Released in Japan only, by Sega, in 1992, Tōgi Ō: King Colossus is an obscure JRPG with real-time combat that has been fan-translated into English (and Spanish) and is therefore playable to gamers outside of Japan.

You play a young fighter who is sent on a mission to restore a sword for his father, and is subsequently embroiled in a quest to destroy a local boss monster, called Gomunus. Upon completion of this quest, you are then taken by the local ruler to fight to the death with other gladiators in the coliseum! A shocking twist in the story, but one that certainly spices-up the game a notch or two…

Combat in King Colossus is simple but effective, and you can upgrade your weapons and armour as you progress, by finding items inside treasure chests (there are no shops as such, and therefore no requirement to accrue money).

Your health is shown as a life bar at the bottom of the screen, and the game is also kind enough to show your progress with Experience Points too. You can jump (not always possible in these types of games), and you can also cast various types of magic (if you have the requisite amount of Magic Points). Your position on the screen, before taking a swing at an enemy, is most important, so you have to learn how best to fight each type of enemy that you encounter and to avoid taking damage. Medical herbs will heal you, though, when you’re close to death. If you do die, then it’s ‘game over’, but the game does provide three save slots, so you can re-load from your last save if that happens.

Overall, Tōgi Ō: King Colossus is a game still worth playing today. It’s one of those obscure, rare level-grinders on the Megadrive that is a joy to play, even if it doesn’t look like much.

Thank you to Pastor Cospefogo for pointing me in the direction of this game! 🙂

More: Tōgi Ō: King Colossus on Wikipedia
More: Tōgi Ō: King Colossus on YouTube