Sega’s days in the hardware market of the video game industry are unfortunately over, but the company still continues to make a strong impression with its work as software developers. Sega can’t always replicate the magic of the past, but they still have many strong properties that are very much alive.
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The Sega Saturn is a chapter from Sega’s legacy that many people skipped over, but the console is the home to some groundbreaking titles that can’t be found anywhere else. The Saturn has many games that are quicker experiences, but it also features many titles that boast aconsiderably longer storyfor the gamers that want a more engrossing challenge.
10Burning Rangers (5 Hours)
Burning Rangersis one of the Saturn’s biggest titles, but since it’s remained trapped on the console, it’s also an entry that comes from both Sonic Team and legendary developer Yuji Naka that many people have never gotten to experience.Burning Rangersis an inventive spin on theadventure genrethat centers around a team of futuristic firefighters that are more like superheroes. The game is an impressive mix of sound design and exploration. The core gameplay isn’t overly long, but it will take players a long time to master all of the content and completely finish the game.
9Guardian Heroes (10 Hours)
Treasure is one of the most acclaimed developers when it comes to sidescroller video games andGuardian Heroesis one of the company’s most ambitious efforts. The title takes the basic structure of abeat-‘em-up game, but adds in RPG elements and a leveling up system. The “fighting RPG” features many characters, tons of branching alternate paths, and a wealth of multiple endings to unlock.Guardian Heroesis a game that rewards multiple playthroughs. A single campaign is lengthy, but those who want to explore every corner of this adventure are going to need to invest some real time.
8Policenauts (12 Hours)
Hideo Kojima has become one of the most prolific games in the video game industry due to his impressive and ambitious work on theMetal Gear Solidseries and more recent works, likeDeath Stranding. Policenautsis Kojima’s take on a hard-boiled detective noir and it’s a stunning experience in storytelling.
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Policenautsprimarily plays out with a visual novel aesthetic as players piece together clues, but it incorporates various styles of gameplay to deliver something that’s truly unique.Policenauts’story isn’t as sprawling as the RPGs on the Saturn, but it’s still a longer than usual experience.
7Magic Knight Rayearth (15+ Hours)
Magic Knight Rayearthis one of the better video gameadaptations of an animefrom its generation. The action RPG looks at three magical girls who get tasked with rescuing a missing princess. It’s a fun blend of lighter anime tropes with more serious RPG conventions. It feels tonally different from other RPGs of the time and it also contains a lengthy narrative that’s satisfying for those that are familiar with the full story of the anime series. It manages to expand on anime concepts, plus there’s plenty of extra content to work through.
6Panzer Dragoon Saga (15+ Hours)
It’s an exceptionally strange idea to take a rail shooter franchise and turn it into a giant RPG adventure, but that’s part of the reason whyPanzer Dragoon Sagais such a unique gem. The game tells an emotional story that spans four discs and it’s not just one of the longest titles on the Sega Saturn, but it’s also one of the very best, period. In many ways, it felt likePanzer Dragoon Sagawas supposed to be Sega’s big answer against the PlayStation’s growingFinal Fantasy franchise, but unfortunately it didn’t make nearly as big of an impact.
5Dragon Force (30 Hours)
Allreal-time strategyRPG titles tend to be immense, butDragon Forceis really a stunning achievement of what a game of this nature could be like on the Sega Saturn.Dragon Forceallows the gamer to control up to 100 soldiers and has a cast of thousands.
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Dragon Forceis huge, but it also features eight distinct storylines for the game’s different monarchs, all of which add substantially more. The narrative and battles feel big in a way that no other games on the Sega Saturn do and it’s easy to lose hundreds of hours into this title.
4Langrisser III (30+ Hours)
Langrisser IIIis the first entry in the tactical role-playing game series that incorporates concepts from thedating sim genre. As a result, this adventure is full of alternative paths and endings that make what’s already a thorough trek even more intense. Although none of them received localizations for the Sega Saturn,Langrisser IVandValso came out for the console.Langrisser IIIjust feels slightly more accessible and less bogged down in lore as some of the other entries.
3Albert Odyssey: Legend Of Eldean (50+ Hours)
Curiously,Albert Odyssey: Legend Eldeaninitially began development as an RPG by Sunsoft for theSuper Nintendo, but as the process got further along it was instead ported over to the superior Sega Saturn.Albert Odysseycaters towards more of a standard turn-based RPG approach rather than prioritizing tactical strategy.Albert Odysseyhas turned into a humble RPG franchise, but the first game establishes most of the series’ ideas and features a lengthy campaign that’s not unusual to the 16-bit era of titles.
2Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (55+ Hours)
TheLunarseries works just as hard as theFinal Fantasy gamesand their stories go to even bigger places as it tells a larger narrative that spans thousands of years & multiple generations. The originalLunargame is held back by how it debuted on theSega CD, andLunar 2: Eternal Blue Completefaced similar hurdles on the Sega Saturn. The franchise is comfort food for RPG purists who don’t want an overly complicated battle system, but are still interested in a deep story.Lunar 2really pushes the limits of how big a game can be.
1Shining Force III (60+ Hours)
Camelot’s turn-based fantasyJRPGShiningseries are some of the best video games of all time.Shining Forcehas provided a mature take on the fantasy genre and the Sega Saturn’sShining Force IIIattempts to do something very ambitious with its structure. The story is divided into three separate scenarios that overlap and cross over in complex ways, all of which culminates in one of the most engaging narratives that’s told on the Saturn.Shining the Holy ArkandShining Wisdomon the Saturn are also lengthy adventures, butShining Force IIIstill edges it out.
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