Top Down View Games: 1997 (CV: Symphony of the Night, Fallout, Mega Man Legends, Mystical Ninja (N64) and Final Fantasy VII are released)
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Alundra (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: 2D Zelda-like Action Adventure
Perspective: Top down view
Other: Platforming, Mini-games (good but too easy), Some dungeons (Torla Mountain) can't be re-entered after finishing them
-Linear in terms of the dungeon progression (some optional side areas in the overworld and one optional late-game dungeon (the fairy pond))
-Basic dynamic difficulty adjustment (If you die and quick restart a minimum of 15 times, you can go to the Statue of King Snow and be rewarded with the Legendary Sword, the most powerful weapon in the entire game)
-Good and challenging puzzles overall (mostly action/platform oriented, Torla mountain dungeon, Ice Manor, twin dream)
-Interesting co-op sequence (Elene's dream - AI controlled Meia)
-Hidden items (use to buy accessories)
-Unusually dark themes (cult worship and its effect on a small town, atheism being the solution, alcoholism and schizophrenia)
-Jump and run/tackle from the get go
-Localized version was made harder (can patch it)
-No dungeon maps (huge dungeons overall), Have to visit the fortuneteller to access the island map)
-It's possible to get completely stuck at one point (in the fairy pond)
-Can't skip/speed up cutscene dialogue
-Tool/ability gating (fire wand - burn down thorny bushes and light unlit lamps, ice wand - freeze things like fiery pillars and jumping fireballs+puts out a lit lamp, long boots - walk on sand and shallow water, merman boots - swimming, charm boots - walk on spikes, lava, etc)
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Ganpuru: Gunman's Proof (SNES, 1997)
Subgenre: 2D Zelda-like Action Adventure
Perspective: TD View
Other: No platforming besides falling down in a few spots
-Zelda 3-style gameplay with guns in a wild west setting with sci-fi elements (same map system and movement style, story is similar to Earthbound, some bosses and enemies are basically variations on Z3 ones and so are some visuals, some aspects are more arcade-like than in Zelda)
-Can strafe/lock your aim while moving (hold L or R)
-Can crawl (lets you dodge some shots) - Metal Gear 2?
-Can ride a horse after rescuing it in the first dungeon (robaton, moves super fast but can't jump over obstacles and is a temporary movement upgrade, can also take out enemies and makes you invincible but you get no drop from them when you do) - called by picking up carrots which are dropped occasionally by defeated enemies
-Charge shot which goes through enemies (Shadowland)
-Can speed up dialogue on a per sentence basis (can't skip repeated dialogue though)
-Some ability gating (scuba gear for swimming, red handkerchief - upwards dash punch up waterfalls - basically a hadouken)
-Blurs the line between overworld and dungeon a bit with the ghost town dungeon (no NPCs here though)
-New enemies appear in some previously visited areas (makes backtracking through them more interesting)
-Fairly frequent NPC dialogue updates over the course of the game
-One optional mini-boss (reward is a choice between extra def or extra str - Zelda 1?) - FFV?
-Features domestic violence (dad on son)
-Very few dungeon puzzles
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Herc's Adventures (SAT/PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: Action Adventure, Open World (kind of similar to Gauntlet and Zombies Ate My Neighbors)
Perspective: TD view
Other: Platforming, 2-player coop, Comedy, Few dungeons
Three different playable characters (choose one before beginning; Atlanta can aim her charge attack to access certain items the others can't, Hercules can pick up and throw large objects by default)
Dying puts you in the underworld (further and further into it each time) and you only have 5 lives
Minor tool/ability gating (gain the ability to pick up and throw large objects, pig transformation potion for reaching into narrow spaces)
Pick up and throw enemies
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Community Pom (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: 2D ARPG (exp point leveling)/Zelda-like w/ City Builder/C&M Element?
Perspective: TD view
Other: Overworld & dungeons structure,
Dungeon maps
Some ability/tool gating (party toy item lets you break rocks and secret walls, invisibility spell, fireball magic for lighting candles and igniting bombs, )
Teleport out of dungeon spell
Gameplay
Swagman (PS1/SAT, 1997)
Subgenre: Zelda-like Action Adventure?
Perspective: TD view
Other: Parallel worlds theme (dream world where you're in beast form)
Some ability/tool gating (bombs for breakable walls, yo-yo can grab some items and hit some switches from afar, torch is a weapon that can also be used like a key at times, jet sneakers let you run faster and jump further, fire breath is used as a path revealer)
Once rescued, Hannah which is Zack's twin sister can be switched to at some points to solve puzzles - similar to Alundra
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (MD, 1997)
Subgenre: Action Adventure (mission-based w/ hub area, several collectathon and killathon missions)
Perspective: TD (main gameplay)/FP/TP view hybrid
Other: Rail Shooter segments, 2-player co-op (asymmetric vehicle control - one player aims and shoots), FP jeep and bike segments, Car and hover vehicle/boat vehicles, No platforming or jumping, Bomb escape segment
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Star Wars: Yoda Stories (PC/GBC, 1997)?
Subgenre: Action Adventure
Perspective: TD view
Playthrough (PC)
Falcom Classics I (1984/1985/1987 ports/SAT, 1997)(Remakes/remasters)
Subgenre: ARPGs (Dragon Slayer, DS2: Xanadu, Ys I)
Perspective: Depends on the game
Includes original and Saturn modes (Ys I: run button, diagonal movement)
Remade graphics and music
Playthrough
Tales of Destiny (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: JRPG/ARPG Hybrid (see Tales of Phantasia)
Perspective: TD view/SV hybrid (exploration/combat respectively)
Playthrough
MageSlayer (PC, 1997)?
Subgenre: 2.5D Action Adventure/Maze Action (Gauntlet-like?, 3D environments)
Perspective: TD view
Other: Hub area
Gameplay
Deadly Rooms of Death (PC, 1997)?
Subgenre: Action Adventure/Action Puzzle?, Level-based
Perspective: TD View
Other:
Playthrough w/ commentary
Tomba!/Tombi! (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: 2.5D Platform Adventure/MV (double plane gameplay in most areas, can rotate the view 45 degrees in some areas), ARPG/Action Adventure-ish (NPCs, quest/mission-based within an interconnected world, experience system of sorts (ability bars that unlock the use of three optional magic gems, very interactive side view environments), Collectathon (lots of fetch quests, roughly half of the 130 quests are obligatory?, you're usually kept from progressing until you collect a bunch of items and complete one or more fetch quests in each area, sometimes you're locked out of sub areas because they're "very dangerous" which really means the same thing)
Perspective: Side View (main gameplay)/Top Down View (towns) Hybrid
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
The Granstream Saga (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: 3D ARPG w/ separate combat encounters (non-random)
Perspective: TP view (near TD view angle for exploration, tilted view angle for combat encounters)
Playthrough
Outliers:
Grand Theft Auto/GTA (PC/PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: Sandbox Action Adventure-ish/Crime Sim, Free-Roaming Shooter/Driving, Level-based w/ a linear overarching structure (6 large sandbox-style levels across 3 cities), Beat levels by achieving a certain score represented as money (have to make/steal a certain amount of money in each level but destruction also increases points)
Perspective: Top down view
Other: Take jobs via phone booths (the first set of jobs in a level can be completed in any order and as you finish them harder ones are unlocked, some jobs are also given to you on the spot or as you enter a vehicle), Gore (shoot and run people over), The 8 player characters all play the same, Can sell cars, MP death match on PC, Vehicles: bikes, cars, buses, trucks, tanks, trains, boats (no flight-based vehicles)
No in-game map feature (a coordinates display helps during missions though)
Save between levels
A level/city keeps going even if you fail a mission but you tend to get locked out of certain other missions if you fail one
Lives system
Camera zooms out as you drive faster
Get chased by police as you commit crime (opposite of the arcade game APB; wanted level increases as you commit more crime but you can lower it again via the spray shop or a cop bribe)
Radio station while driving
Die from one shot without body armor (combined with fast shots from off screen)
No ability/tool gating besides the vehicles
No permanent character upgrades
No health bar
Playthrough (PS1) - Video Review - Mini Review
Bomberman 64 (N64) - 3D, Near TD view (high angle, limited camera movement - 8 rotation angles and can't be tilted on the x-plane/vertically, two zoom levels), World select (linear progression between levels in worlds though) and maze levels
No new tools/abilities gained that let you reach new areas in previous levels or progress in new areas
No jumping but can bounce on bombs to move between platforms
Alundra (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: 2D Zelda-like Action Adventure
Perspective: Top down view
Other: Platforming, Mini-games (good but too easy), Some dungeons (Torla Mountain) can't be re-entered after finishing them
-Linear in terms of the dungeon progression (some optional side areas in the overworld and one optional late-game dungeon (the fairy pond))
-Basic dynamic difficulty adjustment (If you die and quick restart a minimum of 15 times, you can go to the Statue of King Snow and be rewarded with the Legendary Sword, the most powerful weapon in the entire game)
-Good and challenging puzzles overall (mostly action/platform oriented, Torla mountain dungeon, Ice Manor, twin dream)
-Interesting co-op sequence (Elene's dream - AI controlled Meia)
-Hidden items (use to buy accessories)
-Unusually dark themes (cult worship and its effect on a small town, atheism being the solution, alcoholism and schizophrenia)
-Jump and run/tackle from the get go
-Localized version was made harder (can patch it)
-No dungeon maps (huge dungeons overall), Have to visit the fortuneteller to access the island map)
-It's possible to get completely stuck at one point (in the fairy pond)
-Can't skip/speed up cutscene dialogue
-Tool/ability gating (fire wand - burn down thorny bushes and light unlit lamps, ice wand - freeze things like fiery pillars and jumping fireballs+puts out a lit lamp, long boots - walk on sand and shallow water, merman boots - swimming, charm boots - walk on spikes, lava, etc)
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Ganpuru: Gunman's Proof (SNES, 1997)
Subgenre: 2D Zelda-like Action Adventure
Perspective: TD View
Other: No platforming besides falling down in a few spots
-Zelda 3-style gameplay with guns in a wild west setting with sci-fi elements (same map system and movement style, story is similar to Earthbound, some bosses and enemies are basically variations on Z3 ones and so are some visuals, some aspects are more arcade-like than in Zelda)
-Can strafe/lock your aim while moving (hold L or R)
-Can crawl (lets you dodge some shots) - Metal Gear 2?
-Can ride a horse after rescuing it in the first dungeon (robaton, moves super fast but can't jump over obstacles and is a temporary movement upgrade, can also take out enemies and makes you invincible but you get no drop from them when you do) - called by picking up carrots which are dropped occasionally by defeated enemies
-Charge shot which goes through enemies (Shadowland)
-Can speed up dialogue on a per sentence basis (can't skip repeated dialogue though)
-Some ability gating (scuba gear for swimming, red handkerchief - upwards dash punch up waterfalls - basically a hadouken)
-Blurs the line between overworld and dungeon a bit with the ghost town dungeon (no NPCs here though)
-New enemies appear in some previously visited areas (makes backtracking through them more interesting)
-Fairly frequent NPC dialogue updates over the course of the game
-One optional mini-boss (reward is a choice between extra def or extra str - Zelda 1?) - FFV?
-Features domestic violence (dad on son)
-Very few dungeon puzzles
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Herc's Adventures (SAT/PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: Action Adventure, Open World (kind of similar to Gauntlet and Zombies Ate My Neighbors)
Perspective: TD view
Other: Platforming, 2-player coop, Comedy, Few dungeons
Three different playable characters (choose one before beginning; Atlanta can aim her charge attack to access certain items the others can't, Hercules can pick up and throw large objects by default)
Dying puts you in the underworld (further and further into it each time) and you only have 5 lives
Minor tool/ability gating (gain the ability to pick up and throw large objects, pig transformation potion for reaching into narrow spaces)
Pick up and throw enemies
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Community Pom (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: 2D ARPG (exp point leveling)/Zelda-like w/ City Builder/C&M Element?
Perspective: TD view
Other: Overworld & dungeons structure,
Dungeon maps
Some ability/tool gating (party toy item lets you break rocks and secret walls, invisibility spell, fireball magic for lighting candles and igniting bombs, )
Teleport out of dungeon spell
Gameplay
Swagman (PS1/SAT, 1997)
Subgenre: Zelda-like Action Adventure?
Perspective: TD view
Other: Parallel worlds theme (dream world where you're in beast form)
Some ability/tool gating (bombs for breakable walls, yo-yo can grab some items and hit some switches from afar, torch is a weapon that can also be used like a key at times, jet sneakers let you run faster and jump further, fire breath is used as a path revealer)
Once rescued, Hannah which is Zack's twin sister can be switched to at some points to solve puzzles - similar to Alundra
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (MD, 1997)
Subgenre: Action Adventure (mission-based w/ hub area, several collectathon and killathon missions)
Perspective: TD (main gameplay)/FP/TP view hybrid
Other: Rail Shooter segments, 2-player co-op (asymmetric vehicle control - one player aims and shoots), FP jeep and bike segments, Car and hover vehicle/boat vehicles, No platforming or jumping, Bomb escape segment
- Partially non-linear structure
- Password save (pretty short, get one after each finished mission) and fairly frequent checkpoints
- Lives system (Respawn on the spot until game over), Unlimited continues?
- Pretty detailed map feature (can select between different dinosaurs and objects to show similar to the Strike series, pretty zoomed in but can scroll and re-center the view)
- In-game bestiary (only shows weight and diet info though - not HP or attack power)
- Can send for supplies via air support - costs 4 JP icons for 3 items and it's random (lives, armor, ammo; if you collect 6 then the game auto-sends the box to your current location)
- Can make enemies of different types fight each other
- Shows enemy life bars as well as their level of awakeness when attacking them (can tranquilize some enemies)
- Exploding barrels
- Unlimited ammo for your stun gun/dart gun/shotgun weapons
- Destructible health and ammo items
- Breakable walls
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
Star Wars: Yoda Stories (PC/GBC, 1997)?
Subgenre: Action Adventure
Perspective: TD view
Playthrough (PC)
Falcom Classics I (1984/1985/1987 ports/SAT, 1997)(Remakes/remasters)
Subgenre: ARPGs (Dragon Slayer, DS2: Xanadu, Ys I)
Perspective: Depends on the game
Includes original and Saturn modes (Ys I: run button, diagonal movement)
Remade graphics and music
Playthrough
Tales of Destiny (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: JRPG/ARPG Hybrid (see Tales of Phantasia)
Perspective: TD view/SV hybrid (exploration/combat respectively)
Playthrough
MageSlayer (PC, 1997)?
Subgenre: 2.5D Action Adventure/Maze Action (Gauntlet-like?, 3D environments)
Perspective: TD view
Other: Hub area
Gameplay
Deadly Rooms of Death (PC, 1997)?
Subgenre: Action Adventure/Action Puzzle?, Level-based
Perspective: TD View
Other:
Playthrough w/ commentary
Tomba!/Tombi! (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: 2.5D Platform Adventure/MV (double plane gameplay in most areas, can rotate the view 45 degrees in some areas), ARPG/Action Adventure-ish (NPCs, quest/mission-based within an interconnected world, experience system of sorts (ability bars that unlock the use of three optional magic gems, very interactive side view environments), Collectathon (lots of fetch quests, roughly half of the 130 quests are obligatory?, you're usually kept from progressing until you collect a bunch of items and complete one or more fetch quests in each area, sometimes you're locked out of sub areas because they're "very dangerous" which really means the same thing)
Perspective: Side View (main gameplay)/Top Down View (towns) Hybrid
- Teleport items (the one-use wings let you go back to any previously visited area and the bells take you back to the old mens' rooms) - there's also a recruitable flying dog later on which has the same function as the wings and can be used freely
- Basic quest log (doesn't help much for the most part though as the descriptions tend to be short and vague)
- Can check the world map at any point (unusual in that it's fairly zoomed in on the current area and vaguely shows its paths as well as most save points and path crossings, can move the cursor around and check area names for any visited areas, the map doesn't show where locked chests or quest givers are though)
- Frequent save points (15 slots per card, shows current location and some stats) - can restore your health by reloading a save or visiting one of the elders or the bird bath
- No area maps like in Super Metroid for example
- Some puzzles and platforming puzzles
- Can escape from boss battles
- Extra lives system which is a bit redundant in a game with frequent save points
- Partial control config (only the face buttons can be remapped)
- Several chests are placed in mundane spots without a platforming/exploration/puzzle/combat challenge leading to them
Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review
The Granstream Saga (PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: 3D ARPG w/ separate combat encounters (non-random)
Perspective: TP view (near TD view angle for exploration, tilted view angle for combat encounters)
Playthrough
Outliers:
Grand Theft Auto/GTA (PC/PS1, 1997)
Subgenre: Sandbox Action Adventure-ish/Crime Sim, Free-Roaming Shooter/Driving, Level-based w/ a linear overarching structure (6 large sandbox-style levels across 3 cities), Beat levels by achieving a certain score represented as money (have to make/steal a certain amount of money in each level but destruction also increases points)
Perspective: Top down view
Other: Take jobs via phone booths (the first set of jobs in a level can be completed in any order and as you finish them harder ones are unlocked, some jobs are also given to you on the spot or as you enter a vehicle), Gore (shoot and run people over), The 8 player characters all play the same, Can sell cars, MP death match on PC, Vehicles: bikes, cars, buses, trucks, tanks, trains, boats (no flight-based vehicles)
No in-game map feature (a coordinates display helps during missions though)
Save between levels
A level/city keeps going even if you fail a mission but you tend to get locked out of certain other missions if you fail one
Lives system
Camera zooms out as you drive faster
Get chased by police as you commit crime (opposite of the arcade game APB; wanted level increases as you commit more crime but you can lower it again via the spray shop or a cop bribe)
Radio station while driving
Die from one shot without body armor (combined with fast shots from off screen)
No ability/tool gating besides the vehicles
No permanent character upgrades
No health bar
Playthrough (PS1) - Video Review - Mini Review
Bomberman 64 (N64) - 3D, Near TD view (high angle, limited camera movement - 8 rotation angles and can't be tilted on the x-plane/vertically, two zoom levels), World select (linear progression between levels in worlds though) and maze levels
No new tools/abilities gained that let you reach new areas in previous levels or progress in new areas
No jumping but can bounce on bombs to move between platforms