A Mega Drive action RPG with fluid combat and four elemental spirits. Drawn by Ayano Koshiro at her family's studio.
Beyond Oasis — The Story of Thor in Japan — came from Ancient, the studio the Koshiro family started in April 1990: Yuzo, his sister Ayano, and their mother Tomo, who ran it. It went on sale for the Mega Drive on December 9, 1994; in North America the machine was called the Genesis. Ayano drew it; Yuzo produced it and wrote the score. The action was fluid for 16-bit hardware, with a rolling dodge and attack combos. The dungeon design and world exploration drew comparisons to The Legend of Zelda.
About this game
Ayano Koshiro went to see Disney's Aladdin, came home wanting to make something that felt like it, and started drawing. “I put the things I liked into my games,” she says. What she drew was Prince Ali: he finds a gold armlet that draws four spirits out of the scenery itself — Dytto from water, Efreet from fire, Bow from plants, Shade from shadow — and has to reach a second armlet before a sorcerer does. These days Ayano Koshiro handles the finances. She is still at Ancient.
Key Features
Four elemental spirits are summoned by touching corresponding elements in the environment — water pools, fire sources, plants, shadows — and each has distinct attack patterns and utility. Ali fights with a short sword, and combat is real-time and physical. Shops sell upgrades, towns provide story context. Unlike most action RPGs of the era, there is no random encounter system — all enemies are visible and engaged in real-time. The game rewards exploration: secret rooms hide powerful items and upgrades that dramatically change how Ali fights.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Yuzo Koshiro had written the music for Streets of Rage 2 two years earlier. Beyond Oasis was the first game his family's studio both designed and scored by itself, and it reached shops on December 9, 1994 — seventeen days after Sega had launched the Saturn in Japan.
Tricks & Tales
Yuzo Koshiro, founder of Ancient, composed all the music for Beyond Oasis using the Mega Drive's Yamaha YM2612 FM synthesis chip — and specifically avoided PCM sample data to stay purely within the chip's capabilities, achieving a warmth and depth that many listeners consider the finest FM soundtrack ever produced for the hardware. A sequel, Beyond Oasis 2 (Legend of Oasis), was released for Sega Saturn in 1996. Ali's running cycle was animated frame by frame rather than reused from a template.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released as The Story of Thor in Japan (December 1994) and Europe (1995), and as Beyond Oasis in North America (March 1995). All versions are the same game with localized text and regional packaging.
Maintenance Tips
Standard Mega Drive cartridge with no battery backup. Clean the edge connector with isopropyl alcohol. The game is less common than many Mega Drive titles and draws collector attention for its connection to Yuzo Koshiro and Ancient.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Beyond Oasis copies regularly.
Will a Japanese Mega Drive cartridge work on a North American Sega Genesis or European Mega Drive?
Not directly. Japanese Mega Drive and North American Genesis cartridges have different physical notch positions, preventing direct insertion without a pin adapter. The console also enforces regional settings in hardware — a Japanese cartridge on a Western console will often lock up or refuse to boot without modification. Playing Japanese Mega Drive software is most reliably done on a Japanese Mega Drive. Region adapters and mod chips exist for those wishing to run imports on Western hardware.
How should I clean a Mega Drive cartridge?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and wipe the gold-plated edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. Most Mega Drive cartridges use standard Phillips screws if the shell needs opening for deeper cleaning. Clean the console's slot separately — oxidized slot contacts are a common cause of boot failure on Mega Drive hardware.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Beyond Oasis
A short checklist for buying a used Mega Drive cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese Mega Drive cartridge; it differs in shape and region from the North American Genesis and may need a matching console or adapter.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Beyond Oasis sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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