The Master System version of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? maintains the gameplay mechanics of the computer original. The main difference is the interface: instead of navigating through text menus, the player directly controls the detective through the side-scrolling cities. There are two landmarks to look out for: buildings (entering them allows you to interrogate people) and a phone booth to enter the suspect's characteristics (eye color is replaced by vehicle color). If the player is on the right track, the suspect may appear and fire a shot; the player must jump over him in order not to lose time.
1988, the year Super Racing was released on SEGA Master System. Made by SEGA Enterprises Ltd. and published by SEGA Enterprises Ltd., this racing driving game is available for free on this page.
Algol is a star system formed by three planets: the green Palma, the arid Motavia and the icy Dezolis. Recently, the formerly benevolent King Lassic has converted to a new religion and begins to rule Algol with an iron fist. Nero, the leader of a rebel group, is brutally murdered by Lassic's robotic policemen. His last words were addressed to his sister Alis: he implores her to find a warrior named Odin. Alis vows revenge on Lassic and embarks on a journey to find Odin and other companions to help her defeat the tyrant.
Phantasy Star is often considered one of the progenitors of Japanese-style RPGs. Unlike Dragon Quest, it has an anime-style visual aesthetic and contains many gameplay elements characteristic of the genre. Instead of being an adventurer or warrior on an impersonal quest, the player controls a character with his or her own history, motivations, and desires. The game introduces the typical genre template of specific non-player characters who join the party for plot-related reasons. The game is also notable for being one of the first RPGs with a female protagonist by default. It is set in a science fiction setting where advanced technology and magic coexist, somewhat reminiscent of Star Wars.
The core gameplay is influenced by the Ultima games, with simpler turn-based combat against randomly appearing enemies, which is similar to Wizardry. The player navigates Alis in an overworld, visiting cities and dungeons represented by icons. The dungeons have pseudo-3D graphics and are labyrinthine.
The player can buy new weapons, armor and shields, as well as healing and restoration items in the cities, or find them in dungeon chests. Each character uses unique weapon types (e. g. , Myau uses claws or fangs, Odin wields pistols and axes, etc. ). Experience points are awarded for defeating enemies; when a character has accumulated enough, he levels up, gaining additional maximum health points (HP) and higher combat parameters. Some characters can cast magic spells, which require magic points (MP), which also increase as they level up. Characters can visit doctors in towns, recovering HP and MP. Game progress can be saved anywhere.
Dragon Crystal is a dungeon crawler with RPG elements, in the vein of classics like Rogue or Nethack. Without relying on a story, the game throws you into a randomly generated world that you must explore carefully and, above all, survive. The complex labyrinthine levels reveal their structure only after traversing the corresponding areas of the map. Your goal in each level is to reach a teleporter that will take you to the next one. There are also a lot of random items scattered throughout the game: weapons, armor, money and food. Money allows you to continue the game if you die, food keeps you from starving. Enemies are visible on the screen, and you fight them in real time combat, moving and pressing the arrow keys to hit with the equipped weapon. You are always accompanied by an egg that will eventually turn into a dragon if you have sufficiently leveled up.
1994, year 4 Super World Cup Chukku was released on SEGA Master System. Made by Open Production and published by Daou Infosys Corp, this sports game is available for free on this page.
