Japanese RPGs - Origins
I sometimes post "history threads" on another gaming message board as a way of generating discussion. I figured I try one here to see if people are into them. I encourage everyone to make additions, opinions, corrections, etc..
Console RPGs have been hugely popular in Japan for some time now. Like most video game genres, RPGs were invented in the West. The birth of the video RPG genre happened in 1979 with Richard Garriott's Akalabeth for the Apple II. This game is the direct ancestor of the Ultima series. RPGs have had a long and prosperous life on PCs ever since.
Action/RPGs were also born around the same time as Akalabeth with Temple of Apshai by Automated Simulations(Epyx's original name) for the Commodore PET but I won't cover that genre in this thread.
Western consoles were also home to RPGs in the early '80s. American-made console RPGs such as Mattel's Dungeons & Dragons series on the Intellivision were similar to the ones of home computers.
As is well documented in David Sheff's Nintendo history book Game Over, Henk Rogers(founder of Bullet-Proof Software) introduced the Japanese to the turn-based RPG genre with his 1983 game Black Onyx. Black Onyx was released on several Japanese computer formats and had a few sequels.
Of course, I don't believe everything I read; it's very likely that the Japanese were going to be making RPGs with or without Black Onyx as evidenced by Koei's PC88 hentai game Danchizuma no Yuwaku which also dates from 1983.
Published by Riverhill Soft, Xtalsoft's(pronounced Crystal Soft) Lizard was released for the PC88 in 1984. Xtal was a pioneer in J-RPGs but their name is virtually unknown in the West.
A few companies like Namco, Falcom, and ASCII were dabbling in Action/RPGs in 1984. Most of these games stuck to traditional Western fantasy themes.
One early Japanese computer RPG that broke from these themes was KGD Soft.'s 1985 release Cosmic Soldier(not same as Enix's earlier game of the same name), which had a distinct '80s anime sci-fi look to it. The PC version of its sequel Psychic War managed to make it to the English speaking world courtesy of Broderbund.
http://www2.licorp.co.jp/pugly/oldpc...info.php?id=52
Koei had Time Empire for the PC88 in 1985.
Magical Zoo released the PC88 horror RPG The Screamer in 1985.
Before making console games, Square was a computer game developer. I read somewhere released a computer RPG called Genesis in 1985 but I can't find much info on it.
Square released Cruiser Chaser Blassty for the PC88 in 1986, a New Type SF Animation Role Playing Game, or so the title screen says.
http://www.uvlist.com/img.asp?BLASSTY_pc88.png
Xtalsoft's Wizardry-inspired Japanese computer RPG series Fantasian began in 1986.
Winky Soft had Arks Road in 1986.
And what would early Japanese RPG gaming be without the expected school girl themed game? Here's Policy's 1986 RPG The Fight Girls for the PC88.
Enix, a computer game company known for action and adventure games, struck gold in February 1986 with their Famicom RPG Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest's tremendous success on the Famicom is a major reason why console RPGs are so popular in Japan. DQ was ported to MSX later in the year.
Enix continued to make computer RPGs like their 1986 release Earth Fighter Rayieza.
ASCII/KGD had their 1986 PC88/MSX game Haja no Fuuin which was significant to console gaming because it was ported to Famicom and Master System. Sega's Master System version(shown below) was the only one to see release in English when it came out as Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord.
Also in 1986, Hummingbird Soft/DOG released Deep Dungeon for the Famicom Disk System (DOG stands for Disk Original Group and was a publishing label of Square's). Deep Dungeon went on to have three sequels.
1987 was a very significant year for console RPGs in Japan. The following dates are from GameFAQs and the Famicom Database so I hope they are correct. I will focus the rest of the thread solely on console releases. RPGs still thrived on Japanese computers but most of the best Japanese RPG developers were now focused on consoles.
January 26 - Enix released Dragon Quest IIfor the Famicom.
June 12 - Data East generally wasn't known for RPGs throughout their lifespan but they did have a Famicom RPG series that started in 1987 called Hercules no Eikou that later went on to the Game Boy and Super Famicom. http://www.geocities.com/jmichaelgallen/Heracles1.html
July 24 - Square's Cleopatra no Mahou for the FDS was a first-person perspective RPG set in Egypt.
September 3 - Culture Brain's Magic of Scheherazade was a hybrid of an ARPG and a turned based RPG.
September 5 - Toshiba's Zoids for the Famicom also borderline fits the traditional RPG category. The battles were shooting action but otherwise it was an RPG. Unlike Zelda-ish games, it went into a separate battle-mode and thus I think it more closely resembles traditional RPGs.
http://www.vgmuseum.com/pics/zoids.html
September 11 - Namco published the first game in Atlus' Megami Tensei series for the Famicom. This would have made a great addition to the NES' line-up but I doubt Nintendo would have approved anything devil-related for domestic release back then even if they had more RPG interest.
October 2 - Square published Xtalsoft's Sword of Kalin for the Famicom Disk System. I only played a bit of it through emulation and the thing that stood out for me was that the game doesn't have random battles.
October 23 - Taito released a Famicom game called Minelvaton Saga(Minervatown Saga). I believe this is a regular RPG but I'm not 100% sure. It could be an Action/RPG. Anyone know?
October 27 - Hot-B made their contribution to the growing Famicom RPG line-up with Hoshi o Miru Hito. As far as I can tell, this game is a typical fantasy RPG that didn't break any new ground.
November 13 - Nihon Bussan's Artelius for the Famicom was similar to Zoids in that battles were action-based but the game was a traditonal RPG in other aspects.
December 15 - Nintendo released Ginga no Sannin, a sci-fi RPG. It's a shame this game never saw a domestic release(or a translated rom yet).
December 18 - A few days later Square released the not so final Final Fantasy for the Famicom and it was a huge success for the company.
December 20 - Just a couple days after Final Fantasy's debut, Sega released Phantasy Star for the Mark III. Despite being the most impressive console RPG of its time with its fluid 3d dungeons, atypical characters and fantastic music score, it did not reach more than cult status, probably due to being released on a non-Nintendo system.
And so, 1987 ended with many of the longest running Japanese RPG series already having been born.
1987 also ended without any Japanese RPGs released in North America. Of the 1986/1987 Japanese RPGs, Phantasy Star was the first game to be localized in 1988. Dragon Warrior and Magic of Sheherazade came out in 1989 and Final Fantasy finally arrived in 1990. There were a handful of 1988/89 Famicom RPGs that got localized quickly during these years as well, making the chronology even more confusing.
So what are your thoughts on early Japanese RPGs? Is there anything important that I missed from 1987 or earlier?
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Originally Posted by Oobgarm
