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.
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.
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.
Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
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 ↑