Dungeonbuster

Lost Kingdoms II (2003) is an action RPG by FromSoftware for the Nintendo GameCube. Taking place two centuries after the events of the first game, a new power is rising and Tara Grimface is soon drawn into a mysterious conflict involving her only inheritance... (an orphan's monster army thread)

The ad (rotated here) states that "The Time For Judgment Has Come" as a young man carries an unconscious Alice while the face of Roger Bacon looks on from the mists behind him. Screenshots from the game are also shown (including one showing the "Judgement Ring" battle system). The rest of the text reads: "Journey through a time where evil lurks in the shadows, watching and waiting. Enter a world of heroes and villains. Enter a world of monsters, magic, and horror. Prepare to experience an RPG unlike any other. Enter the world of Shadow Hearts." The game's early 20th century setting mixing in history, historical figures, and terrifying, unknown horrors from beyond helped make it stand out as not your typical RPG.

A one-page ad from 2002 for Shadow Hearts, an RPG by Sacnoth for the PS2

In 1913, a mysterious girl on a train in China is abducted by 13th century English scholar, Roger Bacon, as part of a mysterious plot reaching across Europe and China involving a horrific conspiracy of monsters and magic.

SD Snatcher (1990) | RPG | MSX2 | Konami

Before leaving to deal with deadly bioroids masquerading as humans, you meet the crew at JUNKER HQ in this RPG adaptation of 1988's cyberpunk adventure, Snatcher. Players were also able to see enemies in the field and aim at individual parts during battle!

I believe so. For added context not in the clip, the entrance to the caves leading to the ship is hidden by Tyler's gravestone which is next to a town on Dezolis inhabited by descendants of Palma survivors. Our party heads there after being told of rumors of a hidden starship!

Lost Kingdoms (2002) is a card-based action RPG by FromSoftware for the Nintendo GameCube. A mysterious black fog is devouring everything in its path. Taking up your family's mysterious runestone power, you search for your father, the king, as you try to stop this threat! (a foggy thread)

The Japanese ad described the game's aim as your mission to free a land beset by monsters. Players would gather information, partake in different quests and adventures, earn armor and weapons, and ultimately challenge the "Demon King". They didn't even have to complete all of the adventures if they felt they were powerful enough to face this evil! It would have sold for ¥6,800.

DANDO Treco You are a young knight, determined to conquer the evil forces that have a stranglehold on the kingdom. Beautiful graphics and sound effects enhance this interesting action/role playing game.

A fierce, blue-haired swordsman readies their blade in this 1990 ad from Japan for Vasum, a canceled action RPG for the Sega Mega Drive by Treco

EGM's March 1991 issue had also mentioned it with screenshots to share! Renamed Dando, it would have cast players as a "young knight" battling evil.

Phantasy Star IV (1993) | RPG | Sega Genesis | Sega

A starship is found beneath the icy surface of Dezolis! Providing a way to return to space and continue their quest in trying to end a mysterious, planet-wide blizzard, it also came with a launch pad that shoveled itself out from the snow.

Ambermoon (1993) | RPG | Commodore Amiga | Thalion Software

A fiery intro sets up the sequel to 1992's Ambstar when the red moon imprisoning a great evil falls from the heavens and shatters the land. As the grandson of the hero that had saved it before, it's up to you to try and do the same!

The Return of Ishtar (1986) is an action RPG by Namco that debuted in Japanese arcades. Having rescued Ki at the end of 1984's The Tower of Druaga, both she and Gil must escape together by making it through the tower's sixty floors and 128 rooms to freedom! (a it takes two thread)

Seal of the Pharoah (1994) was a dungeon crawling RPG by System Sacom exclusively for the 3DO console. Your father has disappeared claiming to have been called by a mysterious Pharoah to a pyramid where evil lurks. Following in his footsteps, you set off to rescue him! (a desert discovery thread)

Neuromancer (1988) | RPG | PC platforms | Interplay

Interplay's adaptation of William Gibson's iconic cyberpunk novel landed on various PCs like the Amiga which brought the opening theme by Devo to life. And like a number of other titles at the time, also used a codewheel as copy protection!

Still, it was one of the very few RPGs on the 3DO and one that tried to evoke a sense of mystery and adventure against the backdrop of an ancient, Egyptian pyramid filled with strange encounters. Though for some would-be tomb raiders, this might have been a seal better left unbroken.

By Sir Scary Larry Seal of the Pharaoh combines strategic maze burning, beauti- ful graphics, and an Egyptian motif in the hopes that an RPG will surface. Unfortunately, this disc should have stayed sealed. Name that Tomb Your father has followed his fate into the tomb of Rassius III, and it doesn't look like he's coming back. While daddy is playing with mummies, the land around you has been cursed by death and decay - which is where you come in. You figure you can do a little pyramid pulverizing while looking for dear old dad. You begin the game with a club, an old shield, and dad's almost indecipherable diary. As you progress through the levels, you find a cast of creepy crawlies, from pyramid slimes to haunted urns to bugs the size of Cairo. You also find different weapons, power-ups, and so on. Who's the Pharaoh Of Them All? The 3D graphics are sharp and clear, but extremely unimaginative. You face only one enemy at a time, and they wouldn't scare the dust off a mummy. The halls of Rassius are exactly identical, which makes this maze monstrosity even harder on the eyes. The sound effects and music are just as dismal. The lack of mood-inducing music, along with minimal squawks, grunts, and groans, don't do justice to the theme. Your character sounds like he wears stiletto heels and sports a limp as his footsteps echo down the hall. The fighting and item gathering utilize a simplistic menu based system. As a matter of fact, there's no text anywhere in the game. Everything is based on hieroglyphic icons, which are almost as indecipherable as dad's diary. Better read that manual very carefully. No Tuts About It Seal of the Pharaoh's lack of conversation, formidable enemies, or challenging mazes brings it down a notch for serious RPG players. Once you begin the Seal of the Pharaoh, you may find yourself hopelessly lost in its endless tunnels. Now you know what happened to dad.

Seal of the Pharaoh could have been cool, but the game just didn't play too well. It's not an RPG or an action game, but a hodgepodge of both. The enemies are totally inane, and they automat- ically hit you no matter what you do. Moving around is way too tedious, and the scrolling is a headache. The graphics are okay, but the things they depict are just plain boring. Seal of the Pharaoh is a big disappointment. Rent it if you want, but don't blame me. There's nothing special here. Seal of the Pharaoh offers 3DO players a good, old-fashioned RPG, but RPG lovers will turn away after a few minutes. The graphics are rendered nicely and the music is good, but the problem comes in the execution of the game. There's nothing you can really do against enemies, and when you do, they always clonk you right back with a very powerful attack. You can miss sometimes, why can't they? The money could be better spent. Seal of the Pharaoh could have been a pretty good role-playing game, but failed to retain my interest. Let me explain: The game starts off fair- ly well, but once you get powered-up, the game is a total bore, and the enemies become less chal- lenging. The music is pretty lame. On the other hand, the graphics are done nicely with sharp, well-rendered rooms and other areas, but this doesn't save it from being a game that's just... well... blah. The graphics look quite impressive for the game, and the sounds are pretty decent; however, it ends there. The music gets annoying, but you can turn it off. The real drawback is the boring enemies who you can't dodge. They look pretty simplistic and always seem to hit you. However, once you get powered-up, they aren't a real chal- lenge. The scrolling is decent, but it gets boring real fast lumbering through very similar rooms. It's okay, but nothing too compelling.

Reviewers weren't feeling adventurous with this title. GamePro's Scary Larry praised the graphics while being unimpressed with everything else from the monster variety to the "dismal" music. EGM's review crew likewise noted the graphics but as Ed put it, "Rent it if you want, but don't blame me."

Fighting in this bare bones dungeon crawler consisted of "throwing" weapons (that you had infinite numbers of), items (heals and new gear) that were scattered about, and "levels" awarded by killing bosses. Save points were sparse though mysterious beings lurking within this maze kept you company.

Seal of the Pharoah (1994) was a dungeon crawling RPG by System Sacom exclusively for the 3DO console. Your father has disappeared claiming to have been called by a mysterious Pharoah to a pyramid where evil lurks. Following in his footsteps, you set off to rescue him! (a desert discovery thread)

Neuromancer blended together adventure gaming elements along with RPG ones in loosely adapting William Gibson's iconic novel for PC players. The screenshots show the "real world" (the leftmost screenshot) and two pictures showing what the player would see in cyberspace (the "grid" you moved along on and a database surrounded at its base by ICE that you needed to punch through with software upgrades).

A 1988 ad for Neuromancer, an adventure/RPG hybrid for PC platforms by Interplay that adapted William Gibson's novel of the same name

"Cabana Boy Productions" was actually founded by two cabana boys to make a film based on the novel. Ultimately, however, the film was never made.

Remembering Black History Month with a 2018 interview by Henadzi Matuts w/ Troy Miles who programmed Interplay's Neuromancer (1988)

In it, Miles talks about the early days of Interplay to when Rebecca Heineman's wizardry turned a DAT file of Devo's music into PC-friendly version for Neuromancer!

Breath of Fire (1993) by Capcom was a turn-based RPG for the SNES. In a fantasy world of monsters and magic, the Dark Dragon Clan seeks to free a wicked goddess imprisoned ages ago. Only you, your special powers, and a few brave companions along the way, can stand against them! (a fiery thread)

Hillsfar (1989) | RPG | PC platforms | Westwood Associates

This unusual entry in SSI's catalog of AD&D titles let players import characters from adventures like Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds to take part in random quests and mini-games like facing down Lefty in the arena!

DeathKeep (1995) was a first-person action RPG by Lion Entertainment for Windows 95 and the 3DO. A wicked necromancer has escaped his icy prison to seek revenge. The Oracle of the Keep has summoned you to retrieve three relics from an ancient dwarven hold in order to stop him! (an icy thread)

Dune (1992) | strategy and adventure hybrid | PC platforms | Cryo

Taking cues from David Lynch's 1984 film adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel, you are Paul Atreides battling to wrest Dune from the cruel Harkonnen! It also didn't keep you from getting killed by joyriding through the wrong airspace.

Wonder Project J2 (1996) is a life sim by Givro Corporation for the N64 in Japan. Fifteen years after the events of the first game, Dr. Geppetto creates Josette, a Gijin (robot). With his dying words, he sends her to Blueland in the hope she can live her own life with your help. (a learning thread)

Catching a bit of the Nintendo Direct! Orbitals looks like an "It Takes Two" like game and suddenly wishing for more games like it - not necessarily as a two-player co-op adventure, but looking like they've traveled from the 80s in an anime time machine.

A PlayStation port by Enix promised more animated sequences (on top of its nearly 40 minute long ending) but never materialized and Square Enix re-released it in 2010...for mobile phones. But thanks to fans, more players can still discover, and experience, a heartwarming slice of N64 history.

J2's colorful anime presentation is thanks to the talent of artists like Akihiko Yamashita who designed its characters. He would go on to work with Studio Ghibli on a number of projects years later such as Spirited Away!

J2 eschewed many of the RPG elements from the first game making it into more of a non-linear adventure-type experience. But like before, and with your help, teaching Josette new skills (like learning to cook or say hello) by showing her right and wrong will also help her navigate her new life.

An unofficial English patch for the game by Ryu was released in 2007 opening it up for more would-be guides (though English walkthroughs had also been available beforehand). As Josette's unseen mentor, it's up to you to teach her how to be more human while a shadowy threat lurks in the backdrop!

Wonder Project J2 (1996) is a life sim by Givro Corporation for the N64 in Japan. Fifteen years after the events of the first game, Dr. Geppetto creates Josette, a Gijin (robot). With his dying words, he sends her to Blueland in the hope she can live her own life with your help. (a learning thread)

Dragon View (1994) | action RPG | Super Nintendo | Kotobuki System

Developed in Japan as a sequel to Infogrames' Drakkhen (ported to the SNES in 1991), It had a roaming, open world like the original but differed in many other ways such as replacing the party-based combat with solo, arcade action!

Wonder Project J (1994) is a life sim game with RPG elements by the Almanic Corporation for the Super Famicom in Japan. Dr. Geppetto has been wrongfully arrested but not before finishing his latest creation: a robot boy who you must guide as best you can with Tinker's help! (a conditioned thread)