Role-Playing Worlds

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

121 games in this room

Famicom, August 6 1985, Japan only. Sixty floors, one hidden trigger each — miss the one on floor twelve and you can climb tw

Family Computer (Famicom) / NES

The Tower of Druaga

ドルアーガの塔

Action RPG / Puzzle Action · 1985

Namco put The Tower of Druaga on the Famicom on August 6, 1985. The tower has sixty floors, and on each floor exactly on…

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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

You are a king who cannot fight. What you can do is throw an egg. Something hatches, walks off across a map where the cl…

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Chocobo was nearly cut — Sakaguchi originally rejected it. Final Fantasy II (1988, Famicom) — Japan-only; party members die f 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

Yuzo Koshiro was nineteen when he wrote the music for Ys on a Japanese home computer in 1987. He had left Nihon Falcom b…

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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

MOTHER went on sale on July 27, 1989. Ape Inc. made it, and it runs on the Famicom. Shigesato Itoi wrote all of its text…

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Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri cited this as the reason he made games for Game Boy. Square's first million-seller — Makai Tou 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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Walk through dungeons, lead two armies at once. Fire Emblem Gaiden (1992, Famicom) — Japan-only sequel that broke all the rul

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 reached Japanese stores on April 2, 1994, carrying fourteen playable characters. Nobuo Uematsu wrote a …

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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

Ayano Koshiro went to see Disney's Aladdin, came home wanting to make something that felt like it, and started drawing. …

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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

Estpolis Denki II (1995), known in the West as Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, opens by showing you its own ending, 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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Shoji Meguro's debut composition. Atlus put Jungian psychology into a 1996 PlayStation RPG — and called it Persona. Every seq 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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Save data from Arc the Lad I carries into the sequel — one of the first RPGs to use transfer as a narrative device. Arc the L

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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Printed in such small numbers that NA copies sold for hundreds of dollars. Suikoden II (PS1, 1998) — 108 recruitable characte 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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World map starts blank — you place artifacts to build it. Legend of Mana (1999, PlayStation) — Square's most experimental RPG

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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Rare

Dreamcast

Segagaga

セガガガ

RPG / Simulation · 2001

Segagaga is a game about Sega losing. You play a boy recruited to save a games company down to 3% market share, and you …

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Twenty-seven fighters inside a Game Boy Color cartridge, and the card numbers stop at 27. Banpresto's Dragon Ball Z card batt 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

Card battle (official) / Role-playing game · 2002

Twenty-seven fighters are in here — and “here” means a Game Boy Color cartridge. Flight-Plan built it, Banpresto put it …

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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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Shadow Lugia was engineered to be permanently uncorruptible. Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness (2005, GameCube) asks: what if no o 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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