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Sega’s new CD-ROM add-on was meant to bring bigger and better game experiences, but its first RPG entry was sadly off-key. In a world where the Genesis was finally hitting its role-playing stride, Funky Horror Band should have been a magical game that showed off the CD-ROM’s power. Instead, it wasn’t much of an upgrade at all.
Wolf Team is fondly remembered for some excellent Genesis and Sega CD games, but the developer stumbled with Aisle Lord. It tries to be several things at once but never finds its footing, and the otherwise great presentation is overshadowed by clunky controls and maddening dungeon design. This one might not be worth bypassing the language barrier.
The Shining series debuted on the Saturn with a return to its dungeon crawling roots. Despite bearing some of the genre’s flaws, Shining the Holy Ark was a strong entry with great gameplay and presentation that set the stage for Shining Force’s revival.
Perhaps the most coveted of Saturn games, Panzer Dragoon Saga is an RPG that people desperately hope will one day be remastered. It’s short and extraordinarily expensive, but oh what a wonderful experience it is. If you want to see the Saturn at its best, this is the game you need to play.
Largely unknown to Western games, The Black Onyx is something of a legend in Japan and laid the foundation for many console and computer RPGs to come. It’s quite barebones now, but it’s remarkable that the SG-1000 even got the game, considering it was released well into the Famicom era.