The Sega Master System was Sega’s first console to see a release in North America. It was released in Japan in 1985, and a year later to North America. It was made to compete with the Nintendo Entertainment System, but it didn’t fair too well, at least in the United States and Canada.
However, the console is still being made and sold in Brazil more than 30 years after its initial release. While many know of Sega’s other consoles like the Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, and Sega Genesis, not enough are aware of the Sega Master System. To remember Sega’s 8-bit console, here are the 10 best games to be released for it.
10 Operation Wolf
When it comes to light-gun games, Sega had Nintendo beat. While there was Hogan’s Alley, Duck Hunt, and more on the Nintendo Entertainment System, there were much better games that utilized the light-gun on the Sega Master System.
Laser Ghost, Rescue Mission, and Operation Wolf are all fantastic light-gun games and can only be found on the Sega Master System. In Operation Wolf, the objective is simple: shoot the enemies before they shoot you. Operation Wolf is notable for having some of the best graphics on the system with detailed sprites and great use of color.
9 Shinobi
Shinobi, like many of Sega’s games, started off in the arcades before being ported to many different consoles and home computers. In Shinobi, you play as a ninja who must slowly make his way through levels, ducking in and out of cover to ensure you both hit and don’t get hit.
Each level has three parts, with the third part being a boss battle. You are also given screen-clearing ninja magic or ninjitsu which will clear the screen of all enemies or do a lot of damage to bosses. Between many of the stages are bonus stages which, if beaten, will award you with power-ups you can use in the following levels.
8 Choplifter
In Choplifter, you must save prisoners of war by dropping down on bases and allowing them to get in your helicopter before enemies take them out. You must also take out enemies that are located both on the ground and in the air with the guns attached to your helicopter.
If too many of the prisoners die during your mission, you will fail and have to try again. After you have beat the game, the game loops and becomes more difficult. There are a few different levels all providing their own unique obstacles, like one in a cave with stalagmites and stalactites you must dodge and one with water you must avoid.
7 Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone plays very similarly to the Atari classic Defender. The ship, Opa-Opa, was, at one point, Sega’s premiere mascot before the Blue Blur hit the scene.
Unlike Defender, in Fantasy Zone there are role-playing game elements added in the form of shops you visit. When you visit the shops, you have the ability to upgrade your weapons or your health. There are also many colorful bosses that you will run into throughout the game. The titular “Fantasy Zone” depicted in the gamewas also the setting of Sega’s other arcade classic, Space Harrier.
6 Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Alex Kidd was Sega’s answer to Super Mario. Like Opa-Opa, Alex Kidd was intended to be Sega’s mascot and was for some time until a certain blue hedgehog made his debut. Alex Kidd in Miracle World plays similarly to other platformers at the time, as you make your way through a series of themed levels by jumping on platforms and taking out enemies.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World was originally meant to be a Dragon Ball game, with many of the traits of the series still remaining intact like the enemy design, Alex Kidds mid-level snacking on rice balls, and the rock, paper, scissors game that bookends levels.
5 R-Type
R-Type was developed by IREM and revolutionized shoot em’ ups. Rather than just shoot everything in your path, R-Type has different obstacles that impede progress. The boss design was ripped straight out of the Alien franchise, with many bio-mechanical bosses standing between you and the end of the level.
Another noteworthy thing created by R-Type was the ability to attach or detach your ship’s option. You could have it stick to the front or back of your ship for more power, shoot it like a projectile, or just have it follow you.
4 Wonder Boy 3: Dragon’s Trap
In Wonder Boy 3: Dragon’s Trap, you are turned into a dragon at the beginning of the game and must find a way to turn yourself back into a human. As you make your way through the game, you find different transformations that all have different abilities that help you go to previously inaccessible areas in the semi-open world the game creates, similar to Nintendo’s Metroid series.
The game was recently remade with updated, hand-drawn visuals and a new soundtrack. The remake allows you to switch from the new visuals to the old 8-bit visuals at the touch of a button.
3 Ys: The Vanishing Omen
While Ys: The Vanishing Omen may look like a The Legend of Zelda clone, the gameplay is actually much different. Rather than swinging your sword, you simply run into enemies to attack them. You must attack your enemies from the side to ensure that you are also not hit, making it, in a way, fast-paced and strategic.
The game also has a much heavier role-playing system than The Legend of Zelda, as well as a much bigger focus on the story. This is the first installment of the Ys games, with games still being released in the series to this day.
2 Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star was Sega’s answer to Squaresoft’s Final Fantasy and Enix’s Dragon Quest games. Like Dragon Quest, in Phantasy Star, you walk around an overworld and are occasionally taken into random battles where you can only see the enemies and your choice for attacking or defending.
Phantasy Star also features pseudo-3D dungeons that you must navigate, but, thanks to the limited detail added, it can be rather difficult to make your way through, and you may need to create a map if you want to see the dungeon’s end.
1 Ghouls N’ Ghosts
Ghouls N’ Ghosts is the sequel to the Capcom arcade classic Ghost N’ Goblins. The game plays like a unique blend of run and gun and platformer. You play as Arthur as he makes his way through the ghoul realm to save Princess Prin Prin from Satan.
The Sega Master System port of Ghouls N’ Ghosts adds the ability to upgrade Arthur with better armor which can help him take more hits, move faster, and more. Overall, the port is very impressive for the 8-bit hardware Capcom was working with.
NEXT: 5 Super Nintendo (& 5 Sega Genesis) Games That Need More Love
