


Platform / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Action / Fantasy
Altered Beast is a 1988 beat 'em up video game developed by Team Shinobi and published by Sega for arcades. Set in Ancient Greece, the game follows a Roman centurion who is resurrected by the Olympian god Zeus to rescue his daughter Athena from Neff, the demonic ruler of the underworld. By collecting three power-ups in a level, the player character can transform into one of five mythical beasts. In the original arcade, the end credits are interspersed with images of actors in costumes for the different characters and monsters of the game, implying the whole game was a film production.

Platform / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
At the end of First Samurai, the Demon King was able to flee back in time to ancient Japan, so our hero follows him back in time, and has 10 levels awaiting him. Unlike the original, each world is split into sub-levels, with a boss at the end of each one, emphasising the arcade side of the gameplay, which still combines hacking and slashing with puzzle-solving. As in the first game, you start without weaponry but can pick up swords and daggers as you progress through the levels. There are lots of hidden sections as you progress, which open up more of the end sequence to you, as well as several subgames including a shoot 'em up mode.

Platform / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja is a light-hearted action-adventure game for 1-2 players by Konami, and was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. It is the first game in the Japanese video game series Ganbare Goemon to have a Western release. It underwent several changes compared to its Japanese counterpart Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyuushutsu Emaki. The protagonists were renamed for the Western release, and some content was altered to comply with Nintendo’s strict censorship policies at the time, such as the removal of certain characters and cutscenes.

Platform / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
Take up the fiercest challenge and fight from the Oracle's island to the summit of Olympus. Hero of Sparta features an innovative double-view system combining absolute action and platforming. Face legions of enemies across eight levels of action, with the most impressive mythical creatures standing in your path -- Cerberus, the Colossus, etc. Upgrade your equipment to gain the the Chronos Sword, the Medusa Shield, and more.

Platform / Role-playing (RPG) / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Action / Historical
Dragon Valor is a 1999 action role-playing game developed by Now Production and published by Namco for the PlayStation. It is the second sequel to Dragon Buster. In the Dragon Valor world, dragons are powerful monsters. The player's role as a Dragon Valor is to slay them with a magical sword passed down through successive generations. Similar to Phantasy Star III, Dragon Valor differs from other platform action games of the time because who the protagonist marries changes future playable characters, plot events, and which ending the player receives.

Platform / Role-playing (RPG) / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Action / Fantasy
The storyline of E.V.O.: Search for Eden follows the same patterns as modern Evolution theories. The players first controls a prehistoric sea organism, and fights to gain evolution points with which he can improve his fish's body parts and upgrade his attack/defense abilities. The gameplay is not completely linear, which means that certain choices of paths and stages will affect the player's success. The game is composed of a series of stages, in which the sea organism slowly evolves into an amphibian, and later a land-only creature. The physical changes are fairly scientifically accurate which gives the game a semi-educational purpose as well.

Platform / Role-playing (RPG) / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Action / Fantasy
A Master System side-scrolling platformer set in a fantasy version of feudal Japan featuring multiple paths to explore and crazy, potbellied monkeys to kill.

Platform / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
Journey through the planet Aries to the beautiful City of Radactian, and save it from the evil Janken the Great. Alex Kidd in Miracle World was considered to be Sega's answer to Super Mario.