If one were to compile a ranking of the most underrated game consoles of all time—in America, at least—the Sega Saturn would surely be high on the list. While wildly popular in Japan, the Saturn got off to a shaky start in the US, then quickly lost footing to Sony's PlayStation juggernaut. As a result, almost every Sega Saturn game is underrated in the US by default.
If you study the Saturn's catalog, you'll find a handful of commonly cited standouts like Nights Into Dreams, Virtua Fighter 2, Saturn Bomberman, and Sega Rally Championship, among others. You'll also find amazing RPGs like Shining Force III, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean, and Dragon Force. And then there are the 2D shooters, which are too numerous to list here.
Instead of focusing on the best of the best, I thought it would be fun to examine a handful of underrated gems across various genres in the Saturn's catalog. These might not be the absolute best games, but they are all competently executed and often overlooked.
Of all the 'Forgotten Classics' series, I found narrowing down this list of Saturn games down to just seven entries the hardest. There are so many amazing Saturn titles out there that don't get their due. So if you don't see a personal favorite on the list, by all means, tell us about us in the comments.
1. Dungeon Master Nexus (1998)
Publisher: Victor Interactive Software, Inc.
The original Dungeon Master, released in 1987 for the Atari ST and then ported to other computers, pioneered real-time 3D first-person RPGs. In the game, you form a party of four warriors who venture into a dungeon, encounter monsters and fight them in time-based combat. It's only fitting that this important title received a fluid polygonal 3D update in Dungeon Master Nexus, released in Japan for the Sega Saturn. The game kept all the best aspects of the original and added vivid polygonal graphics and an orchestral soundtrack.
2. F1 Challenge (1996)
Publisher: Virgin Interactive Entertainment, Inc.
The Saturn played host to several wonderful racing titles—among them Daytona USA CCE and Sega Rally Championship. There are also some neat Japanese-only titles like Choro Q Park. Typically, I'm not a fan of sim-based racers. But when I ran across F1 Challenge, a Saturn exclusive that serves as nothing less than a smooth, vividly detailed visual feast, I knew I had to put it on the list. It's a good example of the graphical oomph the Saturn is capable of, and it still holds up today despite all the jaggy lines you'll encounter.
3. The Legend of Oasis (1996)
Publisher: Sega of America, Inc.
Until I researched this list, I had no idea that an underrated gem on the Sega Genesis, Beyond Oasis, received a follow-up for the Sega Saturn. Like its predecessor, The Legend of Oasis is an overhead action RPG game somewhat reminiscent of early Zelda titles. Thanks to gorgeous 2D graphics, its depth of gameplay (including special attacks for each weapon), and an unusual pseudo-Persian setting, Legend of Oasis still stands out today.
4. Mr. Bones (1996)
Publisher: SegaSoft, Inc.
Of all the games on this list, Mr. Bones is perhaps the most bizarre. This quirky, semi-humorous game is all about skeletons—skeletons running away from skeletons, skeletons jumping over skeletons, skeletons playing guitars, and more. It's more a collection of action-based mini games featuring animated bones than a cohesive genre, which makes capturing its feel and distilling it into a paragraph it somewhat difficult. You'll just have to try it for itself.
5. PowerSlave (1996)
Publisher: Playmates Interactive Entertainment, Inc.
The Saturn played host to several competent 3D first-person shooter titles, including Alien Trilogy, Duke Nukem 3D, and Quake. Despite having the most unique setting (a modern dive in to ancient Egyptian ruins), PowerSlave seems to get overlooked the most. Its developer, Lobotomy Software, created an amazing 3D engine called SlaveDriver that powered not only PowerSlave, but also the aforementioned ports of Duke Nukem 3D and Quake. And while PowerSlave later received ports to the PS1 and MS-DOS, the original version somehow still feels the most fluid and feature-rich.
6. Mass Destruction (1997)
Publisher: ASC Games
If you're a big fan of the cathartic sensation of harmlessly blowing things up in video games (and aren't we all?), you'll enjoy Mass Destruction, where you play as a tank that, well, blows stuff up. As much as possible. While this game also received a prominent port to the PlayStation, fans generally prefer the Saturn version due to its higher framerate and analog control stick support.
7. Princess Crown (1997)
Publisher: Atlus Co., Ltd.
If you're a fan of more recent action RPGs Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown, you'll probably enjoy Princess Crown, the spiritual genesis of this richly detailed, vividly illustrated series (all three involved designer George Kamitani). There's only one problem: Princess Crown only landed in Japan. Thankfully, fans have recently taken to translating the game to English for American audiences to enjoy. Princess Crown is the perfect example of the kinds of gems adventurous gamers can discover if they dig deep enough into Saturn's Japanese catalog.
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