Wargames belonged to PC and tabletop. In 1989, Hudson moved the hex grid to a TV and proved everyone wrong.
In 1989, turn-based strategy was a genre for computers and tabletop wargaming. The assumption in the console industry was that careful, deliberate play — hexagonal grids, unit management, multi-turn terrain battles — required either a keyboard or a physical table. Console players were supposed to want immediacy. Nectaris disagreed. Set in 2089 on the surface of the Moon, it placed players in command of lunar forces using a hex grid drawn directly from classic board wargame tradition. The hardware limitations that might have worked against it — no mouse, no keyboard, limited screen space — turned out to be immaterial. The game's design was legible enough to navigate with a controller and demanding enough to reward careful play across its 32 missions. What Hudson proved was that the genre's complexity was its appeal, not its barrier. The players who wanted to think two turns ahead, manage terrain advantage, and weigh unit trade-offs were playing console games too — they just hadn't been given anything to play. Composer June Chikuma's stark military soundtrack matched the game's deliberate tone, and Nectaris went on to spawn sequels across multiple platforms, its template becoming the blueprint for console hex-strategy that followed.
About this game
Released in February 1989, Nectaris was one of the earliest hexagonal turn-based strategy games to appear on a home console, setting the template for the genre on home hardware before PC-based wargaming brought it to mainstream audiences. Set in 2089 on the surface of the Moon, two factions — Allied Forces against Axis Xenon — contest lunar territory across 16 battlefields, with each unit type having distinct attack, defence, and movement properties determined by terrain. Composer June Chikuma's score blends military tension with melodic invention, giving the conflict an unexpectedly lyrical backdrop.
Key Features
Nectaris plays on hexagonal tile maps, with different terrain types — mountains, forests, plains, cities — affecting the combat effectiveness and movement cost of each unit type. Players and AI alternate turns, positioning units to attack from advantage while defending key positions. Capturing enemy headquarters ends the map. Units include infantry, tanks, aircraft, and naval vessels, each with meaningful trade-offs. A two-player mode allows head-to-head competition. The 16 maps increase progressively in strategic complexity.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Nectaris arrived in 1989 as an early demonstration that console hardware could support the kind of thoughtful turn-based strategy that had been the domain of PC wargames and tabletop miniatures. Its hexagonal grid system, drawn from classic board wargaming tradition, was translated into an accessible console format that required no prior wargaming experience. Hudson Soft's work on Nectaris preceded Fire Emblem's broader popularisation of tactical combat on console RPGs and established a precedent for genre crossover between PC strategy and console gaming.
Tricks & Tales
Nectaris spawned a full series across multiple platforms, including Neo Nectaris (1994, PC Engine CD) which added 8 new unit types and 48 new maps. Composer June Chikuma went on to be one of Hudson Soft's most prolific composers, working on many of the company's most celebrated titles. The game has been remade and re-released multiple times, including on WiiWare and PlayStation Network in 2010. Nectaris has no arcade original — it was designed as a console game from the outset.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released in Japan in February 1989 as Nectaris, and in North America in February 1990 as Military Madness on TurboGrafx-16. The Japan PC Engine HuCard and North American TurboGrafx-16 version are functionally identical.
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 Military Madness copies regularly.
Will this Japanese PC Engine game work on a North American TurboGrafx-16?
Not without a hardware adapter. The TurboGrafx-16's data bus lines are wired in reverse compared to the PC Engine, making the two regions physically incompatible at the cartridge (HuCard) slot level. A passive adapter such as the dbElectronics Turbo PC-Henshin bridges this gap for HuCard titles. For CD-ROM² software, the TurboGrafx-CD drive will run Japanese discs if they do not carry a software region check, but compatibility varies by title. In both cases, Japanese PC Engine software is designed for the Japanese market and carries no English text.
How should I store and clean a PC Engine HuCard?
Keep HuCards in their original plastic sleeves or a protective case, away from humidity and direct sunlight — the exposed gold contacts oxidize over time. To clean: apply 90%+ isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the gold edge contacts. Never blow on them — breath moisture accelerates corrosion. Handle by the plastic edges only, avoiding the contact strip. HuCards have no internal battery and no moving parts, making them among the most durable formats from the era.
Does this HuCard have an internal save battery?
HuCards do not support internal battery backup by design. If this title requires save data between sessions, it either uses a password system or requires an external backup peripheral (such as the Tennokoe Bank or Backup Booster) connected to the PC Engine's expansion bus. Check the game manual for the save method — many action and strategy HuCard titles are designed as single-session experiences and do not require saving at all.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Military Madness
A short checklist for buying used PC Engine software 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
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.
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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.
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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 Military Madness 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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