First Person & Third Person Games: 1987 (Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished Omens, Metal Gear, Maze of Galious, Zelda II, Zillion, Maniac Mansion and Pirates! are released)
1984|1985|1986|1987|1988|1989
Getsu Fuuma Den (NES, 1987)
Subgenre: Platform Adventure/ARPG (Dungeon Crawler w/ real-time combat)
Perspective: Side View/FP Hybrid
Other: Hub map w/ encounters (similar to Zelda II or SMB3), Shops
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Driller/Space Station Oblivion (Spectrum/C64/CPC, 1987/AMI/ST/PC, 1988)
Subgenre: 3D FPS/Maze Shooter
Perspective: FP view
Other: Vehicle-based, No jumping (can raise and lower the body of the vehicle as well as look up/down), Hover vehicle lets you fly over pits, P&C aiming, Time limit
No other ability gating besides the hover vehicle
Basic switch and code puzzles (can also empty a pool of water at one point)
Compass and named areas but no maps (you're supposed to use the hover vehicle for recon)
Save feature
Four teleporters
Playthrough (ST) - Review (C64) - Mini Review
The Goonies II (NES, 1987)
Subgenre: Platform Adventure/Graphic Adventure Hybrid, Rescue mission
Perspective: SV/FP view hybrid
Playthrough - Video Review/Retrospective - Mini Review
Zoids: Chuuou Tairiku no Tatakai (NES, 1987) - ARPG (JRPG/Gallery Shooter hybrid)
Perspective: TD view exploration/FP view combat
Other: Control a mech dinosaur
-Non-random encounters on the world map (they can spawn right on top of the player avatar however)
Outliers:
The Magic of Scheherazade (NES, 1987)
Subgenre: JRPG (some battles)/Action Adventure (TD with some sidescrolling segments, FP view TB battles) Hybrid
Perspective: Top down/SV/FP view hybrid
Other: TD view jumping (can jump over NPCs/enemies and certain obstacles), Casino mini-game (can't choose how much to bet though for some reason)
-Solar eclipse mechanic (affects certain spells and items plus your chance at winning in casinos, happens fairly seldomly)
-Time travel theme with some effect on gameplay (can plant a Rupia Seed in a magic field during an Alalart eclipse in the past and have it grow into a Rupia Tree (rupia=money) in the future, different backgrounds and enemies in different times)
-Can choose between three different classes (fighter, saint, magician) and switch during the course of the game for a small price
-Fast dialogue text
-Can map various actions to A or B yourself (similar to Link's Awakening but a bit less flexible)
-NPCs react when attacked and are then pissed until you leave and return to the current screen (can't be hurt though)
-Can loan money (at interest) in shops
-Can haggle in some shops (these shopkeepers get pissed and kick you out plus take 10 coins if you do it twice in a row though and many later ones get pissed if you even try)
-Can buy more than one of a consumable item at once (not all of them though)
-Some interesting spells (temporary invincibility (rupia's seed outside of magic fields), Teleport back to visited towns and out of palace dungeons using flying carpets, Oprin - reveal hidden entrances, corbock & shrink & caraba - makes enemies small and harmless and squashable, ramipas - fewer encounters, monecom - max of each consumable when cast during a Alalart solar eclipse, raincom and spricom - causes grass to grow in deserts and spring to come during winter respectively (ends HP drain occuring when in deserts and winter areas and heals you in deserts) when cast during an eclipse, moscom - summons a mosque (class change for free), libcom - revive all and restore their stats, moniburn - encapsulate all enemies inside of a small rocket which blasts into the air and explodes in a shower of fireworks, silliet - reflect spells cast on the user (gun mecha party member only))
-Basic diplomacy in the JRPG fights (propose peace command - you'll generally have to pay for enemies to accept)
-"attack all" weapons and spells
-Basic dungeon maps (Zelda 1)
-Formation/combo attack mechanic in turn-based battles (this pairs two specific party members and allows for special spells, some enemies can do it too)
-Some interactive tutorials (courses)
-Can hire mercenary troops to fight for you during turn-based battles
-Some party banter between areas
-Can escape from boss battles
-The game automatically levels you up sufficiently after each boss battle
-Some meaningful dialogue choices (convincing certain NPCs to help you via yes/no questions)
-Some decent puzzles (the future tree with a son - remember a password and what it said and didn't say, curing Rainy's fear, Coronya's real identity)
-Dark cave at one point where you use a party member to light part of the room up (similar to the lantern in Zelda 3)
-Mostly linear structure but some freedom in when to tackle what within each area
-Respawn on the screen you were on and then in the last town after game over - don't lose stats or skills
-Random and set TB battle encounters (less frequent than real-time encounters)
-Get tips from an anthropomorphic cat (Coronya) during the game - pretty obvious tips though
-You and your party auto-use restoratives when needed (can use a healing spell manually but it's not particularly efficient - you do get a better one but only near the end of the game)
-Can team up with only two other party members at once in turn-based battles but you get to pick which ones before each battle (can also choose to fight alone but it has no benefits)
-A grim reaper can appear if you spend too long in an area (hard to kill and appears quickly on every screen; Bubble Bobble)
-You still get item drops which you have a full inventory of from enemies but if you do then new hp/mp restoratives that you pick up are used up right away
Dungeon Master (PCs, 1987) - First Person Dungeon Crawler RPG, P&C controls (grid-based movement)
-First RPG with activity/use-based progression (character building/leveling) besides Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II (PC-88, 1985)
-Early FP dungeon crawler with real-time mechanics (combat, torches, hunger)
-Unique spell system (string together glyphs/runes representing one syllable each)
-Plot twist ending and alternate bad ending
-Enemies tend to flee when their HP is low
Aliens: The Computer Game (Multi, 1987) - FPS/Proto-Survival Horror/Squad Tactics (switch on the fly), FP view
Destructible doors (can also lock doors to keep aliens away)
Characters can be captured if not controlled and then rescued
Headshots
Can rotate 360 degrees
Replenish ammo at armory and health at medical bay
Stamina mechanic (have to be still to refill it)
No new abilities gained or unique abilities to any char?
Xybots (ARC, 1987) - TPS/Maze Shooter, 2-player Co-op Split Screen
-Strafing
-90 degree turning (move in 4 directions)
-No friendly fire
-Map feature (auto-mapper)
-Shop (between levels)
-Teleporters
-Displays avatar health on their backpack
Infiltrator II (PCs, 1987)? - Action/Stealth, FP/TD/Tilted view hybrid, See Infiltrator
Getsu Fuuma Den (NES, 1987)
Subgenre: Platform Adventure/ARPG (Dungeon Crawler w/ real-time combat)
Perspective: Side View/FP Hybrid
Other: Hub map w/ encounters (similar to Zelda II or SMB3), Shops
- Mostly linear structure
- Password save
- No maps, Compass for the FP view segments
- Lives system
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Driller/Space Station Oblivion (Spectrum/C64/CPC, 1987/AMI/ST/PC, 1988)
Subgenre: 3D FPS/Maze Shooter
Perspective: FP view
Other: Vehicle-based, No jumping (can raise and lower the body of the vehicle as well as look up/down), Hover vehicle lets you fly over pits, P&C aiming, Time limit
No other ability gating besides the hover vehicle
Basic switch and code puzzles (can also empty a pool of water at one point)
Compass and named areas but no maps (you're supposed to use the hover vehicle for recon)
Save feature
Four teleporters
Playthrough (ST) - Review (C64) - Mini Review
The Goonies II (NES, 1987)
Subgenre: Platform Adventure/Graphic Adventure Hybrid, Rescue mission
Perspective: SV/FP view hybrid
- Fleshed out parallel mazes (background/foreground)
- Basic map system (shows your location and the world layout of both layers)
- Password save (average length)
- One shortcut from the volcano area back to near the beginning
Playthrough - Video Review/Retrospective - Mini Review
Zoids: Chuuou Tairiku no Tatakai (NES, 1987) - ARPG (JRPG/Gallery Shooter hybrid)
Perspective: TD view exploration/FP view combat
Other: Control a mech dinosaur
-Non-random encounters on the world map (they can spawn right on top of the player avatar however)
Outliers:
The Magic of Scheherazade (NES, 1987)
Subgenre: JRPG (some battles)/Action Adventure (TD with some sidescrolling segments, FP view TB battles) Hybrid
Perspective: Top down/SV/FP view hybrid
Other: TD view jumping (can jump over NPCs/enemies and certain obstacles), Casino mini-game (can't choose how much to bet though for some reason)
-Solar eclipse mechanic (affects certain spells and items plus your chance at winning in casinos, happens fairly seldomly)
-Time travel theme with some effect on gameplay (can plant a Rupia Seed in a magic field during an Alalart eclipse in the past and have it grow into a Rupia Tree (rupia=money) in the future, different backgrounds and enemies in different times)
-Can choose between three different classes (fighter, saint, magician) and switch during the course of the game for a small price
-Fast dialogue text
-Can map various actions to A or B yourself (similar to Link's Awakening but a bit less flexible)
-NPCs react when attacked and are then pissed until you leave and return to the current screen (can't be hurt though)
-Can loan money (at interest) in shops
-Can haggle in some shops (these shopkeepers get pissed and kick you out plus take 10 coins if you do it twice in a row though and many later ones get pissed if you even try)
-Can buy more than one of a consumable item at once (not all of them though)
-Some interesting spells (temporary invincibility (rupia's seed outside of magic fields), Teleport back to visited towns and out of palace dungeons using flying carpets, Oprin - reveal hidden entrances, corbock & shrink & caraba - makes enemies small and harmless and squashable, ramipas - fewer encounters, monecom - max of each consumable when cast during a Alalart solar eclipse, raincom and spricom - causes grass to grow in deserts and spring to come during winter respectively (ends HP drain occuring when in deserts and winter areas and heals you in deserts) when cast during an eclipse, moscom - summons a mosque (class change for free), libcom - revive all and restore their stats, moniburn - encapsulate all enemies inside of a small rocket which blasts into the air and explodes in a shower of fireworks, silliet - reflect spells cast on the user (gun mecha party member only))
-Basic diplomacy in the JRPG fights (propose peace command - you'll generally have to pay for enemies to accept)
-"attack all" weapons and spells
-Basic dungeon maps (Zelda 1)
-Formation/combo attack mechanic in turn-based battles (this pairs two specific party members and allows for special spells, some enemies can do it too)
-Some interactive tutorials (courses)
-Can hire mercenary troops to fight for you during turn-based battles
-Some party banter between areas
-Can escape from boss battles
-The game automatically levels you up sufficiently after each boss battle
-Some meaningful dialogue choices (convincing certain NPCs to help you via yes/no questions)
-Some decent puzzles (the future tree with a son - remember a password and what it said and didn't say, curing Rainy's fear, Coronya's real identity)
-Dark cave at one point where you use a party member to light part of the room up (similar to the lantern in Zelda 3)
-Mostly linear structure but some freedom in when to tackle what within each area
-Respawn on the screen you were on and then in the last town after game over - don't lose stats or skills
-Random and set TB battle encounters (less frequent than real-time encounters)
-Get tips from an anthropomorphic cat (Coronya) during the game - pretty obvious tips though
-You and your party auto-use restoratives when needed (can use a healing spell manually but it's not particularly efficient - you do get a better one but only near the end of the game)
-Can team up with only two other party members at once in turn-based battles but you get to pick which ones before each battle (can also choose to fight alone but it has no benefits)
-A grim reaper can appear if you spend too long in an area (hard to kill and appears quickly on every screen; Bubble Bobble)
-You still get item drops which you have a full inventory of from enemies but if you do then new hp/mp restoratives that you pick up are used up right away
Dungeon Master (PCs, 1987) - First Person Dungeon Crawler RPG, P&C controls (grid-based movement)
-First RPG with activity/use-based progression (character building/leveling) besides Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II (PC-88, 1985)
-Early FP dungeon crawler with real-time mechanics (combat, torches, hunger)
-Unique spell system (string together glyphs/runes representing one syllable each)
-Plot twist ending and alternate bad ending
-Enemies tend to flee when their HP is low
Aliens: The Computer Game (Multi, 1987) - FPS/Proto-Survival Horror/Squad Tactics (switch on the fly), FP view
Destructible doors (can also lock doors to keep aliens away)
Characters can be captured if not controlled and then rescued
Headshots
Can rotate 360 degrees
Replenish ammo at armory and health at medical bay
Stamina mechanic (have to be still to refill it)
No new abilities gained or unique abilities to any char?
Xybots (ARC, 1987) - TPS/Maze Shooter, 2-player Co-op Split Screen
-Strafing
-90 degree turning (move in 4 directions)
-No friendly fire
-Map feature (auto-mapper)
-Shop (between levels)
-Teleporters
-Displays avatar health on their backpack
Infiltrator II (PCs, 1987)? - Action/Stealth, FP/TD/Tilted view hybrid, See Infiltrator