Brandish
Brandish is a classic action-RPG developed and published by Koei for the SNES, released in 1994, and it is a port of the 1991 computer game by Nihon Falcom. You play as a warrior who wakes up in a mysterious dungeon with no memory of his past, and you must explore the dungeon, fight monsters, and uncover the secrets of your identity and the world around you. The gameplay involves navigating through a top-down dungeon, engaging in real-time combat with a variety of monsters, and solving puzzles to progress, with a focus on exploration, combat, and character progression.
A unique feature is the "real-time" combat system – the game features real-time combat where you must use your sword and shield to defeat enemies, and you can also use magic spells and items to aid you in battle. The game also features a "fatigue" system where your character becomes tired and less effective if you fight for too long without resting, adding a layer of strategy and resource management to the gameplay. The game includes a large dungeon with multiple levels, each with unique enemies, traps, and puzzles, and you must explore thoroughly to find items and progress.
The graphics are colorful and detailed, with a classic fantasy RPG style and well-rendered sprites for the characters and monsters, and the backgrounds are varied and atmospheric. The music is epic and memorable, with a classic RPG soundtrack that enhances the immersive experience. Critics praised the real-time combat, the exploration, and the overall engaging gameplay, making it a solid and unique RPG for the SNES. It supports one player. Brandish is a fun and challenging RPG that offers a great dungeon-crawling adventure.