They took away your party — and gave you Yasuhiko's.
Every other version of Might and Magic let you build your own adventurers from scratch — name them, choose their class, shape their journey. The PC Engine port said no. You would play with six characters already made: names assigned, faces drawn, stories half-told before you touched the controller.
— inspired by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
About this game
Jon Van Caneghem spent three years programming the Apple II original. On January 24, 1992, five and a half years after he finished it, NEC Avenue put the game on a CD-ROM² disc sold only in Japan. There was no party to build. Six adventurers were already waiting, named, their faces drawn by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, the character designer of Mobile Suit Gundam and Arion. The opening ran as full animation, with voices. A single encounter could put more than ten enemies in front of those six.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Originally released for Apple II on June 1, 1986, the game was programmed by Jon Van Caneghem over a three-year development period. The PC Engine CD-ROM² version was released exclusively in Japan on January 24, 1992, published by NEC Avenue. Unlike other ports, it featured a fixed party of six pre-set characters instead of custom party creation, with character design by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and a fully animated, voiced opening cutscene.
Tricks & Tales
Every character was redrawn in Yasuhiko's anime style. The PC Engine version was the last port of the game, and the most heavily reworked.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The PC Engine (Japan) and TurboGrafx-16 (North America) share the same physical HuCard slot shape but are not compatible with each other's software. NEC deliberately reversed the data bus wiring between the two regions: data pin D0 on the PC Engine corresponds to D7 on the TurboGrafx-16, and so on through all eight lines. Beyond the hardware wiring difference, most North American HuCards contain region-checking code that detects a Japanese console and immediately crashes. Converters that electrically flip the data bus do exist and allow cross-region play. CD-ROM² discs themselves carry no region protection and play freely on both systems—however, the System Cards required to boot CD software are region-locked in the same way as HuCards, so a Japanese System Card cannot be used in a TurboGrafx-16 and vice versa.
Maintenance Tips
HuCard contacts are the most common maintenance point on the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16. The card's edge connector oxidizes over decades of storage, causing failure-to-read and graphical glitches. Cleaning with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab—gently wiping the gold contacts on the card itself—resolves most contact issues; stubborn oxidation responds to dedicated contact cleaners such as DeoxIT. Never blow into the card slot with your mouth, as moisture accelerates the very corrosion you are trying to remove. On systems equipped with the CD-ROM² or Super CD-ROM² add-on, the optical drive is subject to the same age-related laser and sled degradation seen in any CD system of that era; the laser assembly uses a KSS-220a-type unit on the Super CD-ROM² and replacement parts remain available.
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 Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum copies regularly.
Will a PC Engine CD game still save my progress?
PC Engine CD games save to the console's internal memory, not to the disc. That memory is kept alive by a CR2032 coin battery inside the console itself — not inside the game disc. The battery was built to last several years, but every PC Engine CD system is now past thirty. If the system forgets your saves when you turn it off, the internal battery needs replacing. Some collectors use a Tennokoe Bank (a backup memory HuCard) or Memory Base 128 to copy saves before the battery dies. The disc itself holds no save data and needs no battery.
Can I play this Japanese PC Engine CD game on a North American TurboGrafx-CD?
The disc itself has no region lock — you can physically insert it into any PC Engine or TurboGrafx CD drive. But to play it, you need a System Card, and System Cards are region-locked the same way HuCards are. A Japanese PC Engine CD game like this one requires a Japanese PC Engine console with a Japanese System Card. It will not run on a North American TurboGrafx-CD without modification or an adapter.
How should I care for a PC Engine CD disc?
CD-ROMs are more forgiving than cartridges, but they still need care. Hold the disc by the edges or the center hole — fingerprints on the readable surface cause read errors. To clean it, wipe gently from the center outward (not in circles) with a soft, lint-free cloth. If the disc skips or won't load, the laser lens in the console may need cleaning — a CD lens cleaning disc can help. Unlike cartridges, you should never use alcohol directly on the disc's data side unless it has visible grime; water on a microfiber cloth is safer for routine cleaning.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
A short checklist for buying used PC Engine software wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
-
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.
-
Make sure it fits your console
Japanese PC Engine HuCards and CDs are not compatible with the North American TurboGrafx-16 — the formats differ. Use a Japanese PC Engine system.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
-
HuCard or CD-ROM² — know which you're buying
PC Engine games come on HuCard chips or on CD-ROM². CD titles also require the right CD system and a working System Card.
Confirm the format in the listing, and for CDs check the disc surface and that saves are supported.
-
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.
-
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.
See what we have in stock →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum 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.
Share your memory ↑