What's your favorite 16-bit action RPG?

[VenomMacbeth]

Title says it all. ^-^

I'm gonna hold off on picking a favorite just yet, because there are so many contenders, but I wanna know what you consider the best.

[ToyMachine78]

Obey or non-obey?

[VenomMacbeth]

Obey or non-obey?

Obey included

Or, if you'd rather, you could choose one for each system.

[NecroPhile]

Hands down, Ys I & II.

If Xanadu were localized with an equally adept voice cast, I'd maybe vote for it instead.

[wildfruit]

Ys IV for me. I found it very thrilling.
For non obey I was going to go for soleil on mega drive but looking back it wasn't that great. Also considered LTTP but that muffled sound annoys me too much. Id have to go 32bit gen to choose another.

[TurboGrafx]

Secret of Mana was awesome! I have to think of some others that I played.

[TR0N]

Zelda LTTP
Crusader of Centy
Landstalker
Terranigma
Ys 1&2
Ys IV The Dawn of Ys

[MNKyDeth]

What do you consider action RPG? Cause like Dungeon Explorer 2 was action in that you never stopped, same with Y's but with Cosmic Fantasy 2 and Dragon Slayer: Legend of heroes you stopped to do battles. First two action? Last two not?

[PCEngineHell]

ActRaiser and Exile.

[VenomMacbeth]

What do you consider action RPG? Cause like Dungeon Explorer 2 was action in that you never stopped, same with Ys but with Cosmic Fantasy 2 and Dragon Slayer: Legend of heroes you stopped to do battles. First two action? Last two not?

Not too familiar with Dragon Slayer but Cosmic Fantasy is definitely not.  Typically, for me, if the fights are turn-based, I don't consider it an action RPG.

ActRaiser and Exile.

Best picks yet.

[o.pwuaioc]

Another vote for Secret of Mana for me. Also, can games like LttP even be considered action RPG? There is no leveling.

[ToyMachine78]

Dragon Slayer is a traditional RPG.

[VenomMacbeth]

Another vote for Secret of Mana for me. Also, can games like LttP even be considered action RPG? There is no leveling.

Aye, some might argue that by that logic, Super Metroid is an action RPG.  It's just about as much of one as LttP is.

[SignOfZeta]

Another vote for Secret of Mana for me. Also, can games like LttP even be considered action RPG? There is no leveling.

Zelda is pretty much the definition of "Action RPG". Turbo fans are more cosmopolitan, but for %99 of the people who have an opinion of what an ARPG is, they would say Zelda.

For some reason I can't think of a huge number of action RPGs I really like, so I'll go with Ys 1&2. I've cleared it a dozen times at least, I must love it.

Runners up: Fray, the Oasis games, Wind Waker.

[CrackTiger]

Depends of definition. I probably wouldn't be able to narrow it down to one anyway, but here are some of my favorites that might fall within the genre:

Beyond Oasis
Legend of Xanadu II
Ys I & II, IV
Dungeon Explorer and part II
Neutopia
Dragon's Curse
Wonderboy V

[munchiaz]

Some of my favs are

Alundra
Zelda LTTP
Ys I & II
Exile
Cadash
Dungeon explorer

[esteban]

Faxanadu.

It has more 16-bit, more action, more RPG, more tree metaphors, more mantras, more _____ than all the titles mention thus far.

[Opethian]

I was gonna say Faxanadu but its only 8-bit

id also add Zeliard and Crystalis for exceptional mentions even if its half the bits

[geise]

Ys Book I & II (Turbo)

very close behind is Actraiser.

[TR0N]

Some of my favs are

Alundra
Zelda LTTP
Ys I & II
Exile
Cadash
Dungeon explorer

Eh !? Alundra is PS1 does that count as a 16-bit action rpg ?

[ClodBusted]

Terranigma and Illusion of Time/Gaia.

Why these, well it's mainly the music and the storytelling that got me hooked back in the day. The graphics are also drawn pleasing to my eye. I still feel with the characters when they go through tragedies, joy or heartache.

A Link to the Past has a lot to offer in terms of different weapons, but the lack of leveling and numeric stats usually let me rather put it into the Action-Adventure subgenre, similar to the Metroid series.

[NightWolve]

Terranigma and Illusion of Time/Gaia.

Excellent choices. Rarely have I ever beaten a game with an emulator, seems I mostly wind up using them for browsing the library of the system, but Terranigma was a gem that made me glad the ZSNES emulator was around to play something that got professionally localized to English, BUT, ONLY for the European market and not us given the trouble ENIX was having in the North American market at the time...

[ClodBusted]

I'm glad you liked it. Yes, it's too bad it didn't get an US release. Do you know more about the reasons?

One funny side note on SNES RPGs/ARPGs and Action Adventures released in Germany:
Nintendo of Europe took care to translate most of them in German and publish them themselves. They made it a habit to take some liberties with the translations similar to Working Designs. Today people like to hate on them for that (especially on Claude Moyse who was also head/editor of the German Club Nintendo magazine), but honestly most of those who do weren't even born when the games were originally released. I grew up with NoE's translations, and I still think they are done very well and retain a special charme.

EDIT: Regarding Claude, I once participated in a group interview where he freely spoke about the severe difficulties on console RPG translations back then, both from technical as well as cultural point of views.
Google Translate: https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.is%2FRLtJk&edit-text=
Source: https://archive.is/RLtJk

PS: If you want to know what a transparent plastic dildo has to do with Shigeru Miyamoto, you'll find it there.

[pulstar]

So many great ARPGs around that time that I can't really say one is my favourite...small list below.

Ys I & II
Ys IV
Soleil
Story of Thor
Landstalker
Secret of Mana
Xanadu II

Some of my favourites off the top of my head...but's there's plenty more I can't think of right now because I'm having a mental block.

[MNKyDeth]

I am going to have to go with Dungeon Explorer 2. Mostly because of the better colors over the original and I was mostly playing traditional type RPG's at the time.

I would say Neutopia 2 is my second choice and then the original Neutopia. Dungeon Explorer... the first one.... wold be fourth.

Now that I think about it. Not sure if I consider Cadash an action RPG or a platformer like Mario. But that would round out #5.

I think all the games I was playing on my Sega CD and Genesis were traditional RPG so.... TG-16 exclusive 16-bit action RPG'er here.

[seieienbu]

Hmmm....

Ys 1 & 2 on Turbo CD
Seiken Densetsu 3
Dungeon Explorer
Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu 2
Illusion of Gaia

As much as I like Zelda 3 I don't want to include it as I don't really consider it an ARPG...?  Back in the 90s I referred to it as an "adventure game" (mainly due to Nintendo informing me that Zelda 1 and 2 were in the "Adventure Series").

[munchiaz]

Some of my favs are

Alundra
Zelda LTTP
Ys I & II
Exile
Cadash
Dungeon explorer

Eh !? Alundra is PS1 does that count as a 16-bit action rpg ?

Had a brain fart when posting my list. Forgot this was 16 bit. regardless. its still an awesome game

[NightWolve]

I'm glad you liked it. Yes, it's too bad it didn't get an US release. Do you know more about the reasons?

Yep, ENIX wasn't doing well and they closed their U.S. subsidiary for a time... It was already closed by the time the translation for Terranigma finished, so yeah, it was only released for Europe and Australia. Based on Wiki, ENIX opened its US branch in 1990, but it closed in 1995 when the parent company decided to no longer release products here due to poor sales... Then they reopened it as "Enix America, Inc." in 1999 until the 2003 merger with Square turned it into Square-Enix, etc. So Terranigma just got caught in that poor sales and ENIX US branch closure period.

[TR0N]

Some of my favs are

Alundra
Zelda LTTP
Ys I & II
Exile
Cadash
Dungeon explorer

Eh !? Alundra is PS1 does that count as a 16-bit action rpg ?

Had a brain fart when posting my list. Forgot this was 16 bit. regardless. its still an awesome game

Yeah it is since the team behind landstalker made alundra.Alundra is a top notch action rpg,solid game play and a really good sound track.

[Gentlegamer]

Neither Zelda III nor the Neutopia games are RPGs.

In an RPG, the primary way of advancing the player character's power is through levels, usually through obtaining experience points.

Zelda and Neutopia are adventure games.

[DragonmasterDan]

Neither Zelda III nor the Neutopia games are RPGs.

In an RPG, the primary way of advancing the player character's power is through levels, usually through obtaining experience points.

Zelda and Neutopia are adventure games.

The definition of what is and isn't an RPG, particularly on consoles has changed over time. The Zelda series were certainly considered and categorized as RPGs in the 8 and 16 bit eras. The main reason is they're games built around exploration, have an overhead view, finding items to power up your character, an inventory management screen, have in game currency and shops, have an overworld and then separate dungeon areas. These were the types of traits that caused games to get classified as RPGs or hybrids back in the day, rather than an experience point based level system as the sole piece of criteria.

[Gentlegamer]

The only Zelda game that is an action RPG is Zelda II.

[BigusSchmuck]

Toss up between Soul Blazer and Ys Books 1&2.

[o.pwuaioc]

Toss up between Soul Blazer and Ys Books 1&2.

You thought Soul Blazer was better than Illusion of Gaia or Terranigma?

[CrackTiger]

I don't remember adventure games like Zelda being refered to as RPGs during the 8 or 16-bit eras. It only seemed to come up often after retro gaming became popular in the past decade. Too often I've seen the same people who call adventure/misc non-RPG games "RPGs" also include war sims and digicomics.


I've never understood the appeal of Illusion of Gaia. It was a dud at a local rental store bitd and quickly got liquidated for $9.99. I bought it and played it to death (like I did every game) and it was not enjoyable even the first time through. It really feels like a crude simple unfinished game by an unprofessional team. The kind of homebrew some people might throw together today without putting much thought into it. It also felt like it must have been 4 megs tops. Even as a $10 game in 1995 it felt like it wasn't a worthwhile purchase.

[DragonmasterDan]

I don't remember adventure games like Zelda being refered to as RPGs during the 8 or 16-bit eras. It only seemed to come up often after retro gaming became popular in the past decade. Too often I've seen the same people who call adventure/misc non-RPG games "RPGs" also include war sims and digicomics.

Game publisher promotional material and game magazines often called games with overhead views, medieval themes, overworld/underworlds and inventory screens role playing games.

Here's an example of NEC doing just that in the TurboGrafx promotional video from 1989.
Turbografx 16: The Higher Energy Video Game System (VHS)

Added in edit: My time sensitive URL didn't work when embedding the video go to 6 minutes and 18 seconds in when they cover Neutopia.

[VenomMacbeth]

I've never understood the appeal of Illusion of Gaia. It was a dud at a local rental store bitd and quickly got liquidated for $9.99. I bought it and played it to death (like I did every game) and it was not enjoyable even the first time through. It really feels like a crude simple unfinished game by an unprofessional team. The kind of homebrew some people might throw together today without putting much thought into it. It also felt like it must have been 4 megs tops. Even as a $10 game in 1995 it felt like it wasn't a worthwhile purchase.

I got it for $15 & I really just can't figure it out.  Something about it just makes me derp out & not know where to go or what to do.  I don't think I've ever played it for more than 10-15 minutes...

[CGQuarterly]

If Actraiser counts, then probably that.  If not then I dunno.

[Gentlegamer]

I don't remember adventure games like Zelda being refered to as RPGs during the 8 or 16-bit eras. It only seemed to come up often after retro gaming became popular in the past decade. Too often I've seen the same people who call adventure/misc non-RPG games "RPGs" also include war sims and digicomics.

Game publisher promotional material and game magazines often called games with overhead views, medieval themes, overworld/underworlds and inventory screens role playing games.

That doesn't make it correct. By that criteria, King's Quest is a role-playing game, and surely you know that's not right.

[VenomMacbeth]

What's your favorite adventure game, Gentlegamer?

[DragonmasterDan]

That doesn't make it correct. By that criteria, King's Quest is a role-playing game, and surely you know that's not right.

I don't think the definition of "Role Playing Game" in the video game sense was as clearly defined as we think of it today. I can see why people have called Zelda, Neutopia, etc RPGs using the criteria I mentioned above. The definition is kind of arbitrary in general as not everyone agrees on what characteristics define such categorization.

[SuperDeadite]

Not my favorite, but I highly recommend everyone gives Silkroad 2 on X68000 a try.  It's like a super cute version of Zelda with really purdy graphics.  Really nice for a doujin, and you don't see many doujins of this type of game.

[PukeSter]

Dungeon Explorer and Monster World are my favorites.

I did not like Secret of Mana at all.