Developed and published by HAL Laboratory, Arcana is a fantasy Role-Playing Game that mixes card-battling with first-person dungeoneering, and it is a reasonably enjoyable experience overall. Also known as “Card Master” in Japan, Arcana was first published in 1992, exclusively for the Super Nintendo.
Tag Archives: Obscure
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones, PC Engine
Keith Courage in Alpha Zones is a single-player platform game with action elements, developed by Advance Communication Company and published by Hudson Soft in Japan (in 1988) and NEC in North America (in 1989).
When the PC Engine was launched in North America in 1988 – as the TurboGrafx-16 – THIS was the pack-in game that greeted new owners. Not R-Type, not Turrican, not Ghouls ‘N Ghosts – nor any of the other great games on the system – but Keith bloody Courage in bloody Alpha Zones… History has noted that NEC (the manufacturer of the PC Engine) missed a MAJOR trick there, possibly even contributing to the console’s under-performance in sales, and eventual demise.
Super Hero, Amstrad CPC
Codemasters‘ 1988 release for the Amstrad, Super Hero, sounds innocuous, but it marked the return of pixel artist Bernie Drummond, after Head Over Heels and Batman, but before Monster Max. Which was always a cause for celebration, in my humble opinion. RIP Bernie.
Super Hero is similar to Ultimate Play the Game‘s Nightshade, or Gunfright, in that the isometric backgrounds scroll around on occasion. Not all the time. Some rooms are static, Knight Lore-style.
Eight Man, Neo Geo
Eight Man (aka “Eightman” aka “8 Man“) is a one or two-player scrolling beat ’em up based on Kazumasa Hirai‘s manga and anime character of the same name, who is considered one of the earliest Japanese cyborg superhero characters. The game was developed by Pallas and published exclusively for the Neo Geo by SNK in 1991.
It’s A Knockout, ZX Spectrum
It’s A Knockout, also known as “Jeux sans frontières“, was a TV show where teams of contestants battled it out over various physical challenges, in order to win the most points.
The idea for the show came from French President Charles de Gaulle, whose wish was that French and German youth would meet in a series of games to reinforce the friendship between the two countries. The domestic BBC English language version of the show was called “It’s A Knockout“.
The TV show grew during the 1970s and became popular throughout Europe, with various countries getting their own local and national versions, and the winners going through to a European final where individual countries would take each other on. These finals were usually much bigger-budget, with elaborate costumes and challenges, than in the early rounds, and they were broadcast throughout Europe on a regular basis for at least a couple of decades. It’s A Knockout was a phenomenon back in the late 70s and 80s. It’s since been replaced by similar shows like Tekashi’s Castle.
Death Pit, ZX Spectrum
***CANNED GAME***
Death Pit was advertised extensively by Durell Software in 1985, but was never released. The completed full game has since been made available online, so you can still play it now.
Tōgi Ō: King Colossus, Megadrive/Genesis
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.
Hagane: The Final Conflict, Super Nintendo
Developed by CAProduction and published by Hudson Soft in 1994 for the Super Nintendo, Hagane: The Final Conflict is a side-scrolling action/platform game in which you control a cyborg ninja – called Hagane – who is on a revenge mission against a rival clan.
Sorcerer’s Kingdom, Megadrive/Genesis
Developed by NCS Corporation and published exclusively for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis in 1992, Sorcerer’s Kingdom is a relatively obscure JRPG with tactical, turn-based combat.
Dead Eye, Arcade
Dead Eye is an early arcade game that was first released in 1978 by Meadows Games. The aim of the game is to flip a coin, and then shoot it to keep it in the air, scoring points as you do so.
The King of Grabs 