

Players must play the role of a mother cat called Milky who lives in a dangerous metropolis full of dogs. The dogs want to kill Milky before she can rescue her son Michael who wandered out into the city on his own (and became lost). Players must catch the fish for temporary invincibility. However, the other enemies can still kill the mother cat like the fish merchant (who is the only humanoid bad guy in the game), the automobiles on the road, along with the manholes and the pylons. The city is divided into roads for automobile traffic and sidewalks for roaming pedestrian dogs in overalls. The fish merchants completely replace the dogs after the 30th level; causing the invincibility icon (fish) to become redundant. Unlike the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series of video games (especially the first NES release which would come out four years later in 1989), open manholes kill the player instead of helping her evade the roaming dogs. Sewer snakes also come out to kill the player with its poisonous venom. Triangle cones can momentarily block progress for the player. The game was targeted to a much younger audience than was considered to be "average" in the Nintendo Entertainment System community during that era. Using the classical music song Ballet des poussins dans leurs coques (composed by Modest Mussorgsky) as the background music, there is a common theme throughout the game of "dog catches cat; cat catches fish" - emulating the food chain.

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.

Role-playing (RPG) / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
Paper Mario, a turn-based JRPG entry in the Mario franchise with a paper-based aesthetic and platforming elements, sees the titular character working his way through the Mushroom Kingdom's diverse locales and biomes, meeting its inhabitants, fighthing unruly enemies and recruiting an array of companions in order to once again save Princess Peach from the clutches of the evil Koopa King Bowser.

Role-playing (RPG) / Strategy / Turn-based strategy (TBS) / Fantasy
As a student of Astral the wizard, you and your friends study all the usual subjects: reading, writing, and sword fighting. As your time at school draws to an end, dark events are taking place on the island of Grans. The two Jewels which seal the Door to Darkness have been stolen, allowing a creature of awesome power to be unleashed. Finding where the Jewels were taken, and why, is a task only the bravest of adventurers can undertake.

Platform / Role-playing (RPG) / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
Draw the correct magic seal quickly, or your enemies will never die! Fight and explore through one of the largest castles ever seen in the series! Race another player through custom-made castle rooms in versus mode! A year has passed since Soma Cruz discovered the evil of Dracula hidden inside his body. Now, a mysterious cult wants to release the power of the Lord of Darkness. As Soma, you must do everything in your power to stop them before it's too late.

Role-playing (RPG) / Turn-based strategy (TBS) / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to the then-Japan-only Earthbound Beginnings (1989) in which Ness, a young boy living in a land based on the USA, leaves home to go on an adventure through strange locations, get to know quirky characters, and defeat an unknowable alien threat called Giygas while facing up to the realities of growing up and becoming familiar with the real world.

Role-playing (RPG) / Strategy / Turn-based strategy (TBS) / Action / Fantasy
Bahamut Lagoon combines RPG mechanics with squad-based combat. Characters have HP, MP (SP for fighter characters), EXP, equipment, stats and class-specific, SP-draining special elemental abilities very much like traditional console RPGs. The player can explore his surroundings, talk to people and visit shops when not in battle, though to a limited degree as there is no world map and no way to leave the current area. The game's core is its turn-based battles fought on a 2d grid. Characters are assembled into parties of four and the player allowed a maximum of six parties, which are usually well outnumbered. The two opposing sides act in alternating turns so that each party can move once and/or attack once a turn. Attacks are divided into distant and close-up combat. In the former, a party uses a special ability (e.g. casting fireballs, throwing lightning, healing allies) of one of its members at a distance. The range and possible area of effect damage vary per ability. If the attacking party has two or more characters with the same ability, they join in the action to multiply its effectiveness. Distant combat results in less money and generally less damage, but the target cannot retaliate. Distant attacks can also affect the field; fire and ice ignite or extinguish forests and melt or freeze ice, etc. Close-up, each unit in two adjacent opposing parties can act once. Very much like Final Fantasy SNES combat, they can attack an enemy, use an item or a special ability (though these can't be combined and most only affect one target instead of all) or defend. Dragons are the player's ace in the hole. They have their own stats and gain experience like normal characters do. In battle, each party has a dragon attached to it and draws a large portion of its strength from that of its dragon: if a party's dragon is slain, the party will lose the ability to use special attacks and class-specific abilities for the remainder of the map. The beast acts as a very powerful autonomous unit that moves after its party does and it cannot be controlled beyond very simple commands, e.g. "Come!" Out of battle, dragons will eat anything and raising them by feeding them items is an important part of the game. Feeding can improve their stats as well as affect their behavior on the field, and the dragons develop into new forms as they grow. The player can change the characters in each of the parties, their formation as well as what dragon represents them at will.

Role-playing (RPG) / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
Trials of Mana is the third installment of the Mana series, developed by Square under the direction of series creator Koichi Ishii. The game takes place in a new world where, once again, the Mana Tree is under threat from an ancient evil thought sealed away. Players choose three from among six heroes as the chosen wielder of the Mana Sword and their two companions on the journey to claim the holy blade and preserve what remains of the Mana power.

Role-playing (RPG) / Adventure / Action / Fantasy
An evil witch has replaced Princess Peach's fair speech with explosives! Mario and Luigi must once again come to her rescue, but this time they employ the help of Bowser, their sworn enemy. Mario and Luigi must learn new moves and combine powers to fight off enemies and move closer to the witch's castle. Guide this unlikely bunch through an abundance of minigames such as Border Jump and Mystery Carts. Combine the powers of Mario and Luigi to pull off special tag-team moves. Immerse yourself in this bright, cartoonish, and humorous world, complete with hit music featured in previous Mario games.