by Ya…
Read more →Dreamcast
Phantasy Star Online
ファンタシースターオンライン
Released in 2000, Phantasy Star Online was a watershed moment in gaming history: the first true online RPG on a home con…
Read more →Game Boy Color
Crystalis
クリスタリス
Crystalis for Game Boy Color is a 2000 remake of SNK's landmark 1990 action-RPG, developed by Nintendo Software Technolo…
Read more →
Rare Game Boy Color
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere
スターオーシャン ブルースフィア
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere is a 2001 action RPG developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix exclusively for the Game Boy Col…
Read more →
▶ Nintendo GameCube
Tales of Symphonia
テイルズ オブ シンフォニア
Released in 2003, Tales of Symphonia became the breakout RPG of the GameCube era — introducing many Western players to t…
Read more →
Uncommon ▶ Nintendo GameCube
Custom Robo
カスタムロボ バトルレボリューション
Released in Japan on March 4, 2004, Custom Robo: Battle Revolution is the fourth entry in Noise's Custom Robo series — a…
Read more →