38 Man Kilo no Kokuu

NEC PC-9801 - Released - 1989

Following a devastating atomic war between USA and Soviet Union, the Earth has plunged into chaos and destruction in the 1990-ies. It was not until the middle of the 21th century that humanity started to recover from its losses. Earth was nearly abandoned, and representative of the most powerful countries concentrated on space colonization projects. The Americans founded an organization called NSCA (National Space Colonized Association). Their project, SC (Space Colony), was a huge tower, comparable to the mythical Tower of Babel. This is also the home of the game's protagonist, who returns after prolonged space travels, and soon becomes involved in a complex struggle between countries and political organizations. The fifth installment of System Sacom's Novel Ware series, 38 Man Kilo No Kokuu is essentially a visual novel. The majority of the game consists of text - dialogues, descriptions of the hero's thoughts and actions, and an extensive database concerning the scientific/political background of the game. Though graphical images (usually of people) are displayed by default in small windows, they can be turned off. The player follows the story, sometimes altering its course by selecting an action/response when such a choice is given to him by the game.

38 Man Kilo No Kokuu

Fujitsu FM Towns Marty - Released - 1989

Following a devastating atomic war between USA and Soviet Union, the Earth has plunged into chaos and destruction in the 1990-ies. It was not until the middle of the 21th century that humanity started to recover from its losses. Earth was nearly abandoned, and representative of the most powerful countries concentrated on space colonization projects. The Americans founded an organization called NSCA (National Space Colonized Association). Their project, SC (Space Colony), was a huge tower, comparable to the mythical Tower of Babel. This is also the home of the game's protagonist, who returns after prolonged space travels, and soon becomes involved in a complex struggle between countries and political organizations. The fifth installment of System Sacom's Novel Ware series, 38000 Kilo no Kokū is essentially a visual novel. The majority of the game consists of text - dialogues, descriptions of the hero's thoughts and actions, and an extensive database concerning the scientific/political background of the game. Though graphical images (usually of people) are displayed by default in small windows, they can be turned off. The player follows the story, sometimes altering its course by selecting an action/response when such a choice is given to him by the game.

38-man Kilo no Kokuu

Sharp X68000 - Released - October 21, 1989

Following a devastating atomic war between USA and Soviet Union, the Earth has plunged into chaos and destruction in the 1990-ies. It was not until the middle of the 21th century that humanity started to recover from its losses. Earth was nearly abandoned, and representative of the most powerful countries concentrated on space colonization projects. The Americans founded an organization called NSCA (National Space Colonized Association). Their project, SC (Space Colony), was a huge tower, comparable to the mythical Tower of Babel. This is also the home of the game's protagonist, who returns after prolonged space travels, and soon becomes involved in a complex struggle between countries and political organizations. The fifth installment of System Sacom's Novel Ware series, 38000 Kilo no Kokū is essentially a visual novel. The majority of the game consists of text - dialogues, descriptions of the hero's thoughts and actions, and an extensive database concerning the scientific/political background of the game. Though graphical images (usually of people) are displayed by default in small windows, they can be turned off. The player follows the story, sometimes altering its course by selecting an action/response when such a choice is given to him by the game.

Are!Mo KoreMo Momotarou

Sony Playstation - Released - October 4, 1996

Are! Mo Kore? Mo Momotarou is a Miscellaneous game, developed and published by System Sacom, which was released in Japan in 1996.

Astronoka

Sony Playstation - Released - 1998

Astronōka is officially described as a "space vegetable production and pest control game". The game revolves around the player cultivating vegetables on a fictional, futuristic star system. The objective is to win vegetable contests and eventually the All-Universe Vegetable Competition, while setting traps and defense to protect the farm against a species of pest called Baboo (バブー)

Brown's Run

NEC PC-9801 - Released - May 1, 1985

Brown's Run is an Action game, developed and published by System Sacom, which was released in Japan in 1985.

Chátty

NEC PC-8801 - Released - 1988

Chátty is the second entry in System Sacom's Novel Ware series. Its story is set in the future and involves a man who was framed for a crime he did not commit. In attempt to clear his name, the protagonist discovers a device that allows interdimensional travel, and ventures into a parallel dimension in search for answers. Unlike the previous Novel Ware game, Chátty is a more traditional Japanese-style adventure, with fewer and shorter conversations and text descriptions. Interaction with the environment and navigation are performed by selecting verb commands and combining them with objects from a menu list. There are no real puzzles, but it is possible to pick up objects, use them, and examine them in an inventory.

DOME

NEC PC-9801 - Released - 1988

DOME is based on Shizuko Natsuki's novel of the same name. The original work as well as the game's plot focus on the construction of a nuclear shelter called "The Dome", capable of protecting humans from an impending atomic war. The player takes the role of an employee in an advertisement company, whose job is to raise people's awareness of the shelter's importance, and donate money to the project. The game opens System Sacom's Novel Ware series, demonstrating its concept. Though its basic gameplay is that of a puzzle-less Japanese-style adventure, the game has extended dialogue and text descriptions that either do not contain any interaction or occasionally prompt the player to make a choice. Despite this visual novel-like feature, the game still retains considerable portions of interactivity, with verb-object commands, reviewing information concerning recent events and characters in the game, and even the possibility to take and examine objects. The game's graphics consist of digitized photos of people and objects, and are rather sparse.

Dome

Sharp X68000 - Released - 1988

DOME is based on Shizuko Natsuki's novel of the same name. The original work as well as the game's plot focus on the construction of a nuclear shelter called "The Dome", capable of protecting humans from an impending atomic war. The player takes the role of an employee in an advertisement company, whose job is to raise people's awareness of the shelter's importance, and donate money to the project. The game opens System Sacom's Novel Ware series, demonstrating its concept. Though its basic gameplay is that of a puzzle-less Japanese-style adventure, the game has extended dialogue and text descriptions that either do not contain any interaction or occasionally prompt the player to make a choice. Despite this visual novel-like feature, the game still retains considerable portions of interactivity, with verb-object commands, reviewing information concerning recent events and characters in the game, and even the possibility to take and examine objects. The game's graphics consist of digitized photos of people and objects, and are rather sparse.

Dome

NEC PC-8801 - Released - 1988

DOME is based on Shizuko Natsuki's novel of the same name. The original work as well as the game's plot focus on the construction of a nuclear shelter called "The Dome", capable of protecting humans from an impending atomic war. The player takes the role of an employee in an advertisement company, whose job is to raise people's awareness of the shelter's importance, and donate money to the project. The game opens System Sacom's Novel Ware series, demonstrating its concept. Though its basic gameplay is that of a puzzle-less Japanese-style adventure, the game has extended dialogue and text descriptions that either do not contain any interaction or occasionally prompt the player to make a choice. Despite this visual novel-like feature, the game still retains considerable portions of interactivity, with verb-object commands, reviewing information concerning recent events and characters in the game, and even the possibility to take and examine objects. The game's graphics consist of digitized photos of people and objects, and are rather sparse.

Euphory

Sharp X1 - Released - 1987

Euphory is a medieval-themed action game with light role-playing elements. The protagonists of the game are the brother and sister Rafael and Falram. Their mother became gravely ill, and they have to travel to her homeland in order to find the rare medicine. The game can be played controlling either of the characters, or in a two-player mode where both are controlled cooperatively. The game world consists of towns, where the player characters can buy weapons and equipment, and hostile areas. There is no experience points system, but defeated enemies award the player gold and healing items. Some areas also require the protagonist to jump and swim.

Evolution

Fujitsu FM Towns Marty - Released - 1989

Evolution is a simple first-person perspective 3D shooter set in an abstract environment. The protagonist represents an evolving creature who must survive an onslaught of other organisms. Forward movement is automatic, but the player-controlled character can move up, down, and to the sides. The gameplay consists solely of shooting enemies, which increases the player's score.

Fire Rock

Nintendo Famicom Disk System - Released - June 20, 1988

Fire Rock is an action platformer developed for the Famicom Disk System by System Sacom, and published in Japan by Use in 1988. The design of the game is credited to Mark Flint. In the game, the player controls what appears to be a cave man, whose goal is to navigate a series of item filled caverns in an effort to locate the boss of the level, defeat it, and then locate the door which leads to the next level. The game is commonly sited as having very poor controls, often requiring the player to grab hold of a wall, and very slowly climb it by holding up and tapping jump repeatedly. Other issues include a very low jump that places more platforms and items out of reach, and a difficult time bringing the character back under control if he starts to slip. This game was not released outside of Japan.

Gekitotsu Dangan Jidousha Kessen: Battle Mobile

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - June 25, 1993

Gekitotsu Dangan Jidousha Kessen: Battle Mobile (roughly "Breakthrough Bullet: Final Car Fight: Battle Mobile") is a vehicular combat game from System Sacom, which was released on the Super Famicom in Japan only. The story concerns a newlywed couple who are accosted by Mad Max-esque highway bandits, leading to the death of the wife. The aggrieved husband spends the following year building a high-tech combat vehicle out of a sports car and is determined to make the bandits pay. The game plays like a mix of a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up and a racing game, where the best means of removing on-screen enemies is by charging into them. Out-of-reach enemies, like helicopters, can be taken down with missiles instead.

Jennifer Capriati Tennis

Sega Genesis - Released - June 12, 1992

This is a tennis game featuring the game modes Exhibition, Circuits, and Training. Exhibition allows for either singles or doubles play. Circuits mode involves the player competing to win four major tournaments: the Sydney Open, Paris Open, London Open and the Florida Open. The player can also customize their own tennis player by choosing their race, sex, and tennis wear color. Players can also choose whether their tennis player is right or left handed, their type of spin, forehand, and backhand. They can also distribute a set amount of points between skills such as the power forehand, backhand, their footwork, and their net game. The game also offers the option of either playing on lawn, hard or clay surfaces.

Jikuu Tantei DD: Maboroshi no Lorelei

Sony Playstation - Released - June 27, 1996

The year is 2238, and the main character is a vampire detective. The game begins when a woman comes to his office and hired him for a job on board of the big zeppelin called the Lorelei. The game is a first person perspective 3d adventure game in which the player will have to use different objects and talk with all the characters to solve the mystery. The story is set in 2238, but the main character, Detective Narukami, travels back in time to 1939. He's headed for the Hindenburg in search of a client's father, but instead discovers conspiracy and mystery. The voice acting (done by a professional radio announcer, I guess) is excellent. The game features characters voices, a lot of movie sequences and detailed graphics.

Jikuu Tantei DD: Maboroshi no Lorelei

Sega Saturn - Released - July 26, 1996

Jikuu Tantei DD is a detective noir adventure game with a futuristic setting. The game is one big cinematic drama which plays as an interactive movie (think Cyberia). The story takes place aboard a zeppelin ship Lorelei. In 2238 human race got the freedom to use the ability to travel back in time, which eventually led to the emergence of crime. You are a Raizou Narukami, a detective who runs an agency that specializes in space-time crimes. Womanizer at first glance, you are very skilled at what you do, namely in power of observation, reasoning and deduction. You are known as DD (short for Dracula Detective) because your are a direct descendant of legendary Dracula. Due to your genes, you also exert some superhuman powers and abilities.

Jikuu Tantei DD2: Hangyaku no Apsara

Sony Playstation - Released - August 27, 1998

Jikuu Tantei DD2 - Hangyaku no Apsaras is the sequel to Ascii's Jikkuu Tantei, the game features again the vampire detective, but instead of a sequel the game takes place in 2231 (7 years before the first game story) The game begins in 2231 in Bangalore Area (India) in the Apsaral Center building when a group of detectives (Raizou Narukami & Kaori Al -Rajil) were investigating a strange alien artifac but when they are investigating the artifac activate itselft and part of the building is destroyed (a dimensional distorsion bomb), to avoid an alien infestation the organization decide to throw a bomb at that part of the building and consider their agents as dead. The game then continues to 2236 in Japan in the detective office of the game's main character (Raizou Narukami, that was one of the 2 agents that were consider dead in the explosion) when two young girls take him out, but soon things will not be as easy and he will have to investigate that case that happened 5 years ago.

Lulu: Un Conte Interactif de Romain Victor-Pujebet

Sega Saturn - Released - November 1, 1996

The Book of Lulu is an interactive multimedia book by Romain Victor-Pujebet where player can flip the pages to read through and click on various images in the book. Certain images in the book allow for slide changes or result in a small video animation, while others open in full screen mode with ability to interact with them by clicking on a certain area. Interactive images allow changes such as changing the sky, weather, season, colors and mode, while interactive videos let you interact with objects and characters which result in a short FMV sequence.

Lunacy

Sega Saturn - Released - May 31, 1997

A traveler named Fred has lost his memory. The only thing that gives him a clue to his past is a mysterious tattoo on his forehead that leads him to a strange place called City of Mists. Wandering through the bizarre locations of the town, Fred has to reveal the secret that leads to his past and to stop the evil plans of the maniacal Lord Gordon. Lunacy is a first-person adventure of the Myst school, with a simple interface and many complex puzzles.

Maerchen Veil

Nintendo Famicom Disk System - March 3, 1987

A long time ago, people from Ferikusu could communicate with the gods and divine spirits. The king of the kingdom is now looking for a young man to marry his daughter, the royal princess. Many contestants are selected and a tournament is organized to decide of the new prince. However, before the end or the ceremony, an evil magician sends the last hero, the one the princess has fallen in love with, to an unknown and desolated world. He also quickly realizes that he fell under a terrible curse, and he has been turned into a weird creature. The only item he has left is a magic bracelet the princess gave him. The player takes control of the lost prince and his journey will take him back to where he came from, confront the evil magician and marry the princess he loves. Each stage starts with a short animation (called a "visual stage") which unfolds the story as the game progresses. The rest of the game follows a classic top-view action formula, where the hero defeats all kind of enemies with the help of his magic powers. Sometimes, special items can be found under tree logs or rocks. Maerchen Veil for Famicom Disk System combines Maerchen Veil I and Maerchen Veil II from the MSX into one re-designed game. The story includes both parts, evolving through still-screen scenes between stages. Many of the stages are vastly different, with a closer viewpoint, and new types of enemies, terrain and hazards. The difficulty level of this release is also lower compared to the original versions.

Mansion of Hidden Souls

Sega CD - Released - December 10, 1993

Mansion of Hidden Souls is an adventure game created entirely with full-motion video. It takes place in a pre-rendered mansion that the player explores from a first-person perspective. As they wander from room to room, the action unfolds via video sequences. The player takes on the role of Jonathan, a boy whose sister has wandered into the spooky mansion. When she entered the mansion, she disappeared! What's more, the mansion is full of talking butterflies. The player must search the whole mansion to unlock its secrets and find Jonathan's sister.

Marchen Veil

Microsoft MSX - Released - 1987

Marchen Veil is an action adventure game the combines the interactive portions of the game with a kind of interactive story known as a visual novel. Rather than interspersing the story with quick updates throughout the game, all of the game's plot is told during very long narratives that are coupled with illustrations which may feature small bits of animation. After the player has read a great deal of text, the next action sequence takes place. The player's time is roughly divided 50-50 between reading and playing. The story of Marchen Veil concerns a young prince who suddenly wakes up in an unfamiliar place to find that he has been turned into a Satyr, a man with the lower body of a goat. Versions of the game were released for computer platforms such as the MSX, the PC-88, the PC-98, the X1, the FM-7, as well as a Famicom Disk System port some time later. The PC-9801 version is the only one known to be "complete", as it came in two parts; all other versions are based on part 1 only.

Märchen Veil I

Fujitsu FM-7 - Released - 1987

People inhabiting a world called Felix communicate with gods to divine their future. The king of the Forest Country is looking for a husband for his daughter and organizes a tournament for noble young men from different countries. The prince from the Lake Country is victorious, but an evil magician turns him into a strange-looking creature and banishes him to faraway lands. The prince has to travel back and find a way to remove the curse. Märchen Veil I is an overhead action game with light role-playing elements. The game consists of maze-like stages heavily populated by enemies. The prince has to fight his way through by using ranged magic, which effectively turns the game into a shooter. The magic attack can have different properties depending on the special items picked up by the prince. Throughout the game the player will also find items that restore or permanently increase the protagonist's health. Still-screen scenes (called "visual stages") advance the story between levels.

Märchen Veil I

Microsoft MSX2 - Released - 1987

People inhabiting a world called Felix communicate with gods to divine their future. The king of the Forest Country is looking for a husband for his daughter and organizes a tournament for noble young men from different countries. The prince from the Lake Country is victorious, but an evil magician turns him into a strange-looking creature and banishes him to faraway lands. The prince has to travel back and find a way to remove the curse. Märchen Veil I is an overhead action game with light role-playing elements. The game consists of maze-like stages heavily populated by enemies. The prince has to fight his way through by using ranged magic, which effectively turns the game into a shooter. The magic attack can have different properties depending on the special items picked up by the prince. Throughout the game the player will also find items that restore or permanently increase the protagonist's health. Still-screen scenes (called "visual stages") advance the story between levels.

Märchen Veil I

NEC PC-8801 - Released - 1985

People inhabiting a world called Felix communicate with gods to divine their future. The king of the Forest Country is looking for a husband for his daughter and organizes a tournament for noble young men from different countries. The prince from the Lake Country is victorious, but an evil magician turns him into a strange-looking creature and banishes him to faraway lands. The prince has to travel back and find a way to remove the curse. Märchen Veil I is an overhead action game with light role-playing elements. The game consists of maze-like stages heavily populated by enemies. The prince has to fight his way through by using ranged magic, which effectively turns the game into a shooter. The magic attack can have different properties depending on the special items picked up by the prince. Throughout the game the player will also find items that restore or permanently increase the protagonist's health. Still-screen scenes (called "visual stages") advance the story between levels.

Märchen Veil I

Sharp MZ-2500 - Released - 1985

People inhabiting a world called Felix communicate with gods to divine their future. The king of the Forest Country is looking for a husband for his daughter and organizes a tournament for noble young men from different countries. The prince from the Lake Country is victorious, but an evil magician turns him into a strange-looking creature and banishes him to faraway lands. The prince has to travel back and find a way to remove the curse. Märchen Veil I is an overhead action game with light role-playing elements. The game consists of maze-like stages heavily populated by enemies. The prince has to fight his way through by using ranged magic, which effectively turns the game into a shooter. The magic attack can have different properties depending on the special items picked up by the prince. Throughout the game the player will also find items that restore or permanently increase the protagonist's health. Still-screen scenes (called "visual stages") advance the story between levels.

Märchen Veil I

NEC PC-9801 - Released - 1985

People inhabiting a world called Felix communicate with gods to divine their future. The king of the Forest Country is looking for a husband for his daughter and organizes a tournament for noble young men from different countries. The prince from the Lake Country is victorious, but an evil magician turns him into a strange-looking creature and banishes him to faraway lands. The prince has to travel back and find a way to remove the curse. Märchen Veil I is an overhead action game with light role-playing elements. The game consists of maze-like stages heavily populated by enemies. The prince has to fight his way through by using ranged magic, which effectively turns the game into a shooter. The magic attack can have different properties depending on the special items picked up by the prince. Throughout the game the player will also find items that restore or permanently increase the protagonist's health. Still-screen scenes (called "visual stages") advance the story between levels.

Märchen Veil II

NEC PC-9801 - Released - June 14, 1986

Märchen Veil II is the second part of the story that began in Märchen Veil I. The bereaved king of the Lake Country seeks the help of the powerful goddess Lua as he tries to remove the curse that has befallen his son. However, the prince feels it is his duty to defeat the evil wizard responsible for the curse, and he embarks on a journey to gather mysterious artifacts that will help him achieve this goal. Gameplay-wise, the game is very similar to its predecessor. The prince explores maze-like overhead areas, fighting enemies with ranged magic and power-ups. The sequel expands equipment management, allowing the player to change equipped items at any time.

Michiyo Dreamy

NEC PC-9801 - Released - May 22, 1993

Moon Ball Magic

Nintendo Famicom Disk System - Released - July 12, 1988

Moon Ball Magic is a pinball simulation game developed by System Sacom for the Famicom Disk System, and published by Squaresoft in Japan under their DOG label in 1988. Like the game Fire Rock, it also prominently features the name of developer Mark Flint. It was released exclusively through the Famicom Disk System's "Disk Writer" service, where the player must write the game onto an existing FDS disk before playing it. This and Akuu Senki Raijin, released on the same day, would be the last games ever published through the DOG label, as Square decided to focus on cartridge releases for the Famicom after the success of Final Fantasy. No official disk label exists though ones were displayed in magazine ads that have been used. The game starts out by depositing the pinball in the middle of a simulated pinball table. However, once the ball is shot into one of the holes on the play field, the game enters an elaborate intro sequence which the player can control. The game contains 11 stages, each of which contain a target hole that the player must hit the ball into in order to advance to the next stage. The stages get more elaborate, and more moving obstacles appear to interfere with the behavior of the ball. In addition to controlling the flippers, the control pad can also be used to "nudge" the ball in either direction, although the effectiveness of this varies.

Murder on the Eurasia Express

Sony Playstation - Released - November 26, 2000

Murder on the Eurasia Express (Eurasia Express Satsujin Jiken) is a Japanese-exclusive adventure game published by Enix on November 26, 1998 for the PlayStation. The game begins when a private detective is asked by a female private school to go as assistant to the school teacher that is going to take her students in a travel in the Eurasia Express. As soon as the train departs from Shangai a murder happens and the detective decides to start a investigation in the train to solve the crime. He got only 2 hours to solve the crime and to do that he will have to investigate around the train and talk to the passengers and he can use too the help of the school students. The game uses real actors for all the characters and real locations for the station and train locations.

Power Singer: Ellance Saga #1

NEC PC-9801 - Released - December 4, 1992

Providence

NEC PC-8801 - Released - 1989

R?MJ: The Mystery Hospital

Sony Playstation - Released - November 27, 1997

R?MJ - The Mystery Hospital is a first person adventure game released for the Playstation One & Sega Saturn consoles. PLOT: 1999 Summer, explosion has erupted inside a huge statewise hospital. The cause of the explosion was unknown. Caught inside the explosion is Hajime, his friends Ryo and Tomowo, a new on duty nurse Aya. Shortly after, suddenly they are also joined by a mysterious beautiful young girl called Misato. All of them are trying their best to and hope to get out of the Hospital alive...

Rampo

Sega Saturn - Released - February 24, 1995

Rampo is an interactive movie which uses pre-rendered backdrops and live actors much in the veins of The 7th Guest, without the puzzle-solving part. The game features Edogawa Rampo, a Japanese mystery novel writer, as a protagonist and is based on the movie with the same name which was released a year earlier. In real life, Edogawa Rampo (江戸川 乱歩) is a pseudonym of Hirai Tarou (平井 太郎), a Japanese novelist who wrote mystery fiction in the early-to-middle of 20th century. Having a writer's block and still under influence that your work has been banned from publishing due to the level of disturbance portrayed, with your editor, Yokomizo Seishi, pressing you to write your next piece, you just can't wrap around your head to make it happen. So you get up from your writing desk and head to do the landlord business and pick up the rent from the occupants. The place is man-exclusive, there is no women allowed, yet you secretly find out someone has been bringing a woman and not just to talk to. What may have started as debauchery will soon turn your life around when it reveals a much bigger mystery than you bargained for. The game is played in 1st-person perspective where you can turn left or right, or move forward and backward. Moving forward in closed locations will often end up in zooming certain objects and occasionally pick them up if they are of any importance. Picked up objects can be viewed in your inventory and used in certain locations or during dialogues. Movie is not free 3D movement, but instead uses pre-rendered cutscenes for every movement animation. Characters will often cycle through their dialogues unless there is a time where you can inquire about some item from your inventory. Yokomizo Seishi, your editor, will accompany you and will often provide comments when you won't be able to go to certain areas or if you try to do weird things (i.e. try to go outside without a reason, or try to unlock someone else's room without a proper cause). Occasionally your protagonist will also speak, at which moment the picture will be frozen (there is no idle movements of characters or animate objects in the areas when you're talking or just standing still).

Running High

Sony Playstation - Released - April 25, 1997

Running High is a straightforward racing game where the "vehicles" of choice are cyborgs. Each of the six racers in game game is imbued with mechanically enhanced limbs and performance boosting suits that sport colorful racing designs.

Seal of the Pharaoh

3DO Interactive Multiplayer - Released - 1994

Seal of the Pharaoh is a light RPG with simple real-time combat and some puzzle-solving. The player takes control of the son of a prominent archaeologist, who has recently discovered the long lost tomb of Rassius III, and has gone missing. It is now up to the player to find him by exploring the tomb, but at the same time avoid the various traps and enemies laid out before them. The perspective is from a first-person view as they progress through the maze-like pyramid equipped with a club, a shield and a diary. As they progress they must avoid traps, but also use their club and shield to take out enemies such as giant wasps, scorpions and even haunted urns. More powerful weapons and items can be obtained through further exploration as well as clues to decipher the diary and various puzzles that need to be solved in order to advance. The RPG element is present in weapon-training; the more the protagonist uses a weapon, the higher is the damage inflicted with it.

Soft de Hard na Monogatari

Sharp X68000 - Released - July 30, 1988

Soft de Hard na Monogatari is the third entry in System Sacom's Novel Ware series. The story has humorous overtones and deals with production of computer games. The protagonist is the son of a software company manager and has to fill in as a temporary leader when his father falls sick and is hospitalized. Himself an avid gamer, the young boss has to use his employee's strengths and his own imagination to produce a successful game such as the "Nobara Series" DAME (an obvious parody of DOME). Gameplay-wise, the game abandons the adventure format with its set verb-object commands and interaction with the environment, and plays more like a visual novel with light simulation elements. The player has to make choices for the protagonist, which will advance in-game time and ultimately influence the outcome of the story. It is possible to talk to the employees, check out planned software releases, and make other decisions crucial for the company and the hero's success.

Soft de Hard na Monogatari

NEC PC-9801 - Released - 1988

Soft de Hard na Monogatari is the third entry in System Sacom's Novel Ware series. The story has humorous overtones and deals with production of computer games. The protagonist is the son of a software company manager and has to fill in as a temporary leader when his father falls sick and is hospitalized. Himself an avid gamer, the young boss has to use his employee's strengths and his own imagination to produce a successful game such as the "Nobara Series" DAME (an obvious parody of DOME). Gameplay-wise, the game abandons the adventure format with its set verb-object commands and interaction with the environment, and plays more like a visual novel with light simulation elements. The player has to make choices for the protagonist, which will advance in-game time and ultimately influence the outcome of the story. It is possible to talk to the employees, check out planned software releases, and make other decisions crucial for the company and the hero's success.

Soft de Hard na Monogatari

Fujitsu FM Towns Marty - Released - 1989

Soft de Hard na Monogatari is the third entry in System Sacom's Novel Ware series. The story has humorous overtones and deals with production of computer games. The protagonist is the son of a software company manager and has to fill in as a temporary leader when his father falls sick and is hospitalized. Himself an avid gamer, the young boss has to use his employee's strengths and his own imagination to produce a successful game such as the "Nobara Series" DAME (an obvious parody of DOME). Gameplay-wise, the game abandons the adventure format with its set verb-object commands and interaction with the environment, and plays more like a visual novel with light simulation elements. The player has to make choices for the protagonist, which will advance in-game time and ultimately influence the outcome of the story. It is possible to talk to the employees, check out planned software releases, and make other decisions crucial for the company and the hero's success.

Soft de Hard na Monogatari 2

Fujitsu FM Towns Marty - Released - 1989

Hiroshi Saijo has done the impossible: when his father fell ill, he managed his software company with success. Now his father is the boss again, Hiroshi can relax and focus on his college studies and dating plans. However, he is still very much needed at the office, and matters become even more complicated when the new receptionist Rie Ishida arrives at the workplace. Like its predecessor, Soft de Hard na Monogatari 2 is essentially a visual novel. Simulation elements have been reduced, and interaction mostly confined to decisions the player is prompted to make for the protagonist, which may affect further events and branch the storyline.

Soft de Hard na Monogatari 2

NEC PC-9801 - Released - 1989

Hiroshi Saijo has done the impossible: when his father fell ill, he managed his software company with success. Now his father is the boss again, Hiroshi can relax and focus on his college studies and dating plans. However, he is still very much needed at the office, and matters become even more complicated when the new receptionist Rie Ishida arrives at the workplace. Like its predecessor, Soft de Hard na Monogatari 2 is essentially a visual novel. Simulation elements have been reduced, and interaction mostly confined to decisions the player is prompted to make for the protagonist, which may affect further events and branch the storyline.

Soft de Hard na Monogatari 2

Sharp X68000 - Released - June 16, 1989

Hiroshi Saijo has done the impossible: when his father fell ill, he managed his software company with success. Now his father is the boss again, Hiroshi can relax and focus on his college studies and dating plans. However, he is still very much needed at the office, and matters become even more complicated when the new receptionist Rie Ishida arrives at the workplace. Like its predecessor, Soft de Hard na Monogatari 2 is essentially a visual novel. Simulation elements have been reduced, and interaction mostly confined to decisions the player is prompted to make for the protagonist, which may affect further events and branch the storyline.

Valna

NEC PC-8801 - Released - May 19, 1989

Wondrous Magic

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - December 17, 1993

An RPG released exclusively for the Super Famicom in late 1993. The player is the young apprentice of an elderly wizard who goes with him on his travels. The game's combat uses an unusual real-time system where enemies often surround the player, and they must position themselves to defend themselves from all directions.

Yami no Ketsuzoku

Sharp X68000 - Released - July 21, 1991

Miyu Izawa is a designer working for the prosperous Studio Yo in central Tokyo. She is nicknamed "famous detective" because of her unusually sharp perception: since her childhood, she has possessed an inexplicable "sixth sense" that warns her of danger by coloring her vision red. When her former classmate and successful model Marie is brutally murdered, Miyu decides to use her special senses and investigate the mysterious circumstances of her death. The sixth installment in System Sacom's Novel Ware series, Yami no Ketsuzoku is a Japanese-style adventure game. The player interacts with the environment by selecting objects to look at, conversation topics, and locations to travel to from a menu. There are no puzzles or inventory items to use. The game features extended text descriptions, cutscenes, and dialogues which sometimes prompt the player to make choices for the heroine.

Yami no Ketsuzoku Special

Fujitsu FM Towns Marty - Released - 1991

Yami no Ketsuzoku Special contains two games: Yami no Ketsuzoku Yami no Ketsuzoku: Kanketsu-hen Both titles are merged into a single game - the player can start the second chapter only after having completed the first. This version also replaces the synthesized music of the original release with CD audio tracks.

Yami no Ketsuzoku: Kanketsu-hen

Sharp X68000 - Released - October 5, 1990

Yami no Ketsuzoku: Kanketsu-hen is a direct sequel to Yami no Ketsuzoku. After a series of murders has occurred in Tokyo, Miyu Izawa, the heroine of the game and amateur detective endowed with supernatural senses, travels to Mexico with her friend Risa. There she has to learn about the history of the country's indigenous peoples, and venture into mysterious temples in order to finally discover the whole truth about recent horrifying events. The gameplay in this sequel is virtually identical to that of the predecessor. Interaction is performed by selecting verbs, objects, and locations from a menu; there are no inventory items or puzzles to solve. At some places it is possible to consult a map and view information about Mexican culture and customs.

Yuurei-kun

Microsoft MSX2 - Released - 1989

Yuurei-kun is an Action game, developed and published by System Sacom, which was released in Japan in 1988.