Dungeon Explorer is an Action RPG developed by Atlus for the TurboGrafx-16. The game was originally released in 1989 in both the Japanese and North American markets, with Japan getting it on March 4 and North America on November 15. It is/was also available on the Wii Virtual Console, PlayStation Network, and the TurboGrafx-16 Mini.
It's a tale as old as time: aliens have invaded the land of Oddesia, led by their king Natas. The king of Oddesis sends you off to find the Ora Stone, which is the only thing that can stop Natas.
As its name would suggest, the game involves a lot of dungeon crawling, and the gameplay is overall very similar to that of Gauntlet. Up to 5 players can team up with their choosing of 8 classes to tackle dungeons together and fight enemies. Unlike Gaunlet, however, there's a bigger emphasis on RPG elements; levels, towns, overworld exploration, and a White Magic/Black Magic system for special attacks tied to each class. The game lacks saves, though it does have a password system for continues that also enables functionality for cheat codes.
Tropes:
- Evil All Along: The king of Oddesia is actually Natas in disguise. He sent you on your quest to find the Ora Stone for him.
- Meaningful Name: The recurring guard that eventually betrays and tries to kill you is literally named Judas.
- Sdrawkcab Name: The alien king Natas is clearly named after Satan. Just backwards.
- Secret Character: The Princess and Hermit (spelled Harmet due to wonky translation) classes can be unlocked via passwords. You can also unlock Hermit by leveling up a Bard until it has 50 HP and taking them to the Hermit House, where they will transform into the Hermit.
