My Top 10 Favorite TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine Games
Still an obscure console in North America, this system had its fair share of classic titles.
The TurboGrafx 16 was an abject failure in the United States and remains an obscure system. However, the Japanese equivalent named the PC Engine was briefly the top-selling console in Japan. The Turbografx-16/PC Engine was a joint venture between Japanese tech giant NEC and game developer Hudson Soft introduced in 1987. It sported superior graphics and hardware specs compared to the Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System. The system also featured a CD-ROM add-on which when included made the console the first home console to include CD capabilities.
While a huge success in Japan, NEC/Hudson Soft was unable to capture any significant market share outside of Japan. Probably the main reason is that Sega was able to introduce the Genesis console to the US ahead of the TurboGrafx despite the Mega Drive (Japanese name for the Genesis) coming out after the PC Engine in Japan. This was reportedly due to NEC pursuing a complete aesthetic redesign for the US system, as they felt like the compact PC Engine would not be taken seriously in the U.S.
One of the reasons the system was so successful in Japan was because of its wide array of Shmups (Shoot em’ Ups) and JRPGs (Japanese Role Playing Games) available on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx, two genres that were not particularly popular in the US at the time. Sega also beat NEC to the punch on marketing as both companies tried to market their systems more toward teenagers than children. While TurboGrafx advertisements were relatively bland and forgettable, Sega introduced one of the most aggressive and memorable advertising campaigns in video game history. “Genesis does what Nintendon’t”.
All of this history makes the TurboGrafx/PC Engine a goldmine for retro gamers from the U.S. because it offers a completely different suite of games than Sega or Nintendo. Instead of Mario/Sonic, you have Bonk, instead of the Legend of Zelda or Phantasy Star you have Neutopia or the Ys series. The PC Engine/TurboGrafx has a large number of quality releases that are mostly unknown to gamers who grew up in the U.S. in the late 80s and early 90s. The 16-bit era of home consoles is probably my favorite era of gaming, and the TurboGrafx/PC Engine being included with the SNES and Genesis just makes that era of gaming even better.
By the mid-90s I was one of the few people in the US who actually had a TurboGrafx. I only acquired it from a middle school classmate well after it was discontinued. I spent a small amount of money and not only acquired the TurboGrafx but also several extremely good games. No. 1 on this list is largely a result of my nostalgia for the first few games I played on the system. I would later acquire more through eBay, and between this experience and later playing many of the TurboGrafx-CD/PC Engine-CD games, I think I have a pretty good idea of which games to recommend.
10.) Lords of Thunder
Developed by Japanese developer Red Company, this over-the-top, horizontal scrolling Shmup features several characters, outrageous power ups, and non-linear progression. Probably the most notable feature of this CD game is the amazing heavy metal soundtrack.
9.) Ninja Spirit
An arcade port of a game made by the Japanese developer Irem, Ninja Spirit is a beautiful but brutally difficult action game where you control a ninja. As you progress you will pick up power-ups that give you additional “ninja shadows.” These shadows respond to your controls as well. It’s very satisfying to jump through levels controlling several ninjas at once as they slash through feudal-Japan-themed levels.
8.) The Bonk Series
While Nintendo had Mario and Sega had Sonic, NEC had Bonk. Referred to as “PC Caveman” in Japan, he first appeared as an advertising mascot. NEC commissioned the developer Red Company to develop a platformer. Overall, there are three main Bonk games (Bonk’s Adventure, Bonk’s Revenge, and Bonk’s Big Adventure) as well as an excellent spin-off developed in conjunction with Naxat Soft called Air Zonk which places Bonk (as his alter-ego Zonk) in a cartoony futuristic horizontal scrolling Shmup.
7.) Crush Pinball Series
Alien Crush and Devil’s Crush are two of the best console pinball games ever made. Both were developed by the Japanese developer Compile. These beautifully-rendered pinball games with multiple screens and bonus levels simulate pinball in a way that couldn’t exist in real life. Alien Crush clearly takes inspiration from H.R. Gieger and Devil’s Crush seems to take influence from horror movies like The Omen and The Exorcist.
6.) Ys Series
This unique role-playing game released for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx CD systems was one of the first games, if not the first, to implement fully voice-acted anime cutscenes. While not particularly popular outside of Japan, Ys I & II is an immensely influential game, clearly inspiring future games. With a fully realized world, one of the most acclaimed video game soundtracks of all time, and regularly listed as one of the best games ever made, it’s a shame that too few RPG fans outside of Japan have ever played this game. Nihon Falcom would also create Ys III for the PC Engine and continues to make Ys games to this day.
5.) Blazing Lazers
Based on the Japanese action movie Gunhed and released in the US as Blazing Lazers and in Japan simply as Gunhed, this 1989 vertical-scrolling Shmup is a masterpiece of game design. The music, graphics, and sense of speed are all done perfectly, but what makes this game truly satisfying is the powerups. It is hard not to smile as your little ship goes from having a weak little blaster to having homing missiles and giant beams of light take up most of the screen as well as any enemies in its path. This game was developed by the same company as the Crush Pinball series.
4.) Bomberman Series
Hudson Soft, one of the main companies to develop the PC Engine/TurboGrafx, made sure to release plenty of Bomberman games on their system. While the game first appeared on Japanese PCs, and then on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the versions of the Bomberman games that appeared on the TurboGrafx and PC Engine were the definitive additions up until that point. Hudson Soft released Bomberman, Bomberman 93’, and Bomberman 94’ (only in Japan.)
Each game lets you control the titular “Bomberman” that needs to use his bombs to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. However, probably the most memorable element of Bomberman is the competitive four-player experience. This, of course, would require the Turbo Tap add-on as the PC Engine/TurboGrafx only had one standard controller port. You needed to buy this add-on to play any multiplayer game.
3.) Soldier Blade
Made by Hudson Soft, this 1992 vertical scrolling Shmup is, in my opinion, the best Shmup on the system, and this is a system with an almost countless amount of quality shooters. Solder Blade takes what Blazing Lazers did in 1989 and ramps it up to the point where the system is taken to its absolute limit. The game has some of the best, most detailed sprite work of any game on the TurboGrafx/PC Engine, the music is intense and the game gives the player a great sense of progression through the graphically impressive power-up system.
2.) Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Between the Super Nintendo, Genesis, and TurboGrafx/PC Engine all three had Castlevania games and Rondo of Blood is the best one. This CD game is the most cinematic game to be released on the system. The soundtrack and production values are fantastic and the game is extremely fun. The game was released in Japan in 1993 and never made it to the US, as by 1993 NEC/Hudson Soft had all but given up marketing their system in the U.S. It’s a shame because the Castlevania series is popular in the U.S. and this might very well be the best game in the series besides its direct sequel “Symphony of the Night” for the Playstation/Sega Saturn.
Honorable Mentions
Neutopia series (Zelda clones that are somewhere in between the original Zelda game and Link to the Past)
Street Fighter II Championship Edition (an impressive port only released in Japan)
Legendary Axe (An action platformer where you play as a caveman)
Military Madness (An early tactical RPG)
R-Type (Nearly perfect arcade port of the horizontal shooter)
Parasol Stars (A solid colorful arcade-style game)
Splatterhouse (The definitive edition of this gory arcade game)
Cadash (An action-arcade game with RPG elements)
Dungeon Explorer (a fast-paced action RPG that could be played by up to five players)
1.) The Dragon’s Curse
Wonderboy III: The Dragon’s Trap was already a classic game on the Sega Master System (Sega’s direct competitor to the NES) and since the Wonderboy series was published by Sega. Westone, the developer of the game, had to change the title to The Dragon’s Curse and remove all references to previous Wonder Boy games. Despite this, the standalone Dragon’s Curse is the definitive edition of the game.
The superior graphic ability of the TurboGrafx/PC Engine and better controls made a classic game even better. This game revolves around a hero being cursed and turned into a dragon. In this side-scrolling game with an open world, you must traverse different areas where you will learn to turn into different animals. Different animals have different abilities which allow you to unlock new zones. This is one of the best Metroidvania-style games and has received its fair share of praise over the years. Most recently the game was re-released on the Nintendo Switch with all new graphics to solid reviews.
