With the introduction of the World Wide Web and other major technological advancements, the 90s became a major historical and cultural turning point. Since people could create things they never could before and easily connect with people from around the world, there were plenty of new cultural movements, musical genres, art forms, and, of course, video games.
Because of all of this, many iconic video game franchises, such as Sonic and Resident Evil, were created during this era. But, this rapid growth of the gaming industry led to some interesting titles being mostly lost to history.
Cosmology of Kyoto
In Cosmology of Kyoto, the player creates their own character and explores ancient Kyoto during the Heian period. While exploring, the player can interact with the world through both point-and-click gameplay and typing in the text box. Even though there is an official ending to the game, the true main goal is to simply explore the non-linear world and learn about the area's history, mythology, religion, and philosophy using the in-game encyclopedia.
But, this game is more than a simple edutainment game. There are so many different events and secrets to see that it's impossible to see everything in one playthrough, and there are plenty of dangerous things in the game that can kill the player. If the player dies, they get reincarnated and must take the clothes from their previous corpse in order to continue.
Gadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure
Gadget: Invention, Travel, & Adventure follows a government agent who is tasked with finding a scientist named Horselover Frost. But, after the player gets on a train, they find themself going through a series of surreal events that makes it difficult to discern what's real and what's not.
Although the game uses pre-rendered 3D animation that looks similar to games like Myst, this game is more of a visual novel than an adventure game. The entire experience is completely linear, and the player simply clicks to move forward and activate things. Besides one puzzle, the player is basically dragged along for the ride, which ends with more questions than answers.
Lunacy
Out of the many forgotten games on the Sega Saturn, the FMV adventure game Lunacy is one of the most obscure. In this game, the player controls an amnesiac traveler named Fred who has a strange symbol on his forehead. He decides to visit an odd place called Misty Town in order to possibly recover his past. Shortly after he arrives, he is put in jail and later sentenced to death unless he can find the entrance to the legendary City of Moons that is supposedly located in the town.
Similar to games like The 7th Guest, the player transitions between the various places in the mysterious town by watching many FMV cutscenes. As the player talks to the strange residents and explores the eerie world, they will slowly uncover magical mysteries that reveal the truth behind Fred's past.
The Note
Similarly to the obscure horror game Hellnight, The Note is a PS1 first-person survival horror game that was only released in Japan and Europe. The game follows a freelance occult journalist named Akira as he tries to find three missing senior high school students with his partner, Angela. Akira and Angela discover that they disappeared in an abandoned mansion in a remote European village, so they decide to investigate the house.
While exploring the mansion, Akira and Angela solve puzzles, collect items, meet other characters, and fight various creatures. During the game, the player can leave the mansion in order to buy and sell items at the village store, and the player can rest at a hotel and save the game.
D
Originally released in 1995 for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, D is a horror adventure game that follows a woman named Laura Harris who rushes to the local hospital after learning that her father, Dr. Richter Harris, just went on a mass-murdering spree. The Los Angeles Police tells Laura that he has barricaded himself in the hospital, so she decides to try to find him. But, shortly after entering the building, she finds herself in an alternate universe where the hospital is actually a castle.
Within two real-time hours, the player must guide Laura through the castle in order to find her father and reveal the truth behind her family's past. Depending on what is done during those two hours, the player will get one of several endings. This game has two sequels, Enemy Zero and D2, that are not related narratively but still star a woman named Laura.
MDK
Developed by Shiny Entertainment who also created Earthworm Jim, MDK is a third-person shooter that was notable for its graphical achievements, sense of humor, and sniper mode. The game follows a janitor named Kurt Hectic who must save the world from "Streamriders," which are Aliens who are using large vehicles called "Minecrawlers" to steal all of the Earth's natural resources.
To stop the aliens, Kurt puts on the "Coil Suit," which was created by Dr. Fluke Hawkins, and enters the Minecrawlers. Each Minecrawler has different environments, enemies, and bosses. Years after the first game, BioWare made a sequel for the PC, Dreamcast, and PS2.
PowerSlave
Known as Exhumed in Europe, PowerSlave is a first-person shooter that takes place around the ancient Egyptian city of Karnak during the late 20th century. The player is a member of a group of soldiers who are sent to Karnak to figure out what strange forces have seized the area. But, after the helicopter is shot down, the player must help the spirit of King Ramses defeat an alien species known as the Kilmaat.
Although the game shares many similarities to other DOOM-like games from the time, the console versions also had Metroidvania aspects where the player would slowly gain items in order to unlock more areas. An enhanced port of the game that combines both the Sega Saturn and PS1 versions, PowerSlave Exhumed, will be released this year.
Re-Volt
Released in 1999, Re-Volt is a racing game where players control toy cars that have gained sentience after being developed by a mysterious toy company called Toy-Volt. After picking one of 28 different cars, the player can either race against A.I. or other players in single races and championships.
There are 13 main tracks to choose from, and each of those tracks has a couple of variations. Besides racing, the player can also compete in several other modes, including a multiplayer mode called Battle Tag where each player tries to collect the stars first.
Tokyo Twilight Busters
One of the best PC-98 games is the horror adventure game Tokyo Twilight Busters, which was developed by the same team who created the Tales JRPG series. Taking place a month before the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, the player controls a young man named Sho Kusanagi who discovers that his father, Professor Takuma Kusanagi, has vanished.
Although Sho was studying abroad in England, he immediately travels back to Tokyo to search for his father, which leads to him getting caught in a series of strange events. Besides having regular point-and-click gameplay, the game also includes real-time puzzles, RPG mechanics, and strategy elements.
Dark Seed
With high-resolution graphics for the time and art created by Swiss artist H. R. Giger, Dark Seed is a psychological horror point-and-click game that is also an artistic masterpiece. The game follows a young man named Mike Dawson who has recently purchased an old mansion in a small town. While living in the house, however, he learns about a parallel universe called the Dark World, which is ruled by sinister aliens called the Ancients.
Within three real-time hours, the player must solve puzzles by going between the real world and the Dark World in order to stop the Ancients from using the "Dark Seed" that was put in Mike's brain to destroy all humanity. A few years later, a sequel was made called Dark Seed II.