About this game
Released in 1990, ActRaiser blended two genres no one had dared combine: brutal side-scrolling action and city-building simulation. Players alternated between battling monsters as a godlike warrior and guiding villagers to reclaim the world from evil as a deity. Yuzo Koshiro's orchestral soundtrack — widely considered one of the finest ever written for the Super Famicom — elevated the entire experience into something transcendent.
Key Features
Dual gameplay: side-scrolling action stages where players directly control a warrior statue, and overhead city-building sections where players guide villagers, sow fields, and fight demons via angelic archery. The two modes are narratively interconnected.
The Story Behind
ActRaiser launched alongside the Super Famicom in its first holiday season and immediately signaled that the new hardware was capable of something genuinely new. Its genre-blending ambition was ahead of its time, and Koshiro's use of the SPC-700 sound chip set a benchmark that few later titles matched.
Tricks & Tales
Composer Yuzo Koshiro has described the ActRaiser soundtrack as one of his personal favorites. The SPC-700 sound chip was notoriously difficult to program, and Koshiro's mastery of it on an early SNES title was considered remarkable by contemporaries.
Collector's Guide
Available in our shop
Hand-cleaned and tested units shipped worldwide from Toyohashi, Japan. HP direct purchase exclusive: we include a printed shop owner's note card with every order.
Direct purchase supports this museum directly. eBay Top Rated Seller · 1,750+ reviews · 100% positive feedback.
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