Originally released in 1982, the PC-98 was a series of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit computers that played a huge role in gaming history. Since IBM computers didn't have graphics that could display Japanese text, the PC-98 computers were created to handle detailed characters. With the most advanced graphics and sound for the time, these machines dominated Japan's computer industry.
But, once other computers were able to transcend the language barrier with cheaper alternatives, the PC-98 series faded away. Despite this, the freedom for third-party developers to customize the computers and publish titles led to unique games that are still important today.
Released in 1992 for the PC-9801, Popful Mail is a side-scrolling action-platformer that follows a female elf named Mail who is a bounty hunter. After failing to catch her latest target, Nuts Cracker, she regains her spirits when she discovers a new target, an evil wizard named Muttonhead, who has an even bigger bounty on his head. As Mail heads off on her new quest, she has no idea how much trouble she is about to get into.
Although this game shares many similarities to other side-scrolling platformers of the time, Popful Mail is unique because it also has some RPG elements. Players can switch between Mail and two other characters, Tatt and Gaw, who each have different abilities and equipment. While there is no leveling up, the player can change the equipment, use items, and talk to NPCs.
Inspired by Super Castlevania IV, which is one of the scariest games on the SNES, Rusty is a 1993 side-scrolling action game that has the player control a vampire huntress named Rustea "Rusty" Sprincul. The Vampire Queen of Bloodthorne Castle, Bloody Mary, is kidnapping local women to resurrect a powerful ancient vampire, so Rusty must go on a journey to rescue the women and defeat the evil creatures.
Similar to the Belmonts, Rusty has a whip that she primarily uses to attack enemies. She also has several secondary weapons that even include her owl companion who will fly across the screen to defeat foes.
Before creating the well-beloved Tales RPG series, which recently came back with the recent release of Tales of Arise, the original developers, known as Wolf Team, also worked on a 1995 horror adventure game called Tokyo Twilight Busters. The game follows a young man named Sho Kusanagi who was studying in England but decides to return to Japan to find out what happened to his missing father.
The game is unique for having the player solve point-and-click puzzles in real-time with the player failing if they run out of time. Since carrying space is limited and many items can only be used a certain number of times, players will have to manage their inventory. Along with the use of various characters that can each do their own tasks and RPG battles, this game requires plenty of strategy to get through.
Released in 1992, Dead of the Brain is a horror point-and-click adventure game and the first entry in the Nightmare Collection trilogy, which also includes Dead of the Brain 2 and Marine Philt. The game follows a painter named Cole who finds himself in a zombie apocalypse after his friend, Dr. Cooger, seemingly starts it by bringing a police officer back to life using his newly created reanimation serum.
Although this horror game has never been officially localized, there is a fan-made English patch. Dead of the Brain is noteworthy for its detailed violence and surreal plot elements. The game excels at immersing the player in its dystopian world with great characterization and a unpredictable narrative.
Modern visual novels and anime would not exist without the 1996 science-fiction visual novel eroge adventure game YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World. This historic game follows a young man named Takuya Arima who receives a package from his father who was thought to be dead. Inside the package, Takuya finds a letter from his father telling him to use the Reflector Device to travel through different timelines to find him.
In this game, the player must use the Reflector Device to move through the alternate timelines to gain jewels from the different routes. Although the game has some disturbing mature content, the science-fiction elements, narrative structure, and isekai ending have directly and indirectly influenced many major video games, tv-shows, and movies to this day.
Created by the famous anime studio Gainax and considered by some to be one of the best otome games, Princess Maker 2 is a 1993 social simulation game and the second mainline entry in the Princess Maker series. The player takes on the role of a war hero who has been gifted a daughter by one of the gods and asked to raise the child from the age of 10 to the age of 18.
Depending on the player's actions during the game, the child can have one of over 100 different endings, which reveal what job she has, who she married, and other bits of her adult life. The original game was never officially released in English, but the 2016 remake Princess Maker 2 Refine was officially translated and released on Steam.
Originally released in 1994, The Legend of Heroes III: Shiroki Majo is the third entry of The Legend of Heroes RPG series, which was originally part of the Dragon Slayer series and now is a part of the Trails series. The game follows a young boy named Jurio and his childhood friend named Christina who slowly uncovers the mystery of the Moonlight Witch while they travel across the land.
In 2006, the game was officially released in English, but it was titled The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch. The series this game originally came from, Dragon Slayer, is considered one of the pioneering franchises of the JRPG genre.
Released in 1988, Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter is an action JRPG that ended the first story arc of the ongoing Ys series, and whose game mechanics and plot have influenced many popular modern JRPGs. Taking place directly after the first game, the player once again controls the young hero Adol Christin as he tries to uncover the secrets of Ys and defeat the evil forces corrupting the world.
Similar to the first game, the player fights enemies by "bumping" into them, which does certain amounts of damage depending on Adol's stats and the position of the bump. But, this game also adds in a magic system, which allows spells to be used along with the bump attacks.
Developed by the famous video game creator Hideo Kojima and considered to be one of the best visual novel games, Policenauts is a 1994 science-fiction game that focuses on a private detective named Jonathan Ingram who must travel to a space colony to solve the recent murder of his ex-wife.
Although the linear gameplay of Policenauts is much simpler compared to Kojima's previous science fiction point-and-click visual novel, Snatcher, the graphics and plot are more vivid and detailed. Both games have elements that would later appear in Kojima's more recent works such as the Metal Gear Solid series.
One of the most popular video game franchises that started on the PC-98 is the Touhou Project franchise, which is a series of shoot-em-up games that started the "bullet hell" subgenre. Created by one man, Jun'ya "ZUN" Ōta, the games follow a shrine maiden named Reimu Hakurei who solves supernatural problems around the land of Gensokyo.
The first five games in the series were all created for the PC-98, and Touhou Kaikidan ~ Mystic Square is the fifth title. Released in 1998, the player controls either Reimu, a magician named Marisa Kirisame, an evil spirit named Mima, or a yokai named Yuuka Kazami as they try to stop a demon invasion. This game is the closest to the later titles and features the popular character, Alice Margatroid, for the first time.
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