Esper Dream (1987)

Developer: Konami
Platforms: Family Computer Disk System, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U
Genres: Shooter, Real Time Strategy (RTS), Role-playing (RPG)

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The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Use ESP and a gun to save a storybook town in this fairy tale-themed action RPG with real-time battles.

retrofantasyaction-rpgquirkystorybookjapanese

About

Brick Town, a town within a storybook, is in peril! Evil forces have descended upon the land and kidnapped the mayor's daughter. And it just so happens that you have ESP. Thus it descends upon you - and your gun - to save Brick Town. Unlike most other RPGs of the time, Esper Dream isn't based on medieval times, but rather on a fairy tale storybook of five chapters, each with a setting that is distinct from each other (they also contain sub-dungeons). Battles are started when the player runs into various pairs of moving footprints on the ground. This takes the player to a separate enclosed battlefield. There the player can use their weapons (or ESP powers) to defeat their enemies. Winning battles will increase the player's character's experience points, eventually leveling them up when they reach certain experience point totals. Leveling up increases their Hit Points {HP} and ESP Points {EP}. The player can also buy weapons by using the Gold Pieces that defeated enemies leave behind. The game is over when the player's HP reaches zero - or when the player has successfully saved Brick Town from the evil scourge. Up to three save slots are available. They allow players the opportunity to save their progress and return to their adventure at a later date.

Screenshots

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More by Konami

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.