Haja no Fuin (覇邪の封印), released 10/18/1987 for Sega Mark III and 10/23/1987 for Famicom, developed and released by Sega (SMS) and Ascii (Famicom)

This game was originally released for computers in 1986, then ported to consoles in 1987. It came out for both the Famicom and the Sega Mark III (the Japanese name for the Master System). Both versions look rather different but from what I can tell, they are essentially the same game. This is the first of only three RPGs for the SM3, and it was released in the US as “Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord.” So there are already two detailed playthroughs of it: one on RPGConsoler, and one (surprisingly) on CRPGAddict‘s site. The Famicom version is closer to the original computer version than the Sega version was.

The game contains most of the aspects that are common in these early RPGs: you start out plopped down in the middle of a map without much idea of what to do, you get very few hints on how to progress, and you have to spend a while just figuring out where you can go without instantly dying. I may be wrong about this, but I believe that at the very least this game does not have vital hidden things that are nearly impossible to find without a guide.

This is the main game window. The bottom left is the map — one of the changes in the Famicom version is apparently that you can see farther but I’m not sure of the details. You can’t see what is actually in each square until you step on it; then it will show a town/cave/etc in the top window. The top window is also where you see if monsters are there.

So a lot of what you would need to do at first is map out the world to see where the various castles, towns, and other points of interest are. The Famicom version, at least, came with a big world map:

This does not, of course, show everything’s exact location in the game, but it gives you at least some way to get your bearings. The Sega version (at least the English port) also comes with a map but the is different — I . One big change in the Sega version is that you can see the towns and castles on the inset map in the game, whereas you can’t in the Famicom version even if you have discovered them. This makes the Famicom version more annoying to explore and travel in.

When you encounter a monster, you get this image. You can hit A to encounter it, or just move on. However, some monsters will attack automatically without letting you choose. (This is also different in the Sega version)

In the battle, you attack with a character (eventually you have a party of 4). Attacking makes both you and the enemy take damage, and the attacking character gains XP. You can keep doing that until the monster is dead, or you can try to flee — fleeing always works, but you might take some damage from the enemy when you do it.

You can also encounter non-monster characters. You can still fight them, but you lose reputation, which has various effects on the game. You can try to talk to them, and they can give you tips or just turn away.

You start with 10,000 money, which seems like a lot, but it doesn’t go as far as you might think. Most enemies do not give you money, and you have to spend money both to heal and to repair your weapons and armor so that they don’t break. I think it would be possible to get yourself into a situation where you have to start over because you have no money, although I suppose you could try to get out of it by killing some of the good characters for their money.

You start on a castle where you get a quest to find Kosama for advice, although of course there is no indication of where she is in the world. There’s actually very little that you have to do in order to win the game; most of your activity would be to explore and do optional things to strengthen your party. Once you have your four party members you can take on the final boss.

I found Kosama but then basically stopped there. This game does have a unique style of gameplay that you may find more interesting than a Dragon Quest clone, but it also comes with a lot of awkwardness and difficulty in finding out what to do. My impression is that the Sega version is a lot friendlier and easier to play.