7O Mystaria

One of the most underappreciated RPGs on the Saturn is a game called
Mystaria. Actually, it was called a lot of things. In Japan the game is
known as Riglord Saga. When they brought the game over to America
and Europe they changed the name (for no important reason, as
companies tend to do when translating games for other territories) to
Mystaria: The Realms of Lore. The name Mystaria comes from the
game's storyline---as it is the name of the kingdom in the game---but
apparently it was already trademarked or copy-righted in America and
Sega was forced to change the name again or face a legal battle. This
time they chose Blazing Heroes.

Not surprisingly, these name changes have caused a lot of confusion
for gamers. To clarify:

For the casual gamer:

In the American market, other than the name and logo, Blazing Heroes
and Mystaria are the same game. Blazing Heroes is simply the second
release.

For the collector:

The Mystaria version of the game is more rare (that is, more of a
collector's item) than the Blazing Heroes version. Thus, it is in higher
demand and has a slightly higher value. Mystaria usually will cost $30-
40; Blazing Heroes wil usually cost around $20-23. So, the unobsessed
can save a few bucks on the same game.

A sequel to the game was released, but only in Japan. Here is a
summary of the game's release history:

Japan: Riglord Saga, Riglord Saga 2

America: Mystaria (1st release); Blazing Heroes (2nd release)

Europe: Mystaria

As for the game, it is a strategy RPG similar to the Shining Force series.
Developed by Microcabin and published by Sega, Mystaria was one of
the first RPGs on the Saturn and its strong 3D graphics impressed a lot
of doubters when the Saturn first launched. You play as Aragon, prince
of Queensland in the land of Mystaria. Your mother (the Queen) has
been captured by a reincarnated wizard named Lord Bane. As her only
son you must gather a party of eleven other warriors to defeat the evil
wizard and regain your throne.

Battles are turn-based, but the game features an innovative use of
"energy." During battle, the further your character must travel to
attack an enemy the less effective the attack will be; the closer the
distance the more likely you will strike a critical hit. Everything else is
pretty standard: magic spells, weapons, armor, dungeons, villages,
battle for experience, etc. Definitely a sleeper hit worth your time. And,
the import-only sequel, Riglord Saga 2 is supposedly an improvement
over an already decent game so if you know Japanese pick that one
up as well.