Air’s Adventure
– Game Studio Inc.
One of the first Saturn titles in the works, this heavily-anticipated polygon-rendered RPG has been in the works for over 2 years. Air’s Adventure is a story about a hero named Henry and a princess who travel between a 17th century European setting and a world of furies. Game Studio has decided to make sure to emphasize the story, thus making the battle system as simple as possible, for instance only one button is required for the polygonal characters to fight. Air’s Adventure has been released in Japan, no US release date has been announced.
Anearth Fantasy Stories
– MEDIAWORKS CO.,LTD.
An Earth Phantasy Stories is an RPG that gives you a lot of freedom in exploring the multi-scenario story. You are able to interact with nearly everything that is onscreen. For example, you can dig up graves in a cemetery and you can open up dressers and drawers in houses. The game begins with you as a baby. You get to choose one out of four couples to be your adoptive parents, then when you reach fifteen, you go off into your adventure, which soon becomes a heroic battle for the survival of the planet. The game also contains loads of speech by a gala cast of noted voice actors and also contains multiple storylines. Anearth Fantasy Stories has been released in Japan (3/27/97).
Arcana Strikes
– TAKARA
Arcana Strikes is being developed for the Sega Saturn in Japan by Takara and Red and is set for a December 11, 1997 release in Japan.
Blazing Heroes 2
– Sega of America
Blazing Heroes 2 to is the sequel to Riglord Saga/Mystaria/Blazing Heroes that was released earlier this year in the US. Blazing Heroes 2 is a strategy/RPG similar to games like Shining Force.
Riglord Saga 2, as it is called in Japan, is a huge improvement over 1. The game is in hi-res, and features two main characters, a ninja and female dragon knight. Riglord Saga 2 was released on November 2 in Japan. Sega of America has yet to announce a release date for Blazing Heroes 2 in the US.
STORY:
It has been more than a century since the Riglord War. The Dragoon Kingdom, located at the northwestern part of Riglord Continent, is invaded by Kadarl, a sorcerous nation full of mystery. Princess Mieu of the Dragoon Kingdom and Prince Rasty of the neighboring nation escape from the turmoil, and leave the region to look for allies to strike back.
CHARACTERS:
Mieu: The graceful dragon knight excels in both swordsmanship and might of the dragon. She is a little bit on the confident and self-conscious side. Deep inside her heart, she is kind and sensitive.
Rasty: He is a direct descendant of Prince Arthur and Priestess Elize, the well-known heroes in Riglord War. Folks say that he succeeded ArthurÕs soft-mindedness and ElizeÕs talent in holy spells. He can also cast attack spells.
Asuka: He is the team leader of ÒTsukigumiÓ (The Legion of Moon), the ninja team of Iga tribe in the land of Yamatai. He is a direct descendant of Musashi, the renowned hero in Riglord War. He wields ninjutsu techniques. He is honest, polite, and fortified with faith. His mother and beloved little sister live with him in the countryside.
Nazuna: Once a rootless Shikigami (genie), she forcefully signed a contract to become Asuka’s servant. Whether this relationship is a product of Nazuna’s likable character or Asuka’s hidden leadership is yet to be known. She is an archer with the ability to cast special spells.
Black Matrix 8 NEW Pics
– NEC
Black Matrix appears to be a tactical RPG that is being developed by NEC for release on the Sega Saturn in Japan.
Blue Breaker
– Human
Here are four new pics of another RPG for the Sega Saturn in Japan.
Chaos Seed
– Taito/Neverland Company
Chaos Seed is being developed by Taito/Neverland Company and will be published by GD Net. It is currently about 50% complete and should be released in Japan late this year. Chaos Seed is a remake of the game previously released for the Super Famicom in Japan. Chaos seed is a very innovative game that combines elements of strategy, action and classic role-playing. It is a very unique genre and is probably too complex for people without a good grasp of the Japanese language and thus it seems doubtful that a US company would be able to put the time into bringing this over. If you’re interested in learning more about this game, you might want to check out Alan’s Video Games Page, there is a detailed review of the Super Famicom version on that page.
Devil Summoner
– Atlus
Devil Summoner is a story of a college student in Tokyo who meets a private detective, known as the “Devil Summoner.” Due to unforeseen events, your soul is transported into his body. You must take on his quest, which involves defeating various demons, and then return to your body. The adventure is in the first person, while maps are in the third perspective. One nice feature is the ability to fully interact with the monsters you encounter. They will either join your party, give you money, items or information, or attack you, depending on how you answer the questions they pose. A unique feature of this game is the ability to combine monsters in your party to form new monsters. The game boasts over 200 monster combinations you can try. Each monster has its own statistics including HP, MP and alignment (good, evil, etc.)
Atlus has stated that Devil Summoner is currently being worked on for release in the US, tentatively scheduled for a late ’97 release. If they do decide to cancel it, they will do so in a press conference.
Devil Summoner Soul Hackers
– Atlus
Devil Summoner Soul Hackers is the latest game in the Megami Tensei series and is the sequel to Devil Summoner, which was released in December of 1995 for the Sega Saturn in Japan. Soul Hackers features the same game system as Devil Summoner, but the story is unrelated. The story involves a mysterious netwok organization that steals souls and the game features three different views. The overall map looks down upon the city of Tenkai from diagonally above. The 2D field map is used for moving around local areas. And of course, the 3D dungeons will return as the places where you will spend the majority of your time. These field maps are composed of polygons and pre-rendered graphics to create beautifully detailed backgrounds.
Devil Summoner Soul Hackers should be released for the Sega Saturn in Japan in November of 1997 and will have a suggested retail price of ¥6,800. Game information and screenshots are from the teleparc GAME geisen.
Dragon Force 2
– Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Dragon Force 2 is the sequel to Dragon Force, which still stands as one of my favorite games for the Sega Saturn. The game is a strategy/RPG that is extremely high on the addictiveness scale. Since Working Designs is no longer releasing games for the Sega Saturn after Magic Knight Rayearth, the chances of us seeing Dragon Force 2 in English are pretty slim to none.
DragonMaster Silk
– Datam Polystar
Dragon Master Silk is a 3D RPG being developed for the Saturn in Japan. The game has not been announced for a US release, but let’s hope, the pics look nice. Dragonmaster Silk has been released in Japan (3/27/97).
EVE burst error
– C’s Ware
An adventure game tracking Kojiro Amagi, a down-at-the-heel private eye, and Marina Hojyo, an elite government investigator. The two cross paths and become involved in a huge conspiracy. This four-disc set, of which one is a ŽÔMaking ofŽÕ bonus disk, has over 30,000 pieces of sampled speech that when uncompressed accounts for 3 gigabytes of data. Forty voice actors are featured in this massive animated adventure.
EVE burst error has been released in Japan, no US date has been announced, nor has it been picked up for US release.
Falcom Classics
– Falcom
Falcom has announced that it will release ‘Falcom Classics’ for the Sega Saturn this November in Japan. Falcom classics will contain some of Falcom’s extremely popular Japanese PC games from the 80’s, Xanadu, Y’s and Dragon Slayer, in one package which will retail for ¥5,800.
Each game will feature enhanced graphics and for Dragon Slayer and Xanadu you’ll have the choice to play the original version or a newer version that will allow you to change the level and map.
In case you’re not familiar with these 3 games, Dragon Slayer was originally released in 1984 and featured elements of action and puzzle RPGs. Xanadu was one of the most famous PC games in Japan, it was released in ’85 and is a side scrolling RPG with a lot of puzzles and action. Y’s was originally released in ’87 and it’s a top view traditional RPG. Y’s was also released for the Duo in the US, and is well known for having one of the best video game soundtracks of all-time. (most of this information is from Yoshi’s Land)
Far East of Eden – the Apocalypse IV
– Hudson Soft
Here are some screen shots from the latest RPG in the Far East of Eden (Tengai Makyo) series by Hudson Soft. This series is not well known in the US, but is very popular in Japan. The previous games in this series were for the PC Engine CD-Rom. The battle scenes will feature fully animated enemies. The overhead walking scenes are a mix of 3D rendered and traditional hand-drawn art.
This game will cover 2 CD-ROMs, and will feature 100 percent cel-animated, full-screen battles as well as tons of FMV, which require massive storage. The Apocalypse IV promises to be chock-full of li’l mini-games, diversions, and other unnecessary but fun distractions the series is famous for.
FEOE has been released in Japan (as of 1/10/97), still no reports on a US release, which is highly unlikely.
Farland Story
– Technical Group Laboratory
Farland Story is a strategy-rpg along the same lines as Feda and Shining Force. The game has two gameplay modes, an overhead map and the battle scenes. The overhead map is where you move your characters around the towns and landscapes and the battle scenes feature one on one fights. The graphics in the overhead map are very average, but the battle scenes are a little better as they feature some nice character and spell animation. Like most of the games listed on this page, the only way that we will see this game in English is if someone gives me a couple billion dollars to start up a huge software company that isn’t worried about profits, just bringing over every RPG. Farland Story was released this past March in Japan.
Feda: Remake
– Yanoman/Max Entertainment
Feda: Remake is a strategy RPG, it is a remade version of the original Feda. There has been no announced U.S. release date
Genso Suikoden
– Konami
Genso Suikoden, formerly an exclusive Playstation RPG, has been announced by Konami of Japan for the Sega Saturn. Genso Suikoden, just Suikoden in the US, is a RPG about a young boy who is the son of the Empire’s best Generals. He soon finds out that the empire is bad, and has to decide whether to fight with the rebels against the empire, thus possible betraying his father, or to side with the empire. Suikoden is deep RPG that will supply you with about 20 hours of gameplay and it features over 100 characters that will join you on your quest. Includes great soundtrack, featuring music that changes with the mood of the game.
The chances of Konami bringing out Suikoden in the US are pretty slim considering Konami’s past with US Saturn releases.
Grandia
– Game Arts
Grandia is a new 3-D RPG being created by Game Arts. Be sure to check out the pics of this graphically impressive title. Hopefully, Vic@WD will pick this one up.
There are around 150 people working on or have worked on Grandia. The game has been planned for over 3 1/2 years. The folks at Skywalker Sound are handling the music, and the guy who did GunGriffon’s intro The game is entirely 3D-rendered, texture-mapped polygons that can be viewed from any angle. The characters are hand-drawn, and the game features a real time battle system similar to the one in the Secret of Mana series, but much more complex. The setting is a Lunar-esque middle age fantasy world, but with the addition of some highly advanced technology recently excavated from a long dead society, that has landed in the arms of the villainous Garlyle army.
A playable demo of Grandia will be released this summer in Japan. Grandia is currently slated for a September 1997 release in Japan. It has been announced that Grandia will be on 2 CDs.
Sega of America has stated that it is interested in getting the rights from GA to release Grandia in the US. Working Designs is also interested in bringing over Grandia.
Langrisser 3
– NCA/Masaya
Langrisser 3 is the latest in the popular strategy wargame series, previously available on almost every system out there, including the Mega Drive, the Super Famicom, the PC Engine Duo and even the PC-FX (the very first Langrisser game was translated by Treco as Warsong). Despite the doubts raised by the early demo, the final product is a worthy continuation of the series, featuring an improved combat system, plenty of scenarios to clear – 36 regular (yes, 36, not 34 as you may think after finishing it for the first time) and 5 hidden, good music and graphics that do the job quite nicely. Although you are probably sick and tired of seeing the words “epic storyline” applied to every RPG-ish import these days, the story in Langrisser 3 is top-notch with memorable characters and some unexpected plot twists.
Given the copious amount of text in the game, the overall sophistication of the dialogue and (cough, cough) the current state of the US Saturn market, an English translation seems unlikely. However, the letters section in the latest GameFan (volume 4 issue 12) mentions that not one but _three_ companies are going for US rights to the game. If this is true, let’s hope that the translation will be as faithful to the original as possible, anything else would be a great disservice to RPG/strategy fans on this side of the Pacific.
Langrisser 4
– NCA/Masaya
Langrisser 4 is the latest in the popular strategy wargame series, and the second to be released for the Sega Saturn (in Japan). Just as Langrisser 3 was not released in the US, it is unlikely that Langrisser 4 will make its journey across the pacific ocean to the US in English. Langrisser 4 should be released later this year for the Sega Saturn in Japan.
Lunar Eternal Blue
– ESP/GameArts
Lunar Eternal Blue for the Sega Saturn is a remake of the popular Sega CD game from Game Arts and Working Designs. The game will feature enhancements in both the music and the graphics, plus it will have a beefed up storyline. The loading time will be a lot shorter than the Sega CD version. Six mazes that were deleted from the Mega/Sega CD version may be put back into the game. If so, Lunar Eternal Blue will be 2 CDs for the Saturn. After licensing Lunar 1 to Kadokawa Shoten for a Saturn remake, Game Arts has opted to redo Lunar 2 themselves. They’ve already begun work on Lunar: Eternal Blue, and hope to release it by the end of this year. Like Lunar 1, the game will feature new battle backgrounds, new (or at least re-colored) overhead visuals, new animation, and a much longer quest.
Lunar Magic School
– ESP
Lunar Magic School is a remade version of the Game Gear Lunar. The game features 32 bit graphics and an excellent CD-soundtrack. The story revolves around the Magic Guild of Vane and will have you involved in a lot of mini-quests.
Lunar Silver Star Story
– ESP/GameArts
Lunar Silver Star Story is the remake of the smash Sega CD/Mega CD hit Lunar the Silver Star. Lunar Silver Star Story for the Saturn has enhanced graphics, featuring a lot more color, animation and background movement than found in the Sega CD version. In addition to the enhancements to the graphics, other changes/additions have been made. For instance, you no longer have random battles. On the world map, there are no monsters and no random battles, in forests/dungeons, there are roaming monsters that you can see, and if you wish, avoid fighting. Changes have also been made to the plot and storyline, making this a must buy for those who have and have not played the Sega CD version. The U.S. version of Lunar Silver Star version has been cancelled.
Magic Knight Rayearth
– Working Designs/Sega Enterprises
Magic Knight Rayearth is an action RPG that is being translated to English by Working Designs. Rayearth is based on a popular Japanese Anime based on three young girls who are transported to a different dimension where they are treated as legendary heroes. The game features graphically stunning locations with very colorful hand drawn art. Combine the excellent graphics and a Working Designs quality translation and you get a sure fire hit. The game will be the final game released by Working Designs for the Sega Saturn and should make it out around April of 1998.
Marika
– Victor (JVC)
Marika is an upcoming RPG/adventure hybrid from Victor (JVC), that features several well-known voice actors. Marika should be released this October 1996 in Japan.
Ogre Battle
– Riverhill soft.
Ogre Battle is a strategy RPG by Enix. Ogre Battle was a hit in both Japan and the US for the Super Famicom and SNES, respectively. Ogre Battle has been released in Japan and there are currently no plans for a US release.
Panzer Dragoon Saga
– Team Andromeda
Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG is a RPG that has spawned from the two great Panzer Dragoon shooters that have previously been released for the Sega Saturn. The Panzer Dragoon games are well known for their great graphics, excellent cg cinemas and beautiful music. Panzer Dragoon RPG is sure to live up to what we expect in those areas as the pictures look amazing and I’m sure the music will be just as impressive. What remains to be seen is whether or not Team Andromeda can give us an epic story that can equal or surpass the graphic excellence.
Panzer Dragoon RPG is completely polygonal, consisting of flight and town scenes that are all 3-D, and with motion captured townspeople. The story revolves around Edge who is a guard in one of the Empire’s excavation sites. One of his fellow guards is murdered by a man named Craymen and Edge journeys to find him. More information is sure to be revealed at this year’s Tokyo Gamer’s Show. Panzer Dragoon RPG should be released this summer in Japan. Sega of America has stated that it will bring out Panzer Dragoon RPG in the US, it could make it out as early as Fall ’97.
Sega and Team Andromdea have begun to explain the complex level-up system in Azel. After finishing scenarios in the game, you get points that can be assigned to four areas: Attack, Defense, “Heart Skill,” (basically, this attribute controls your number of Berserk Points and the power of your Berserk Attack) and Maneuverability. Depending on where you assign your points, certain parts of your dragon’s polygonal body change; for instance, higher Attack rating means a longer, lance-type horn, whereas high Maneuverability means a long tail and broad, thin wings. This rapid model-changing is done in real-time: You can actually watch your dragon morph as you assi gn points to different areas, and there are infinite combinations – therefore an infinite amount of dragons exist in Azel!
The E3 version of Panzer Dragoon was listed as 50% complete, but it is really a lot less considering that the towns and walking around parts were not in the version that was there. What they did have there was the 3D world maps where you had full 360 degrees of flight and the very innovative battle system.
The 3D world map where you could fly around anywhere, looked better than Panzer Dragoon II, which was very impressive. Your dragon looks fantastic and you have five different dragons to morph into and the variety of the changes at your disposal are nearly infinite. The control in is great, especially with the analog controller, but is still very good with the digital pad.
You get into battles much like most traditional RPGs, as they are random and occur when flying around the world map. The battles themselves are unlike any that I have ever experienced. You have the options of firing your regular gun, use targeting, or you beserk attacks. The battles are fully 3D and you usually encounter a large number of emenies that can be very impressive in size and the first boss I faced was really huge and took a long time to defeat. The way the battles work is what sets it apart from any other games. They are on rails, but you are usually moving and you must move around your opponent to set you up for better shots and to avoid the attacks of the enemies, this adds a lot of strategy to the battles as you spend a lot of time jockeying for position. You have a charge meter much like the Final Fantasy games, but there are three of them that allows you three levels of charging up your targeting attack, the more you charge, the better you targeting attack. Also, when charged you have the ability to do various beserk attacks which are handled much like magic in that they use up you magic points. The beserk attacks are very impressive looking and do a lot of damage.
It is way too early to call this a must-have game, but from what I’ve seen, it looks like it could be one of the best and most innovative games ever released for the Sega Saturn or any other next generation console. Panzer Dragoon Saga is currently scheduled for a January 1998 release in the US.
Policenauts
– Konami
Policenauts is a digital comic adventure set in the year 2040. Following the tradition of Snatcher, Policenauts has the intense, deep and rich post-war story line that will draw you into the action. A complex role-playing game that will challenge your detective skills. A violent and mature story line Tons of scenes, items, and puzzles to explore and solve. Konami has stated that Policenauts will not be released in the US for any home system.
Puyo Puyo RPG
Puyo Puyo RPG is a new RPG based on the characters of the very popular Puyo Puyo license. Just like many of the other RPGs on this page, it will never see a U.S. release.
Quo Vadis 8 NEW Pics
– GLAMS
Quo Vadis is a Sci-fi war simulation game, that is loaded with lots of animation, a complex story line and many characters, voices and stages.
Ronde 5 NEW Pics
– ATLUS
Ronde is an RPG that is being developed for the Sega Saturn in Japan by Atlus. It is currently scheduled for a November 10, 1997 release in Japan.
Sakura Taisen
– Sega Enterprises Ltd.
Sakura Taisen translates into the Cherry Blossom Wars. Sakura is also the name of the main character in this interactive/strategy-action game that features both excellent graphics, an intricate storyline and tons of mech combat. The main game is an interactive movie where you socialize with other characters and go about your schedule. The other part of Sakura Taisen is a 3-D isometric view action/strategy game where you control a mech. The action/strategy part of the game is very similar to Front Mission on the Super Famicom. Sakura Taisen has been released in Japan. Nobody has picked up this game for a US release.
For more information on Sakura Taisen, as well pics, movies and art concerning Sakura Taisen, be sure to check out the following two pages: Official “Sakura Taisen” Home Page by Red Company and Unofficial Sakura Taisen Home Page.
Samurai Shodown RPG
– SNK
Samurai Shodown RPG is the much delayed RPG from SNK based on various characters from SNK’s fighting games. SNK should release Samurai Shodown RPG for the Sega Saturn this summer or fall in Japan. Samurai Shodown has been announced for release in the US, although no date has been specified.
Shining Force III
– Sega Enterprises Ltd.
With Shining Force 3, Sega is going to stretch the Shining Force series in some bold new directions. First of all, the engine is no longer 2D but full three-dimensional. The environments will be fully polygonal, with furniture, tables, houses, and even barrels viewable from multiple angles. Shining Force III will be released in three different chapters. The first chapter will arrive in December, with the others coming in Spring and Summer of ’98. Little is known about the storylines as yet, but it has been revealed that what you do in the one chapter will affect the story of the next chapter and that the hero of the first chapter will be the villian of the second. Also, Sega plans on using the Saturn’s DSP to help create some phenomenal graphical effects. Sega of America has not yet decided to bring over Shining Force III, but considering the success of Shining the Holy Ark and considering the fact that the previous Shining Force games were fairly popular in the US, it does seem likely that they will bring it over.
Snatcher
– Konami
Snatcher is without a doubt one of my all time favorite games, while pretty short (only about 8-12 hours), I have never experienced more fun or excitement while playing a video game. And now its coming for the Saturn. Its has been released in Japan. Konami currently has no plans to bring Snatcher out in the US. As far as I know, the game will be the same, but with slightly improved graphics and sound.
Solo Crisis
– ESP
Solo Crisis is a new strategy role playing game that is being developed by Quinted and published by ESP for the Sega Saturn in Japan. A US release is very unlikely.
Tactics Ogre
– Riverhill soft
Tactics Ogre is a Saturn remake of the Super Famicom game of the same name. Tactics Ogre is a strategy/RPG that is a sequel to Ogre Battle that was released for both the Super Famicom in Japan and for the SNES in the United States. Tactics Ogre was never released in the US. Tactics Ogre should be released this December in Japan. No announcement has been made for a US release.
Terra Phantastica
– Sega Enterprises Ltd.
A simulation RPG with art by Yamada Akihiro (whose RECORD OF LODOSS WAR comic ran for years in the Japanese DENGEKI SUPER FAMICOM magazine). The gameplay occurs in a 3/4 view, where you fight enemies strategically and tactically, using magic and arms. Between battles you must make alliances between a huge number of characters. The main character, Denae, is the leader of the forces of the kingdom of Meis; she is ordered to raise the young prince, Alexis the Second, giving the game elements of child-rearing (shades of PRINCESS MAKER…) as well as combat. Multiple endings and paths are possible. (Game Description from: News Line)
Terra Phantastica has been released in Japan, no US date has been announced.
Vandel Hearts
– Konami of Japan
Vandel Hearts is a strategy/rpg that is a quest of good versus evil in an empire torn with political strife. Battles take place in a unique 3D isometric world with multiple levels of terrain. You will have weapons, spells, and even booby traps to defeat your enemies. Vandal Hearts for the Saturn will feature some minor upgrades over the previously released PlayStation version. A US release of Vandel Hearts is highly unlikely.