So, I love the Sega CD and 32X, honestly. When SEGA failed at a console, they usually did something really cool with it. I loved how Saturn felt more focused on arcade-like experiences, but had tons of unique and interesting games to it, Dreamcast's library and innovation was incredible, and in the case of Sega CD and 32X, I think you need to appreciate weird games to get beyond Sonic CD and Snatcher, but they had that in spades. My all-time favorite CD entries were all mostly FMV games from third-party studios like Konami, Data East, Digital Pictures, and Wolf Team (who later changed their name to Namco Tales Studios before merging with main studio Bandai Namco). That said, Sega did a lot of good on them. Sega CD had the aforementioned Sonic CD and the original SHIN Megami Tensei. 32X had Knuckles Chaotix and Virtua Fighter's first time on a console. I hope we get a fair amount of submissions.
I am submitting none of that and going for another obscure pick, but I have a good reason.
Job #38: Amon (Dark Wizard)
Dark Wizard was a Sega developed tactical RPG in the vein of Fire Emblem only for the Sega CD, and just like in modern Fire Emblem, there's multiple routes to the game. Four routes, in fact,
each with their own protagonist. The story centers around a dark god summoned by an evil priest, before he was defeated and the dark god was sealed in a jewel. Unfortunately, it had to be looked over so it never fell into the wrong hands, and the task of who was chosen to look after that jewel for eternity was the immortal wizard's apprentice as punishment for practicing the dark arts. The game here starts many years later when that apprentice has been corrupted by the dark god, and takes over the world as...
THE DARK WIZARD.
Each protagonist has their own unique story of how they look to bring him down. You have
Armer IX, the prince of the country,
Robin, who is the leader of the knights,
Krystal, a sorceress, and
Amon, who is a vampire with his own agenda. Their stories all contradict each other, so there's no real canonical route, for the record. I could have picked any of these protagonists. They all seem great, but after going back and forth, I really think Amon is the one to go with on it. His nickname is 'The Puppet Master', and sometimes he spices it up with the 'Dark Puppet Master', and his whole thing is that he's just mad The Dark Wizard rules the world. In spite of the fact that vampires are only showing up again because the Dark Wizard has power. He both acts like and even sounds like Starscream. His story has him get his army to challenge the Dark Wizard
™ by killing and then impersonating the King.
He's a classic vampire. Transformation, hypnosis, attacks people with fangs, flies, you get the whole deal with him. He even gets a "Vampire form" he turns into when his powers REALLY come out. Although, he also doesn't seem to be affected by sunlight, which...I guess is a good thing for this game.
Did I mention he also has the
best theme in a game with a bunch of really great music? It hasn't aged amazingly, but this game is still cool if you want a TRPG away from the 'big' franchises.
