Showing posts with label Dragon Force for Sega Saturn print ad (1996). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dragon Force for Sega Saturn print ad (1996). Show all posts

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Dragon Force for Sega Saturn (1996)


Original ad published in the October 1996 issue 

of Electronic Gaming Monthly (no. 87).

Press to enlarge or download in higher resolution.

One of the best strategy RPGs of all time holds its ground


The year 1996 went down in history as a standout period for strategy RPGs. This was the time Suikoden was released for the PlayStation and the very solid Tactics Ogre made some waves on the Sega Saturn (it has previously been released for the Super NES). Final Fantasy Tactics for Sony’s juggernaut would close the tactical renaissance in 1997. Within that already superb field, Working Designs brought Dragon Force to America. It a word: it rocked! (and it still does!)

Hot on the heels of the notable Lunar. The Silver Star for Sega’s first CD system, as well as the obscure Vasteel for the Turbo-CD, Working Designs decided to up the ante with Force.

The gameplay is very unique indeed: you battle cute super deformed characters by giving them orders or manually interacting with them in a board-game type battle system. This is both very entertaining and incredibly intricate. As you would expect, graphics and sound are fantastic, making you really care about your main protagonists. As and added bonus, you can choose from eight different characters that produce eight different storylines.

Having said that, this strategy RPG is also highly sought after today. You'll pay a pretty penny for a new-in-box specimen, but loose copies are generally good deals. If you're a hard-core Saturn collector, this game is a must. It was named Saturn game of the year in 1996 by EGM, by the way.


Now in a curious marketing twist, the actual game advertisement that ran in popular magazines of the time is very different than the actual box-art of the title. You can see the latter just below. Both are very good, with detailed and stylized character design. Animes had finally broken into the American mainstream by this period of the 90s and Force took advantage of its Japanese pedigree. You can easily hand the ad you see in the top of the page in your playroom and score some credibility points. Well done Working Designs, well done.




Dragon Force for Sega Saturn print ad  copy


Dragon Force

When Magic Was Young,
And Swords Carved Laws of Blood,
Eight Warlords Forgotten to Time
Rose to Shape Orden From Chaos.


  • 8 Awesome Warlords!
  • 8 Different Storylines!
  • 150+ Playable Characters!
  • 60+ Hours of Gameplay!


Sega Saturn
Working Designs
Our games go to 11!