Part III - Where we finally get a list (which is what people came to see)
As a reminder, there are entire books on this subject and I only have one article, so I'll skip curiosities like コズミック・ソルジャー (Cosmic Soldier), ザ・スクリーマー (The Screamer), ロマンシア (Romancia), ファンタジアン (Fantasian), 闘人魔境伝 ヘラクレスの栄光 (Glory of Hercules), リグラス (Riglas) and クルーズチェイサーブラスティー (Cruise Chaser Blassty) - but curious readers should definitely google those later.
So, without further ado, here's a selection of 15 early JRPGs that shaped the genre:
Dungeon
ダンジョン (December 1983)
The Old Gamers History Vol. 3 book begins their timeline with Kei's Dungeon, claiming it has a known release date and among the early titles it's the one closest to "modern RPGs". It's easy to see why. Instantly familiar to anyone who played Ultima, Koei's Dungeon asks you to pick a class - Warrior, Thief, Cleric, Wizard or Ninja - and explore a large island in search of El Dorado.
While the towns are oddly text-only, the rest of the game is an impressive programming feat - the graphics are way ahead of their time (OMG, solid walls!), the overworld has a handy mini-map and the island's underground is a MASSIVE dungeon with multiple entry points that's over 250 x 250 squares!
The developers were probably all big D&D fans, as you'll face Mind Flayers, Frost Giants, Flesh Golems and even the demon prince Demogorgon, awkwardly traced from the rule book:
Curiously, no beholders. I guess the Japanese also think that 1st ed. beholders look ridiculous.
