Share your hidden gems and insider tips

thelostsoul

33 New Games

Hello guys, this thread is officially out of control! I found some more obscure or just not well known games since I opened my virtual collection to mediocre games too. On the consoles we have a lot of Japanese only games, a good chunk sort of RPG genre. On the other side there are a lot of arcade games with many shoot'em ups and a lot of strange titles. This time I added a very small preview image for the games, just to wake up your appetite (and then sell it to you :D like professionals do). Now go and explore.

GB (1 Game):

lr-gambatte v0.5.0

Kirby's Star Stacker (U) 1997 - MATCH BLOCK

An original entry of Kirby on the Tetris formula. It is what you would expect from a Kirby game, wonderful cute graphics and music design, it is just a joy to play this game. A tutorial is included. There is also a remake of this game on the SNES, which just looks better off course, but that one is in Japanese only and I couldn't find any translation.

GBA (2 Games):

lr-mgba 0.7-b1

Mother 3 (J) 2006 - RPG

English translation patch
Mother 3 is practically Earthbound 2, the official sequel to one of the most popular rpgs of its time! It came out very late 2006 on the GBA and Japan only, but thanks to the fans, there is a translation available.
The Pinball of the Dead (U) 2002 - PINBALL

If you didn't guess it, yes its a pinball game with theme of The House of the Dead, by a former Sega studio. The graphics and sound design are astonishingly good. But the ball physics is not, which is off course an important part of the game. Still worth checking out for the style.

NES (1 Game):

lr-nestopia 1.50-WIP

Xexyz (U) 1988/1990 - PLATFORM / SHMUP

This is a hybrid genre of platform sections and traditional side scrolling shoot'em ups. I plays well, looks and sounds ok, so it is quite okayish and nothing wrong with it.

SNES (6 Games):

lr-snes9x 1.56.2

Märchen Adventure Cotton 100% (J) 1994 - SHMUP

A remake of the Arcade classic game Cotton. I did not compare enough, but at least the music and graphics are changed and look a bit more modern. So, if you like anime styled cute'em ups, this is a must play on the system. (Japanese only, no translation, but its not really needed.)
Marvelous: Mouhitotsu no Takarajim / Another Treasure Island (J) 1996 - ACT/ADVENTURE

English translation patch
What we have here is an original Nintendo game made with the same game engine used by Zelda - A Link to the Past!! This one never came out out of Japan, but we have fan translation. Its not like a clone and comes with its own mechanics and style, but you can clearly see the influence of its big brother (still not played it, so this is not my personal opinion).
Monstania (J) 1996 - TACTICAL RPG

English translation patch
Another late Japan only entry in the lifespan of the SNES. The game reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics, with isometric tactical fights and a linear gameplay focused on story. Didn't play it yet enough, but that is my impression by watching videos. The soundtrack is made by Noriyuki Iwadare, the same guy behind the Lunar series.
Mystery Circle (J) 1992 - ACTION / MATCHBLOCK

My bet is, you never heard of this game before. It looks like Tetris, but your goal is different. Like in Qix, you control a guy on the playfield and must travel around the objects, so they get enclosed and disappear. Not the most unique idea ever, but the combination is maybe. This is an Japan exclusive title and I could not find any translation, but absolutely not required here.
Puzzle 'n Desu (J) 1995 - PUZZLE

Japan only top down puzzle game, where you have to bring same type of blocks together, so they disappear. Very basic idea, but addictive and in a cute and adorable style of graphics. Searching the web almost brings no information about this game, so I would call it truly hidden gem nowadays. While the levels itself don't need any translation, I don't know what all the menus are for. Unfortunately, I could not find any translation.
Rudra no Hihou / Treasure of the Rudras (J) 1996 - RPG

English translation patch
Japanese exclusive Squaresoft RPG with composer from Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, what could possibly go wrong?! Now, actually I don't know, didn't play it yet. But from what I read, the magic system is very innovative and unique 'till this day. The player have to experiment, mix and create spells based on language. This system and the complexity of the language made it hard to translate, but the above link is a recommended mature and complete one (still here and there little bugs).

Arcade / MAME2003 (16 Games):

lr-mame2003 v0.78

Big Karnak 1991 - SIDESCROLLING BRAWLER
Romname: bigkarnk

I have to admit, sometimes a game only because of its graphics can be very appealing. The details here are incredible, I just love it to watch the backgrounds and enemy animations. Gameplay wise it starts quite as a basic brawler, but later level and enemy design get creative. Its a shame nobody talks about this game.
Crime City 1989 - PLATFORM ACTION
Romname: crimec

This is a platform shoot and brawler in one. Depending on the distance of enemy he shoots, otherwise good old first action. Level design is nothing special, the enemy animations are nice looking and the players controls are fine. Nothing ground breaking, but it feels good.
Krull 1983 - TWINSTICK SHOOTER
Romname: krull

So, what's Krull? It is Krull, based on a movie of same name. In the first map the player have to collect some items and then it becomes a twinstick shooter. I think this is one of the limited early games, which had only 4 screens/levels. Not the most impressive game ever, but I never heard of it before.
Legendary Wings 1986 - SHMUP / PLATFORM ACTION
Romname: lwings

Another hybrid genre where the levels will switch between regular vertical shmup to side scrolling platform action game. The game is interestingly made by the Mega Man creator, but the game does not play like it. Some enemies and backgrounds are interesting, otherwise nothing special in gameplay. It is said that the NES port is better, but 'cause lack of interested I didn't test it.
Magic Sword - Heroic Fantasy 1990 - PLATFORM ACTION
Romname: msword

More side scrolling action game by Capcom. This plays similar to Black Tiger, if you know that. On various places at the stage different kind of helper with different abilities can be rescued. A major change to Black Tiger is the attack meter system. If it is full, which fills up quickly after each attack, the attack becomes stronger and will shoot.
Magical Cat Adventure 1993 - PLATFORM ACTION
Romname: mcatadv

This one is like a mix between Sonic, Bubsy and Metal Slug, set in a medieval fantasy universe. At least, this is my first impression from gameplay videos. After a quick test, the controls feels a little bit loose or slippery. The levels are interestingly different in style and enemies (even a pirate ship is waiting for you), bosses look cool.
Metal Black 1991 - SHMUP
Romname: metalb

Its a horizontal side scrolling shoot'em up. The player have no power ups here, besides his power beam, which consumes the power meter, which will be filled up if the player collects those collectibles. The bosses can do that also and the beams can clash! Their art style is terrific looks awesome. Other than that, the game is pretty standard and does not stand out. The game development started out as Project Gun Frontier 2.
Mirai Ninja 1988 - PLATFORM ACTION
Romname: mirninja

Finally we have a fast side-scrolling action ninja game! The game is a Japanese only and based on a movie license. The maps are quite big and the platforming itself isn't the issue, as you have just run to end of level and kill enemies by shuriken. The soundtrack is a killer soundtrack. Maybe worth the time.
Mutant Night 1987 - PLATFORM ACTION
Romname: mnight

A very strange title! So, I don't know what the hero is, but with an item he grows up to a gigantic version. The whole visual and sound experience tells you something is smells strange here, but yet the game is fun to play, you just don't know what to expect. The player can also fly at any time. Gameplay wise it plays like a Metal Slug type of game, with added drugs. This is such a crazy and strange one, you should check it out.
Pipi & Bibis / Whoopee!! 1991 - PLATFORMER
Romname: pipibibs

If you always wanted to hack computers to see pictures of naked girls, then this one is for you. Gameplay wise it reminds me Mappy and Elevator Action, but with the added mission to hack all computers and go to exit. The whole art style is hold as a comic. It is made by Toaplan, who is famous for its fantastic shmups, which adds more to the strange factor.
Rally Bike / Dash Yarou 1988 - RACING
Romname: rallybik

Another game by Toaplan. Its a racing game from top down perspective, where the fuel is the main issue. Its quite a basic game, nothing to tell more about it in my opinion.
Seicrossn / Sector Zone 1984 - SHMUP
Romname: seicross

Sort of side scrolling shoot'em up with some elements and presentation from a racing game. There are other racers coming from behind and tries to bump against walls, so this is an added obstacle for the player and can be annoying.
Super Burger Time 1990 - PLATFORM
Romname: supbtime

A super modern deluxe version of the old classic Burger Time formula. Even a two player mode is integrated, so a big plus here. A gameplay difference to previous title is that he don't just walks over the burger parts, but have to jump on them, so they fall down. That's what professionals nowadays do, they don't just walk over your food.
Thunder Fox 1990 - PLATFORM ACTION
Romname: thundfox

A Shinobi like game set in a military theme with mainly melee attack and some levels are shoot'em up. One level you ride a water bike, that is badass in my opinion. I like the fast action here and atmosphere while rain starts and stops in first level. So yeah, you can't go wrong with this one.
Toryumon 1994 - MATCHBLOCK
Romname: toryumon

A matchblock (means Tetris formula) made by Sega. The blocks disappear, if the the circle are complete. Each block have different part of the circle, arranged in a random order. I think I saw this same game idea somewhere else, but I don't remember where.
Wonder Momo 1987 - SIDE BRAWLER
Romname: wndrmomo

The game is set at a theater and is like a parody of superheros and film studios. The main protagonist is a girl who have to beat enemies by melee. After a while she gets her super power and then its time to kickass. There is one strange and funny thing, if she kicks, you can see her underwear and you have to be careful not being photographed by the perverts (need to try this).

Arcade / MAME2010 (6 Games):

lr-mame2010 v0.139

Space Dungeon 1981 - TWINSTICK SHOOTER
Romname: sdungeon

I like these kind of games, a simple twinstick shooter in an arena. At first I had to remap the buttons in Mame menu, as the default didn't work. Its similar to Robotron: 2084, but came out before that famous one! But this one plays in a dungeon with a map and player have to search a treasure for it.
Bay Route 1989 - PLATFORM ACTION
Romname: bayroute

It looks like a Contra clone, it plays like one and somehow it is. Thats not a bad thing and the execution here is pretty okay. A difference is the weapon system without power ups, but at this point, the other weapons are mostly useless.
Ikki 1985 - ACTION
Romname: ikki

The player with top down view will have to collect all coins on the map. The enemies are often times hiding behind something, so you can't easily kill them. And the weapon always shoots automatically to nearest enemy. The the main goal isn't killing all, but avoid them, which adds a little bit of strategy to the mix. It was one of Sunsofts popular titles at that time.
Hacha Mecha Fighter 1991 - SHMUP
Romname: hachamf

A traditional horizontal cute shoot'em up. Honestly, it does not make a very well designed pattern of enemies and bullets, so gameplay maybe behind. But I had to include this game, because it looks so fluffy, so adorable and crazy and it got big enemies. The game got me after the few seconds of intro animation. Cute 100%
Iron Horse 1986 - SIDESCROLLING ACTION
Romname: ironhors

Wild west themed side scrolling action game. The area of moving around is a bit restricted, as it plays on a train, but the player can also move up and down. Otherwise it is more like a traditional run and gun. What stands out here is the catchy music and graphical style.
Kodure Ookami / Lone Wolf and Club 1987 - SCROLLING BRAWLER
Romname: kodure

This game looks great in my opinion. It is a scrolling brawler with samurai theme based on the manga. The graphics style and details are absolutely fantastic for its time. The player can also block attacks with a dedicated block button. Gameplay wise it is more standard, but while playing here and there things happen and it does not get boring.

Arcade / FBA (2 Games):

lr-fbalpha (v0.2.97.44)

Samurai Aces (World) 1993 - SHMUP
Romname: samuraia

There is not much to say about this. It is a typical bullet hell shoot'em up. Its vertical. Its from Psikyo, their first game made ever. The graphics style and sound design is based around Japanese samurai style, hence the name. Here we go, if you are fan of this type of game, this should be a no brainer.
Bio-ship Paladin 1990 - SHMUP
Romname: bioship (+bios: nmk004)

A quite boring and somehow with a cheap feeling, can't describe it exactly. I didn't play it enough to judge, but from my limited experience I don't really like it that much, but still think it belongs to this thread as it have a very unique feature among all shmups. There is a crosshair to be moved freely, where you can shoot a second gun. So, while I am mixed about this game, this little extra makes it unique. A note, there is also a almost perfect Mega Drive port available.

Clyde

@thelostsoul I hate and love you at the same time. 😜 The screenshots are a very nice and useful addition to your lists.

Thanks for Pinball of the Dead. I collect video pinball games and didn't know about this one.

I stumbled upon Krull last year and tried it just because of the theme. As you said, its rather mediocre, but hey … Krull! 😄 (It's the same as with every game based of TRON that has to be played just "because".)

caver01

@Clyde I remember when the movie came out and I went to see it with my neighbor, and probably his mom because we were too young to drive to the mall back then. Anyway, the arcade had Krull shortly thereafter and as a kid it was pretty fantastic to be acting out the role from the movie right on screen!

Dual arcade joysticks make this game pretty fun once or twice. It seems frustratingly simple, but I am always surprised how I can never seem to get through all of the levels. I mean, it's not that hard, or is it?

thelostsoul

@Clyde @caver01 Actually, I never watched the movie Krull! Now, I think this is the perfect opportunity.

Clyde

@thelostsoul Do so. The movie may seem old-fashioned and flawed from today's viewpoint, but it is a classic with many fans nonetheless. At the very least, it is a part of cinema history that I would consider a must-see for fans of the genres that Krull is a mixture of.

thelostsoul

@Clyde Hell yeah, here you have more reason to hate (I know what you mean) and love me (which evens out it, so its fine).

5 New Games

After my last big post, I thought I was done. Then I saw that strange arm wrestling game by Nintendo and while doing my research about it, I also discovered an old school shoot'em up, which lead me to another and ... Yeah, here we go, that's how things in life works. These shmups was ignored by me until now. To my surprise, they are quite good or unique and I think you should have a look into them.

Arcade / MAME2003 (4 Games):

lr-mame2003 v0.78

Blast Off 1989 - VERTSHMUP
Romname: blastoff

A shmup by Namco, which serves as a sequel to Bosconian. But don't expect same type of game, it is a straight vertical space shooter. There are no power ups, you can switch your weapons at any given point by a button press.
Gemini Wing 1987 - VERTSHMUP
Romname: gemini

The overall theme of the game is set to a world of bugs and insects. The power up system works quite different and is unique among all shmups. The player collects some orbs, which follow you and are a sort of special bomb attack. They can be used once in the order you collect them.
Strike Force 1991 - HORIZSHMUP
Romname: strkforc

A modern (for its era) remake of Defender. It is the same type of non linear gameplay, but with nicer graphics. In addition there are special weapons and a world map to explore new planets. And it got a 2 player co-op mode!
Xexex 1991 - HORIZSHMUP
Romname: xexex

This is the most modern game on this list, made by Konami. It plays like R-Type with the expanded tentacle satellite from "X Multiply". The graphics and stages are nice detailed looking and looks gorgeous for its time and could easily rival any Neo Geo game. The Japanese version however have a better weapon system and don't have the life bar mechanic.

Arcade / FBA (1 Game):

lr-fbalpha (v0.2.97.44)

Arm Wrestling 1985 - SPORT
Romname: armwrest

WTF?! An arm wrestling game by Nintendo? From the same guys who made Punch-Out!? I wouldn't believe this, but turns out... to be true. Gameplay is quite simple, as you have to click left and occasionally right and button. The enemies and animations are outstanding, as you would expect from Punch-Out developers.

IanDaemon

@thelostsoul said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

Super Burger Time 1990 - PLATFORM
Romname: supbtime

A super modern deluxe version of the old classic Burger Time formula. Even a two player mode is integrated, so a big plus here. A gameplay difference to previous title is that he don't just walks over the burger parts, but have to jump on them, so they fall down. That's what professionals nowadays do, they don't just walk over your food.

Two player simultaneous is awesome. In Super Burger Time you can just stand on top of the food and stomp your foot to mash it through the floor. It's faster, although no more hygenic. Plus in the old version you had limited pepper for an unlimited time. In the new version you have unlimited pepper for a limited time. And the new version gives you weapons to pick up when you run out of pepper. (the weapons are hanging on the walls)

robertvb83

@thelostsoul said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

Arcade / FBA (1 Game):

lr-fbalpha (v0.2.97.44)

Arm Wrestling 1985 - SPORT
Romname: armwrest

WTF?! An arm wrestling game by Nintendo? From the same guys who made Punch-Out!? I wouldn't believe this, but turns out... to be true. Gameplay is quite simple, as you have to click left and occasionally right and button. The enemies and animations are outstanding, as you would expect from Punch-Out developers.

Wow thanks for this. This is what i call a hidden gem! Really outstanding and uniqe. Is this a pure timing based game. Meaning i have to press directions and buttons with correct timing? This looks fun to play i need to try it out next week

thelostsoul

@robertvb83 From my quick testing (first opponent only) and reading, you have to press left, left, left again and again. Then suddenly a warning appears and you have to click right and then I suppose in right timing a button to confuse the enemy. Then you can left, left further, until that timing thing happens again. I don't know if later enemies are working the same way.
Btw, it is not that far from original Punch-Out gameplay, if I think about it.

robertvb83

i would like to add super flappy birds to the list of hidden gems. it is a port available from the retropie setup script

this game was just introduced by @Rincewind here https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/21130/i-made-an-original-game-for-retropie

i cant get my hands of this little fun game. it catches everyone emediately and is a total no brainer and game party starter!

simpleethat

I completely forgot about this thread for a while and it was always one of my favorites to check out. Anyway I came across a couple interesting games and thought I would share.

NES
Wurm: Journey to the Center of the Earth-I haven't gotten very far in this yet but the first section was pretty awesome. It starts off with a side scrolling shooter and then jumps into a first person view for boss fights, after that you get into a cool little platforming sequence. Considering the time period I wouldn't think they could pull off that kind of diversity but I sure had fun poking around in it.
Juuouki: I didn't realize that they had ported one of my favorite Sega games to NES with Altered Beast! Definitely not as graphically exciting as its counterparts but it was some interesting pseudo nostalgia and they transformations are different! It was a Japan only release but it is Altered Beast and apparently I have something of a translation.

NEOGEO
Crossed Swords: Definitely a game that is going to get me to make an arcade build since it seems like it would do better with a joystick but I've definitely killed some time in this first person beat 'em up

SNES
The Firemen: (okay I'm in the US so we didn't get this game) I never thought I would have so much fun trying to put out fires.

ATARI 7800
Ninja Golf: It's golf... and a side scrolling beat 'em up sort of thing. Pure madness!

ClassicGMR

@thelostsoul said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

Arm Wrestling 1985 - SPORT
Romname: armwrest

WTF?! An arm wrestling game by Nintendo? From the same guys who made Punch-Out!? I wouldn't believe this, but turns out... to be true. Gameplay is quite simple, as you have to click left and occasionally right and button. The enemies and animations are outstanding, as you would expect from Punch-Out developers.

One of my favorite arcade games. :)

Clyde

@simpleethat said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

ATARI 7800
Ninja Golf: It's golf... and a side scrolling beat 'em up sort of thing. Pure madness!

Bwahahaha … madness indeed. I didn't know this one!

IanDaemon

@Clyde Ninja Golf is definitely my favorite 7800 game. Has it ever been remade?

thelostsoul

04 New Games in Total

Hello guys, how are you doing? Here is some food for you.
At the current time, I am busy with other stuff, but that don't stop me from coming back from time to time and play and try old games out. I lost track of what was posted in this thread or in others, so forgive me if you saw some of these. These are new to my RetroPie collection and aren't well known. I definitely recommend to check them out.

NES (2 Games):

lr-nestopia 1.50-WIP

Ufouria: The Saga / Hebereke jp:1991 eu:1992 - Metroidvania

A quality SUNSOFT game never released in the US! The game structure plays similar to Metroid or Blaster Master with cute Kirby like style. It also has fantastic graphics and soundtrack. Definetely check this out, if you are a NES fan.
Egypt jp:1991 - Puzzle

Nothing ground breaking, just another logical puzzle game, but with character and style. The game starts quite easy and becomes more challenging the player goes. The player must push entire rows to get to the orbs.
I think this one came out in Japan only, here is a translation patch: https://www.romhacking.net/translations/524/

Mega Drive (2 Games):

lr-genesis-plus-gx (v1.7.4)

Mystic Defender / Kujakuou 2 jp:1989 us:1990 - Platformer

A somewhat Shinobi like inspired platformer by Sega. It is set in a Japan fantasy world with big and detailed monster graphics based on an Anime. The sound isn't that spectacular, but some places and enemies are looking reaaaallly good. Gameplaywise its just average.
Battle Mania - Dai Gin Jou jp:1993 - Vertical Shoot'em Up

A really good sounding and fantastic looking Shmup only released in Japan. If you like Anime girls and crazy bosses, check this out. The player controls 2 girls at same time and can change the shooting direction of one. At one level, the girls are in a car and shooting. So cool. The overall difficulty is quite easy.
The English patch: https://www.romhacking.net/translations/1075/

IanDaemon

@thelostsoul I loved Ufouria when it was available on the Wii's Virtual Console. It's kinda like Metroid in an "explore and backtrack" kinda way.

thelostsoul

@IanDaemon Ah yes, I read it came out on Virtual Console. Is it any good? I mean like a really good game? I just tested it for short time.

IanDaemon

@thelostsoul It's definitely an NES game. The game is really enjoyable for its time. Some of the attack concepts are just odd when you stop and think about it. I don't want to give anything away, but there was one attack that I found...bizarre. Now-a-days everything is tame, but for that time in gaming history... It's not going to "knock anyone's socks off" today, but I dug it.

space cadet

How about Land Stalker for the Genesis. Kinda has a Zelda feel to it.

thelostsoul

@space-cadet Landstalker is a cool game, not in the same league as Zelda to me. I wouldn't call it Zelda feel to it, its quite different. The isometric perspective and jumping mechanic gives it a whole different feel. The puzzles, items and backtrack aren't that prominent here. Can this game be called hidden gem in today's standards? To me, it was never one, because I grew up with it. It was an interesting and different experience and not even close to the game design quality of Zelda!

Through some research I did for this answer, I found this: Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past on SNES, the spinoff to Landstalker! But I could not find an English translation patch for it.