Hey Arcaders!
The next Turbographix 16 game is one of my absolute favorites- and probably the one I got more frustrated at than any other! As a single player experience, it’s fun but HARD! But- add four companions (that’s right up to FIVE PLAYERS) it’s a quest worth taking. I’m talking about the Turbographix 16’s answer to Gauntlet- Dungeon Explorer!
Dungeon Explorer is an action role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the TurboGrafx-16 and originally published by Hudson Soft in Japan on March 4, 1989, and later in North America by NEC on November 15 of the same year. The first installment in the eponymous franchise, the game is set in the land of Oddesia, which has been overrun by an alien race and where players assume the role of one of eight main characters tasked with recovering the Ora stone to kill the alien king Natas. Co-directed by Kazutoshi Ueda and Yōsuke Niino, the title was created by most of the same team that would work on later several projects such as entries in the Megami Tensei series. Though it was initially launched for the TurboGrafx-16, it was later re-released through download services for various consoles.
Now- let’s talk about the soundtrack- It’s my favorite on the system! Take a listen!
A great game like this deserves a sequel. Dungeon Explorer II, was later released for the Turbographix-CD console in 1993.
A heavily modified port of Dungeon Explorer II was made for the Super Famicom, titled Crystal Beans from Dungeon Explorer, and was released in Japan in 1995.
There was also a Sega CD game which goes by the name of Dungeon Explorer. It is related to the series, but not a port of any previous game, and very different from the others. Developed by Westone, Dungeon Explorer for the Sega CD is far closer to Gauntlet than other games in the series. Weapons and armor may be bought with the gold found in dungeons.
In 2007, two related games, again different from the original titles, were released to coincide with the release of the original Dungeon Explorer on the Wii’s Virtual Console. Both Dungeon Explorer: Meiyaku no Tobira and Dungeon Explorer: Jashin no Ryouiki were released for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS respectively on November 15, 2007. Both games were localized but released as Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts.
What do you think of Dungeon Explorer? did you ever play this amazing game or any of the sequels? Let me know in the comments!
Keep Playin’ Like It’s 1981!
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