Role-Playing Worlds

Games where you inhabit another life — sweeping narratives, turn-based battles, and worlds built for getting lost in.

120 games in this room

Endoh made the secrets deliberately arbitrary so players would need each other. Tower of Druaga (1985, Famicom) — Japan-only,

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

The Tower of Druaga

ドルアーガの塔

Action RPG / Puzzle Action · 1985

The Tower of Druaga is a 1985 Famicom action RPG in which the knight Gil must climb sixty floors of a labyrinthine tower…

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Yuji Horii showed up as a journalist to cover a game contest in 1982. He entered on a whim. Dragon Quest (1986, Famicom) foll

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest

ドラゴンクエスト

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1986

Dragon Quest (1986) is the game that established the Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) genre on home consoles. Designed …

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Sakaguchi chose 'Final' because 'Fighting Fantasy' had a trademark conflict. This last-resort name outlasted everything. Fina

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Final Fantasy

ファイナルファンタジー

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1987

Final Fantasy (1987) was Hironobu Sakaguchi's final gamble. Square was struggling, and Sakaguchi decided that if this ga…

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Eight months after launch, Koichi Sugiyama held the world's first video game music concert at Suntory Hall. Dragon Quest II (

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line

ドラゴンクエストII 悪霊の神々

Role-playing · 1987

Dragon Quest II is the 1987 Famicom sequel that introduced party-based combat to the Dragon Quest series, expanding from…

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Kinuyo Yamashita scored Castlevania, then wrote Esper Dream (FDS, 1987) not knowing its genre — Konami's forgotten fairy-tale Uncommon

Family Computer Disk System

Esper Dream

エスパードリーム

Action RPG · 1987

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…

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Every RPG of 1987 sent heroes to slay demons. Atlus's first game let you negotiate with them instead. The game that started P Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei

デジタル・デビル物語 女神転生

RPG · 1987

Released in September 1987, Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei was Atlus's first video game and the origin of a franchis…

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Sold 1.1 million copies and never left Japan. Konami Famicom 1987 — Getsu Fuuma Den blends side-scrolling action with RPG ove Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Getsu Fuuma Den

月風魔伝

Action RPG · 1987

Getsu Fuuma Den (1987) is one of Konami's most distinctive Famicom titles: a hybrid action game that blends side-scrolli…

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Dragon Quest had not yet named the genre. Dragon Buster (Famicom, 1987) used levels and real-time sword combat in 1984 — Japa Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Buster

ドラゴンバスター

Action RPG · 1987

Dragon Buster is a 1987 Famicom action RPG in which the knight Clovis must rescue Princess Celes from the dragon Zambaqu…

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Over 300 students were cautioned by police when Dragon Quest III launched in Japan, 1988. Famicom RPG. 1.1 million copies sol

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest III

ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ…

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1988

Released on February 10, 1988, Dragon Quest III became the defining mass cultural event of Japanese gaming. Developed by…

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Same year as Final Fantasy II. Same studio. Nobuo Uematsu composed it. Hanjuku Hero (1988, Famicom) — Square's self-aware com

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Hanjuku Hero

半熟英雄

Simulation / Strategy RPG · 1988

Hanjuku Hero is a 1988 real-time simulation RPG developed and published by Square for the Famicom — an uncharacteristica…

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Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Final Fantasy II

ファイナルファンタジーII

Role-Playing Game · 1988

Final Fantasy II, released exclusively in Japan in December 1988, rewrote the rules of its own franchise after just one …

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Voice acting and animated cutscenes in 1989 — on a game disc. Ys I & II (PC Engine, 1989) was the first CD-ROM RPG in North A Uncommon

PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16

Ys I & II

イースI・II

Action role-playing game · 1989

Ys I & II, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM² on December 21, 1989, is one of the most historically significant games in…

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Nintendo shelved a finished English version in 1990. MOTHER (1989, Famicom) — Itoi's RPG replacing swords with baseball bats. Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

MOTHER

MOTHER

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1989

Released on July 27, 1989, MOTHER is one of the most distinctive role-playing games ever made for the Famicom — and argu…

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Uncommon

Game Boy

The Final Fantasy Legend

魔界塔士Sa・Ga

Role-playing · 1989

The Final Fantasy Legend — known in Japan as Makai Toushi Sa·Ga — is the first RPG ever released for the Game Boy, the f…

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Over ¥8,800 at launch and bundled with a hint book — the dungeons were nearly unsolvable without one. Phantasy Star II, Mega Uncommon

Sega Mega Drive / Genesis

Phantasy Star II

ファンタシースターII 還らざる時の終わりに

RPG / Science fiction · 1989

Phantasy Star II is the 1989 Mega Drive RPG developed by Sega — the sequel to the 1987 Master System original — and one …

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PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16

Dungeon Explorer

ダンジョンエクスプローラー

Action RPG · 1989

Dungeon Explorer (1989) is one of the earliest home console games to support up to five simultaneous players in cooperat…

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Wargames belonged to PCs. Hudson put a hex grid on TV — Nectaris (PC Engine, 1989), lunar turn-based strategy. Predated Fire Uncommon

PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16

Military Madness

ネクタリス

Turn-Based Strategy · 1989

Released in February 1989, Nectaris was one of the earliest hexagonal turn-based strategy games to appear on a home cons…

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Ryuichi Sakamoto walked into Hudson uninvited to offer his music. Tengai Makyou Ziria (1989, PC Engine) — world first CD-ROM

PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16

Tengai Makyō: Ziria

天外魔境 ZIRIA

RPG · 1989

Released on June 30, 1989, Tengai Makyō: Ziria is widely recognised as the world's first RPG on CD-ROM media. Exploiting…

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Marth appeared in Smash Bros. Melee before Western players could buy his game. Fire Emblem (1990, Famicom) — Japan-only for 3 Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

ファイアーエムブレム 暗黒竜と光の剣

Tactical role-playing game (SRPG) · 1990

Released on April 20, 1990, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light established the tactical RPG as a genre on…

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Kenji Ito's first professional credit. He composed Sa·Ga 2 sitting next to Uematsu, who was writing Final Fantasy IV next doo

Game Boy

Final Fantasy Legend II

Sa・Ga2 秘宝伝説

RPG · 1990

Final Fantasy Legend II — known in Japan as Sa·Ga 2: Hihou Densetsu — is the sequel to the game that brought JRPGs to Ni…

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Torneko the merchant starred in a spin-off that launched the Mystery Dungeon franchise. Dragon Quest IV (1990, Famicom) inven

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

ドラゴンクエストIV 導かれし者たち

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1990

Released on February 11, 1990, Dragon Quest IV was the final and most ambitious Dragon Quest on the Famicom. Its revolut…

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Nasir Gebelli's airship code was so intricate, nobody could port it for 16 years. Final Fantasy III (1990, Famicom) — Japan-o Uncommon

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Final Fantasy III

ファイナルファンタジーIII

Role-Playing Game · 1990

Final Fantasy III, released in Japan in April 1990, introduced the Job System — the ability for players to freely change…

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Active Time Battle began when a developer fell asleep mid-fight. Final Fantasy IV (1991, Super Famicom) — Cecil's dark knight

Super Famicom / SNES

Final Fantasy IV

ファイナルファンタジーIV

RPG · 1991

Released in 1991 as the first Final Fantasy on Super Famicom hardware, Final Fantasy IV introduced the Active Time Battl…

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Square borrowed the Final Fantasy name just to get it released. Seiken Densetsu (1991, Game Boy) — the game inside launched t Uncommon

Game Boy

Final Fantasy Adventure

聖剣伝説 〜ファイナルファンタジー外伝〜

Action RPG · 1991

Final Fantasy Adventure is the 1991 Game Boy game that launched the entire Mana franchise — though at the time it was ma…

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Final Fantasy Legend III (Sa·Ga 3: Jikuu no Hasha) for Game Boy (1991) — Square's epic time-travelling RPG with music by Ryuj Uncommon

Game Boy

Final Fantasy Legend III

Sa・Ga 3 時空の覇者

RPG · 1991

The third and final SaGa title for Game Boy, released in Japan in December 1991 as Sa·Ga 3: Jikuu no Hasha — Ruler of Ti…

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PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys

イースIII ワンダラーズ フロム イース

Action-RPG · 1991

Originally released for PC-8801 in 1989, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys received its definitive home version on PC Engine CD-…

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Four people built it in a studio less than a year old. Shining in the Darkness (Mega Drive, 1991) — the first Shining game, a

Sega Mega Drive / Genesis

Shining in the Darkness

シャイニング&ザ・ダクネス

RPG / Dungeon Crawler · 1991

Shining in the Darkness (1991) is the origin of Sega's long-running Shining series — a first-person 3D dungeon RPG devel…

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500 million yen development budget in 1992 — possibly history first AAA game. Tengai Makyou II (PC Engine, Japan-only), score Uncommon

PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16

Tengai Makyou II: Manjimaru

天外魔境II 卍MARU

Role-playing game · 1992

Tengai Makyou II: Manjimaru (1992) is the most ambitious RPG ever produced for the PC Engine, and by some measures one o…

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Western players waited 16 years for this one. Dragon Quest V (1992, Super Famicom) — Japan-only RPG whose monster system dire

Super Famicom / SNES

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride

ドラゴンクエストV 天空の花嫁

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1992

Released on September 27, 1992, Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride is widely regarded as one of the most emotion…

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Atlus set the final boss of an SFC RPG as God himself, in 1992. Shin Megami Tensei — Japan-only — is the ancestor of every Pe Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Shin Megami Tensei

真・女神転生

Role-playing game (RPG) · 1992

Released on October 30, 1992, Shin Megami Tensei for Super Famicom is the game that established Atlus as a developer of …

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Publishers held it from the West for 7 years — too complex. Final Fantasy V (1992, Super Famicom) — Japan-only; 22 jobs that Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Final Fantasy V

ファイナルファンタジーV

Role-playing · 1992

Final Fantasy V is the 1992 Super Famicom RPG that never reached Western players in its era — Japan-exclusive until the …

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Kill an enemy, free a soul, watch a villager reappear. Soul Blazer (1992, Super Famicom) — a king sold his subjects to a demo Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Soul Blazer

ソウルブレイダー

Action RPG · 1992

The first entry in Quintet's World Trilogy — the series that would conclude with Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma — Soul …

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Developed without knowing Fire Emblem existed. Shining Force (1992, Mega Drive) — the grid RPG that defined the tactical genr Uncommon

Sega Mega Drive / Genesis

Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention

シャイニング・フォース 神々の遺産

Tactical RPG · 1992

The game that defined tactical RPG gaming in the West, Shining Force arrived on Mega Drive in March 1992 as the second e…

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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

Fire Emblem Gaiden

ファイアーエムブレム外伝

Tactical-RPG · 1992

Released in March 1992, Fire Emblem Gaiden is the second Fire Emblem game and a direct departure from the first — a Japa…

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Super Famicom / SNES

Romancing SaGa

ロマンシング サ・ガ

RPG · 1992

Released in January 1992, Romancing SaGa was Square's declaration that RPGs did not have to follow a single story in ord…

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At ¥8,800, one of the priciest Mega Drive games ever. Phantasy Star IV (1993) concludes a saga begun in 1987 — worth every ye Uncommon

Sega Mega Drive / Genesis

Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium

ファンタシースターIV 千年紀の終わりに

Role-playing game · 1993

Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (1993) is the conclusion to the original Phantasy Star saga — a science-fant…

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Mega Drive sequel Western players rank above the original. Shining Force II (1993) — bigger overworld, 30+ recruits, the Shin Uncommon

Sega Mega Drive / Genesis

Shining Force II

シャイニング・フォースII 古えの封印

シミュレーションRPG · 1993

Released in Japan on October 1, 1993, Shining Force II built on the tactical RPG formula of its predecessor with a large…

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Nintendo-Sony's CD deal collapsed. Square rebuilt Secret of Mana (1993, Super Famicom) for cartridge, cutting 40% — what surv

Super Famicom / SNES

Secret of Mana

聖剣伝説2

Action RPG · 1993

Released in 1993, Secret of Mana introduced seamless real-time combat with a 'Ring Menu' system, three-player co-op via …

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Subtitle named after a Queen song, score by a pre-famous Sakimoto. Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen (Super Famicom, 1993 Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen

伝説のオウガバトル

Real-Time Tactical RPG · 1993

Directed by Yasumi Matsuno — who would go on to create Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story — Ogre Battle: The March …

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Falcom licensed Ys IV to two studios at once — two different games, both official. Dawn of Ys (1993, PC Engine, Hudson) has f Uncommon

PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16

Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys

イースIV ザ・ドーン・オブ・イース

Action RPG · 1993

Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys is the PC Engine Super CD-ROM² exclusive entry in Falcom's celebrated action RPG series — a title …

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Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Romancing SaGa 2

ロマンシング サ・ガ2

Role-Playing Game · 1993

Romancing SaGa 2, released in December 1993, is defined by its generational succession system: the player does not contr…

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Yoko Shimomura composed this before leaving Capcom for Square. Breath of Fire (Super Famicom, 1993) — Capcom's first RPG, Nor

Super Famicom / SNES

Breath of Fire

ブレス オブ ファイアー 竜の戦士

RPG · 1993

Released in April 1993, Breath of Fire was Capcom's first original RPG — a genre the arcade giant had never attempted be…

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Neverland's debut RPG showed its ending in the prologue. Lufia & the Fortress of Doom (1993, Super Famicom) — puzzle dungeons

Super Famicom / SNES

Lufia & the Fortress of Doom

エストポリス伝記

RPG · 1993

Released in June 1993, Estpolis Denki — known in the West as Lufia & the Fortress of Doom — was the debut RPG from devel…

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Kefka wins mid-game — destroys the world, story continues in the ruins. Final Fantasy VI (1994, Super Famicom). 14 characters Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Final Fantasy VI

ファイナルファンタジーVI

Role-playing · 1994

Final Fantasy VI is widely considered the finest entry in the Final Fantasy series and one of the greatest RPGs ever mad…

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Satoru Iwata rewrote the entire engine in weeks and rescued it. MOTHER2 / EarthBound (Super Famicom, 1994) almost never shipp Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

EarthBound

MOTHER2 ギーグの逆襲

RPG · 1994

Released in Japan on August 27, 1994, MOTHER2 / EarthBound is an RPG unlike any other — set in a modern American-styled …

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Square's 1994 Super Famicom RPG across seven eras — the prehistoric chapter has zero dialogue. Japan-only for 28 years. Live Rare

Super Famicom / SNES

Live A Live

ライブ・ア・ライブ

RPG · 1994

Released in 1994, Live A Live is one of Square's most experimental RPGs — seven self-contained scenarios set across radi…

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Yuzo Koshiro composed using only the FM chip — zero PCM samples. Beyond Oasis (1994, Mega Drive) is the purest FM soundtrack Uncommon

Sega Mega Drive / Genesis

Beyond Oasis

ザ・ストーリー・オブ・トア ~光を継ぐ者~

Action RPG · 1994

Released in Japan on December 9, 1994, The Story of Thor (Beyond Oasis in North America) is an action RPG developed by A…

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The North American translation was so bad fans retranslated it in 1999. Breath of Fire II (SFC, 1994) — Capcom RPG with a hid

Super Famicom / SNES

Breath of Fire II

ブレス オブ ファイア II 使命の子

RPG · 1994

Breath of Fire II (1994) is Capcom's deepening of their Super Famicom RPG series — a story of Ryu, a young dragon-bloode…

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YHVH — God of the Abrahamic traditions — sits in the final boss slot. Shin Megami Tensei II (Super Famicom, 1994) asks if you Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Shin Megami Tensei II

真・女神転生II

RPG · 1994

Shin Megami Tensei II is a 1994 Super Famicom RPG set in a domed city called Center, built over the ruins of Tokyo after…

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Mitsuda composed until he developed a stomach ulcer. Chrono Trigger (1995, Super Famicom) — Sakaguchi, Horii, and Toriyama's Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Chrono Trigger

クロノトリガー

Role-playing · 1995

Chrono Trigger is the Super Famicom RPG most frequently named on "greatest games" lists. Created by a "Dream Team" of Hi…

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Matsuno wrote the entire scenario alone. Tactics Ogre (1995, Super Famicom) — Japan-only tactical RPG where every faction bel Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

タクティクスオウガ

Tactical RPG · 1995

Released in 1995, Tactics Ogre is the pinnacle of tactical RPG storytelling. Created by Yasumi Matsuno — the mind behind…

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Japan's best-selling game of 1995, released on the old hardware as PlayStation launched. Dragon Quest VI (Super Famicom) — Ja

Super Famicom / SNES

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation

ドラゴンクエストVI 幻の大地

Role-Playing Game · 1995

Released in December 1995, Dragon Quest VI was the series' swan song on the Super Famicom and its most ambitious chapter…

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Seiken Densetsu 3 (1995) for Super Famicom — Square's Japan-only Mana sequel with 6 heroes, branching story paths, and Hiroki Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Seiken Densetsu 3

聖剣伝説3

Action RPG · 1995

Seiken Densetsu 3 (1995) is one of the finest action RPGs on the Super Famicom and among the most accomplished Japan-onl…

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Vocal singing on a 16-bit cartridge — no Super Famicom game had done it before. Tales of Phantasia (1995) launched the Tales Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Tales of Phantasia

テイルズ オブ ファンタジア

Action RPG · 1995

Tales of Phantasia (1995) is the origin of one of JRPG's most enduring franchises — the Tales series — and arrived as th…

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Miss the recruit window and that character is gone forever. Suikoden (PlayStation, 1995) — 108 Stars, only the full set unloc Uncommon

PlayStation

Suikoden

幻想水滸伝

RPG · 1995

Suikoden (1995) is one of the PlayStation's most distinctive RPGs — a fast-loading, quick-battle system with 108 recruit…

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Yuzo Koshiro scored a lab section uncredited. Terranigma (Super Famicom, 1995) — Quintet built a world from scratch. Never re Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Terranigma

天地創造

Action RPG · 1995

The final entry in Quintet's informal World Trilogy — following Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia — Terranigma is an acti…

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Square's director was told not to make a mech game. He built a prototype in secret. Front Mission (1995, SFC) — tactics RPG s Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Front Mission

フロントミッション

Tactical RPG · 1995

The first entry in Square's long-running tactical mecha franchise, Front Mission is set in 2090 on the contested island …

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Opens with its own ending — hero dies in the prologue, then asks you to spend 40 hours learning why. Lufia II (1995, Super Fa Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

エストポリス伝記II

RPG · 1995

Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (1995) is both a prequel to the original Lufia and one of the most acclaimed RPGs on th…

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Mew was added without the director's knowledge, hidden for a future event players discovered first. Pokémon Red & Green (1996 Uncommon

Game Boy

Pokémon Red and Green

ポケットモンスター 赤・緑

Role-playing / Monster collection · 1996

Pokémon Red and Green launched in Japan on February 27, 1996, after six years of development by Game Freak and creator S…

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Choosing silence in Sakura Wars weakened your team in battle. Sega's 1996 Saturn tactical RPG made timed dialogue a combat me Uncommon

Sega Saturn

Sakura Wars

サクラ大戦

Tactical RPG / Visual novel · 1996

Sakura Wars is a 1996 Sega Saturn exclusive that blended tactical RPG combat with visual novel-style relationship mechan…

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The lead developer vanished in 1995 and J-Force went bankrupt mid-project. Sega finished Dragon Force (Saturn, 1996) — EGM Sa Uncommon

Sega Saturn

Dragon Force

ドラゴンフォース

Strategy RPG · 1996

Dragon Force (1996) is a Sega Saturn strategy RPG in which eight rulers of the continent of Legendra vie for dominance —…

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Yoko Shimomura scored this while finishing Street Fighter II at Capcom. Super Mario RPG (SFC, 1996) — Nintendo and Square's l Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

スーパーマリオRPG

RPG · 1996

Released in 1996, Super Mario RPG was the unexpected result of a collaboration between Nintendo and Square — the studio …

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The harmonica motif was copied from Ennio Morricone. Wild Arms (1996, PlayStation) — a JRPG set on a dying frontier planet, b

PlayStation

Wild Arms

ワイルドアームズ

RPG · 1996

Released in 1996, Wild Arms blended the JRPG genre with a Western frontier aesthetic — gunslingers, deserts, ruins, and …

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Square's Kazushige Nojima directed this before Final Fantasy VII. Bahamut Lagoon (1996, Super Famicom) stayed Japan-only for Uncommon

Super Famicom / SNES

Bahamut Lagoon

バハムートラグーン

Tactical RPG · 1996

Bahamut Lagoon (1996) is one of Square's most overlooked gems — a tactical RPG set in a world of floating islands where …

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Motoi Sakuraba's debut in the Shining series, setting its sound identity. Holy Ark (1996, Saturn) — first-person dungeon RPG, Rare

Sega Saturn

Shining the Holy Ark

シャイニング・ザ・ホーリィアーク

Dungeon RPG · 1996

Shining the Holy Ark is the Saturn's spiritual heir to Shining in the Darkness — a first-person dungeon crawler RPG that…

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Chapter five wipes out most of your first-generation cast — permanently. Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (1996, Super

Super Famicom / SNES

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

ファイアーエムブレム 聖戦の系譜

Strategy RPG · 1996

Released in May 1996, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War is the most ambitious entry in the series that Intelligent …

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Uncommon

PlayStation

Revelations: Persona

女神異聞録ペルソナ

RPG · 1996

Released in September 1996, Megami Ibunroku Persona was the first game in what would become the Persona series — a spin-…

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PlayStation

Arc the Lad II

アークザラッド2

Strategy RPG · 1996

Released in November 1996, Arc the Lad II is the direct continuation of the original Arc the Lad — and one of the first …

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Game Arts remade the 1992 Sega CD classic as Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (1996, Saturn) — full voice acting, new score, Uncommon

Sega Saturn

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete

ルナ シルバースターストーリー コンプリート

RPG · 1996

Released on Sega Saturn in October 1996, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete is a full remake of the 1992 Sega CD classic,…

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Square asked Nintendo to switch to CDs. Nintendo refused. Final Fantasy VII (1997, PlayStation) — the defection that decided

PlayStation

Final Fantasy VII

ファイナルファンタジーVII

Role-playing game · 1997

Final Fantasy VII (1997) is the game whose development decision defined a console generation. Originally planned for the…

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Cancel an enemy spell mid-cast by hitting them at the right instant. Grandia (1997, Sega Saturn) — Game Arts RPG whose IP sys Uncommon

Sega Saturn

Grandia

グランディア

Role-playing game · 1997

Grandia is a 1997 role-playing game developed by Game Arts for the Sega Saturn — the studio's follow-up to the Lunar ser…

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Uncommon

Sega Saturn

Shining Force III

シャイニングフォースIII

Tactical RPG · 1997

Released in 1997, Shining Force III was Camelot Software Planning's final Shining game — and their most ambitious. Conce…

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Same month as Final Fantasy VII — June 1997. Matsuno's political RPG where Ramza wins the war but history records him as a he

PlayStation

Final Fantasy Tactics

ファイナルファンタジータクティクス

Tactical RPG / Strategy · 1997

Final Fantasy Tactics is the 1997 PlayStation tactical RPG directed by Yasumi Matsuno, set in the politically complex ki…

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Kamitani's studio collapsed in 1996. Atlus rescued the team and finished Princess Crown — Saturn 1997, Japan-only action RPG, Rare

Sega Saturn

Princess Crown

プリンセスクラウン

Action RPG · 1997

Princess Crown (1997) is the Sega Saturn action RPG that served as the creative origin of Vanillaware — the studio that …

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Jazz piano in a fantasy RPG — Capcom's deliberate call. Breath of Fire III (PS1, 1997) — 3D environments, hand-drawn sprites,

PlayStation

Breath of Fire III

ブレス オブ ファイアIII

Role-Playing Game · 1997

Breath of Fire III, released in September 1997, was the first entry in the franchise to use three-dimensional environmen…

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PlayStation

SaGa Frontier

サガ フロンティア

RPG · 1997

Released in July 1997, SaGa Frontier is the seventh entry in Square's SaGa series and its PlayStation debut. The game of…

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Uncommon

Sega Saturn

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers

デビルサマナー ソウルハッカーズ

RPG / Dungeon Crawler · 1997

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is a 1997 Sega Saturn RPG set in the fictional near-future city of Amami City, where a grou…

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Released in Japan a full month before the Game Boy Color existed. Dragon Warrior Monsters (1998, GBC) — Terry's Wonderland, 2 Uncommon

Game Boy Color

Dragon Warrior Monsters

ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ テリーのワンダーランド

Monster-Collecting RPG · 1998

Dragon Warrior Monsters — known in Japan as Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland — is a monster-collecting RPG rele…

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Source code is lost — a remaster is impossible. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn, 1998) earned perfect scores, shipped ~6,000 copi Very Rare

Sega Saturn

Panzer Dragoon Saga

AZEL -パンツァードラグーン RPG-

RPG · 1998

Released in Japan on January 29, 1998, Panzer Dragoon Saga is the most celebrated — and most elusive — game in the Panze…

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Masuda composed the whole soundtrack on a home Commodore Amiga and wrote his own porting tool. Pokémon Yellow (1998, Game Boy

Game Boy

Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition

ポケットモンスター ピカチュウ

RPG · 1998

Released in Japan on September 12, 1998, Pokémon Yellow was created directly in response to the explosive success of the…

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Rejected as too dark for Final Fantasy VII. Budget ran out before disc two was done. Xenogears (1998, PlayStation) — Square's

PlayStation

Xenogears

ゼノギアス

Role-Playing Game · 1998

Released in 1998, Xenogears is one of the most narratively ambitious games Square ever produced. Weaving philosophy, psy…

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Rare

PlayStation

Suikoden II

幻想水滸伝II

Role-Playing Game · 1998

Released in 1998, Suikoden II is the most beloved entry in the Suikoden series and is regularly cited among the greatest…

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Kohei Tanaka — One Piece, Dragon Ball Z — composed the score. Dragon Force II (Saturn, 1998) is Japan-only and considered dee Uncommon

Sega Saturn

Dragon Force II: Kamisarishi Daichi ni

ドラゴンフォースⅡ 神去りし大地に

Strategy RPG · 1998

Released in April 1998, Dragon Force II: Kamisarishi Daichi ni is the sequel to one of the Saturn's defining strategy RP…

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Beat the Elite Four and it keeps going — Kanto waits, and Red stands silent at Mt. Silver. Pokémon Gold/Silver (1999, Game Bo

Game Boy Color

Pokémon Gold Version / Silver Version

ポケットモンスター 金・銀

RPG · 1999

Pokémon Gold and Silver are the definitive Game Boy Color games — the titles that proved the platform could sustain the …

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Built by tri-Ace and released at the very end of the PlayStation era. Valkyrie Profile (1999, tri-Ace) — Lenneth collects fal Uncommon

PlayStation

Valkyrie Profile

ヴァルキリープロファイル

Role-Playing Game · 1999

Released in 1999, Valkyrie Profile placed players in the role of Lenneth, a Valkyrie collecting the souls of fallen warr…

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Japan got a 42-Pokémon Stadium in 1998 that never left. Pokémon Stadium (1999, Nintendo 64) was the world's first look at all

Nintendo 64

Pokémon Stadium

ポケモンスタジアム2

Strategy · 1999

Released in 1999, Pokémon Stadium brought all 151 original Pokémon to Nintendo 64 in fully animated 3D battles for the f…

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Yasunori Mitsuda says Chrono Cross is the score he is most proud of — more than Chrono Trigger. PlayStation, 1999. Over 40 pl

PlayStation

Chrono Cross

クロノ・クロス

RPG · 1999

Released in 1999, Chrono Cross is the successor to Chrono Trigger — a game that redefined expectations so completely tha…

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Faye Wong's 'Eyes on Me' was the first pop song commissioned for mainline Final Fantasy. Square's 1999 PlayStation RPG sold 8

PlayStation

Final Fantasy VIII

ファイナルファンタジーVIII

RPG · 1999

Final Fantasy VIII is the 1999 Square RPG, the direct successor to Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation. Players control Squ…

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Matsuno had already left for Square before this shipped. Ogre Battle 64 (1999, N64) — one of few serious tactical RPGs on the Uncommon

Nintendo 64

Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber

オウガバトル64 Person of Lordly Caliber

Real-Time Tactical RPG · 1999

The direct follow-up to Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen on Super Famicom, Ogre Battle 64 continues the Ogre Ba…

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Capcom cancelled the PS1 port. Both D&D arcade games — one Saturn disc, the only home version ever made. Japan-only. Requires Rare

Sega Saturn

Dungeons & Dragons Collection

ダンジョンズ&ドラゴンズ コレクション

Beat'em Up / Action RPG · 1999

Dungeons & Dragons Collection is a two-disc 1999 Sega Saturn compilation released exclusively in Japan, containing Capco…

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Before the West knew Shin Megami Tensei, Atlus used the Revelations brand to sneak it in. Last Bible (1999, GBC) was the brid Uncommon

Game Boy Color

Revelations: The Demon Slayer

女神転生外伝 ラストバイブル

RPG · 1999

Revelations: The Demon Slayer is the 1999 Game Boy Color re-release of Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible, a 1992 RPG orig…

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North American cartridge reportedly hides a Pikachu sprite in its data. Dragon Quest I+II (1999, GBC) packs two JRPG classics Uncommon

Game Boy Color

Dragon Quest I+II

ドラゴンクエストI・II

Role-Playing Game · 1999

Dragon Quest I+II for Game Boy Color packages remakes of both Dragon Quest I and Dragon Quest II in a single cartridge. …

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Uncommon

PlayStation

The Legend of Dragoon

ザ・レジェンド・オブ・ドラグーン

Role-Playing Game · 1999

The Legend of Dragoon, released in December 1999, was Sony Computer Entertainment's most ambitious first-party RPG of th…

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PlayStation

Legend of Mana

聖剣伝説 Legend of Mana

Action RPG · 1999

Released in July 1999, Legend of Mana is the fourth entry in Square's Mana series and the most experimental game the fra…

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Karen would permanently leave the village if you ignored her. Harvest Moon 64 (N64, 1999) — farming RPG with 3D seasons and r

Nintendo 64

Harvest Moon 64

牧場物語2

Farming Simulation / RPG · 1999

Released in February 1999, Harvest Moon 64 was the Nintendo 64 debut of Victor Interactive Software's farming simulation…

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North America got Eternal Punishment but not Innocent Sin — leaving Persona 2 as a sequel whose first chapter was locked away Uncommon

PlayStation

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

ペルソナ2 罰

RPG · 1999

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is the second half of the Persona 2 story, released in December 1999 in Japan and in Septe…

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Uncommon

PlayStation

Persona 2: Innocent Sin

ペルソナ2 罪

RPG · 1999

Persona 2: Innocent Sin is a 1999 PlayStation RPG in which rumors spread through the fictional city of Sumaru City and p…

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Uncommon

Nintendo 64

Hybrid Heaven

ハイブリッドヘブン

Action RPG · 1999

Hybrid Heaven is an action RPG developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka for Nintendo 64, released in Japan on Au…

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First Pokémon game to offer a female protagonist. Crystal (2000, Game Boy Color) also will not boot on original Game Boy — GB Uncommon

Game Boy Color

Pokémon Crystal Version

ポケットモンスター クリスタルバージョン

RPG · 2000

Pokémon Crystal is the third and final entry in the second generation of the Pokémon series — an enhanced version of Gol…

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Originally conceived around trains, not airships. Eternal Arcadia (2000, Dreamcast) — Overworks' sky-pirate JRPG, beloved wor Rare

Dreamcast

Skies of Arcadia

エターナルアルカディア

RPG · 2000

Skies of Arcadia (2000), known in Japan as Eternal Arcadia, is a turn-based JRPG set in a world of floating continents a…

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Only PlayStation game ever to score a perfect Famitsu 40/40 — yet it sold modestly at launch. Vagrant Story (2000) — Matsuno' Uncommon

PlayStation

Vagrant Story

ベイグラントストーリー

Action RPG · 2000

Vagrant Story (2000) is an action RPG developed and published by Square, directed, produced, written, and designed by Ya…

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Started as Super Mario RPG 2 before Square left Nintendo. Paper Mario / マリオストーリー (2000, N64) spent 18 months finding its pape

Nintendo 64

Paper Mario

マリオストーリー

RPG · 2000

Paper Mario (2000) — known in Japan as Mario Story — is a Nintendo 64 turn-based RPG developed by Intelligent Systems, p…

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The first online RPG on a home console. Phantasy Star Online (2000, Dreamcast) ran on dial-up modems — and fan servers still

Dreamcast

Phantasy Star Online

ファンタシースターオンライン

Online Action RPG · 2000

Released in 2000, Phantasy Star Online was a watershed moment in gaming history: the first true online RPG on a home con…

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Uematsu wrote 160 tracks and called it his favourite. Final Fantasy IX (2000, PlayStation) — a return to swords and crystals

PlayStation

Final Fantasy IX

ファイナルファンタジーIX

RPG · 2000

Released in 2000, Final Fantasy IX was the series' deliberate return to its roots — a response to the urban, technologic…

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Uncommon

Dreamcast

Grandia II

グランディア II

RPG · 2000

Released in 2000, Grandia II refined the series' beloved battle system — already celebrated in the original Saturn and P…

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Only the GBC version has Xenlon — a dragon boss who grants wishes. Dragon Quest III (2000, GBC), remake of the RPG that empti Uncommon

Game Boy Color

Dragon Quest III

ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ…

Role-Playing Game · 2000

Dragon Quest III for Game Boy Color is widely regarded as the definitive version of what many fans consider the finest e…

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Dragon Quest VII (PS1, 2000) holds no battles for its first 3–5 hours — a bold choice by Yuji Horii. Japan's best-selling PS1

PlayStation

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past

ドラゴンクエストVII エデンの戦士たち

Role-Playing Game · 2000

Released in Japan on August 26, 2000, Dragon Quest VII: Warriors of Eden is one of the defining RPGs of the PlayStation …

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Rare

Game Boy Color

Keitai Denjuu Telefang

携帯電獣テレファング

Role-Playing Game · 2000

Keitai Denjuu Telefang is a monster-collecting RPG released on Game Boy Color in Japan on November 3, 2000, in two simul…

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Released the same week as the Game Boy Advance, Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 (GBC, 2001) still hit #1 in Japan. Monster breeding Uncommon

Game Boy Color

Dragon Warrior Monsters 2

ドラゴンクエストモンスターズ2 マルタのふしぎな鍵

Role-playing / Monster-raising · 2001

Dragon Quest Monsters 2 is the 2001 GBC sequel to the monster-raising RPG that introduced the series to Game Boy players…

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Lufia: The Legend Returns for Game Boy Color (2001) — Neverland's RPG with the beloved roguelike Ancient Cave mode. Uncommon

Game Boy Color

Lufia: The Legend Returns

エストポリス伝記 よみがえる伝説

RPG · 2001

The first Lufia game on a handheld, released for Game Boy Color in September 2001 — just months after the Game Boy Advan…

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GBA was already on sale when tri-Ace built this sequel. Blue Sphere (GBC, 2001) — Japan-only Star Ocean continuation, all ten Rare

Game Boy Color

Star Ocean: Blue Sphere

スターオーシャン ブルースフィア

Action RPG · 2001

Star Ocean: Blue Sphere is a 2001 action RPG developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix exclusively for the Game Boy Col…

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Released in North America before Japan — unusual for any Bandai title. DBZ: Legendary Super Warriors (GBC, 2002) — 100+ chara Uncommon

Game Boy Color

Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors

ドラゴンボールZ 伝説の超戦士たち

Role-playing game / Card battle · 2002

Released in North America on June 30, 2002 and in Japan on August 9, 2002, Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors is a …

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Rare

Nintendo GameCube

Skies of Arcadia Legends

エターナルアルカディア レジェンド

JRPG · 2002

Skies of Arcadia Legends is the enhanced GameCube port of the 2000 Dreamcast JRPG, produced by Rieko Kodama (Phantasy St…

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13 Tales games came before it. None broke through in the West. Tales of Symphonia (2003, GameCube) changed that — shipping on

Nintendo GameCube

Tales of Symphonia

テイルズ オブ シンフォニア

Action RPG · 2003

Released in 2003, Tales of Symphonia became the breakout RPG of the GameCube era — introducing many Western players to t…

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Cards age in real time — a lit torch burns down mid-battle. Baten Kaitos (2003, GameCube) was Monolith Soft's JRPG with a liv Uncommon

Nintendo GameCube

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean

バテン・カイトス 終わらない翼と失われた海

RPG / Card Battle · 2003

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (2003) is one of the GameCube's most distinctive RPGs — a card-based comb…

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No random wild Pokémon encounters — every Pokémon must be stolen from a trainer. Pokémon Colosseum (2003, GameCube) went dark

Nintendo GameCube

Pokémon Colosseum

ポケモンコロシアム

RPG · 2003

Released in 2003, Pokémon Colosseum was the first full RPG adventure in the mainline Pokémon tradition on home console h…

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Victor Interactive made this as their farewell before the merger. Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life (GameCube, 2003) — your char

Nintendo GameCube

Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life

牧場物語〜ワンダフルライフ

Farming Simulation / Life Sim · 2003

Released in September 2003, Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is the most emotionally ambitious entry in the series — a gam…

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Fans asked for the remake for 18 years. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GameCube, 2004) — RPG with live audience battles Uncommon

Nintendo GameCube

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

ペーパーマリオRPG

RPG / Adventure · 2004

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the 2004 GameCube RPG developed by Intelligent Systems and the second entry in th…

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Original GameCube copies now sell for hundreds. Path of Radiance (2005) — too few made, too many wanted it. Ike, first in 3D. Rare

Nintendo GameCube

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

ファイアーエムブレム 蒼炎の軌跡

Tactical RPG / Strategy · 2005

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is the 2005 GameCube tactical RPG developed by Intelligent Systems — the first entry in th…

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Uncommon

Nintendo GameCube

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

ポケモンXD 闇の旋風ダーク・ルギア

RPG · 2005

Released in 2005, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is a direct sequel to Pokémon Colosseum set five years later in the same …

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