Tag Archives: Level-Grinder

Atlus, Namco, Namcot, NES/Famicom

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, Famicom

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This is the very first Megami Tensei game, released for the Nintendo Famicom in 1987, and it looks very basic compared to later Megami Tensei games, but was the foundation on which a successful series was built.

Based on a trilogy of fantasy novels by Japanese author Aya Nishitani, Megami Tensei was originally created as TWO distinct role-playing games. One version (this game) was developed by Atlus and published by Namco in 1987 for the Famicom. A separate version for home computers was co-developed by Atlus and Telenet Japan and published by Telenet Japan the same year.

The original game was never officially released in the West due to its use of religious themes, and Nintendo‘s sensitivity to them, but an English fan translation does exist that can be applied as a ROM hack.

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Linux, MacOS, Nintendo Switch, Obsidian, Paradox Interactive, PC, PlayStation 4, Windows, XBox One

Pillars of Eternity, PC

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Developed by Obsidian Entertainment and first released in 2015, Pillars of Eternity is an isometric RPG very much in the style of Baldur’s Gate, with a multi character party system, quests and turn-based combat.

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Game Freak, Nintendo, Nintendo DS

Pokémon Pearl, Nintendo DS

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While I wouldn’t call myself a Pokémon fanatic, I do really enjoy the games because they are so well made, and because I love level-grinders. Pokémon Pearl (and its companion, Diamond) is considered by many as one of the best games in the series, and people still love to play it now.

Compared to previous generations, Pokémon Pearl has lots of new features, and compared to later generations: the series hasn’t yet started to collapse under its own weight.

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Level-5, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Square Enix

Dragon Quest IX, Nintendo DS

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The follow-up to the classic PS2 game Dragon Quest VIII is another fine level-grinder, with cheerful, colourful graphics and mesmerising gameplay. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies was developed by Level-5 and published by Square Enix on the Nintendo DS in 2009.

Getting straight down to it: Dragon Quest IX (nine) is similar to the previous game in the series, but with a few fundamental changes…

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Megadrive/Genesis, Sega

Phantasy Star III, Megadrive/Genesis

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The third Phantasy Star game, subtitled Generations of Doom, was released for the Megadrive by Sega in 1990.

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gog.com, Homebrew, Megadrive/Genesis, Modern Retro, Steam, WaterMelon

Pier Solar and the Great Architects, Megadrive/Genesis

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Pier Solar and the Great Architects is a famous homebrew Role-Playing Game released in 2010. It was developed by a team called WaterMelon and was initially released on cartridge exclusively for the Sega Megadrive.

Since then, though, it has been ported to a number of different platforms, including HD remakes for Dreamcast, PlayStation 3 & 4, Wii U, PC, XBox One, and Android.

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Electronic Arts, Megadrive/Genesis, Sandcastle

The Immortal, Megadrive/Genesis

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The Immortal is a legendary RPG from Electronic Arts that was originally released for the Apple IIgs, then later ported to other systems, including this 1991 Megadrive conversion which is arguably the best version of The Immortal out there.

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PlayStation, Square

Legend of Mana, PlayStation

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Legend of Mana is the fourth game in the Mana series. It was once again directed by Koichi Ishii and was published by Square on CD-ROM for the PlayStation only in 1999.

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Game Boy Advance, Game Freak, Nintendo

Pokémon Ruby Version, Game Boy Advance

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Pokémon Ruby Version – released the same time as Pokémon Sapphire Version – was developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo in 2002 in Japan and 2003 everywhere else. It is known as a ‘third generation’ Pokémon game.

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Game Boy Advance, Konami, Steam

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Game Boy Advance

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The third and final Castlevania game on the Game Boy Advance, Aria of Sorrow was first published by Konami in 2003.

Development was again led by Producer Koji Igarashi (who had previously worked on Symphony of the Night), and the end result is another brilliant and varied mix of platforming and RPG, with challenging enemies and boss battles.

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