Minelvaton Saga : Ragon no Fukkatsu

Minelvaton Saga: Ragon no Fukkatsu is a Role Playing Game first in the Minelvaton series, being followed by Silva Saga and ending with Silva Saga II: The Legend of Light and Darkness.

Minelvaton Saga takes place on the world Minelvaton, in the area known as Southern Ofelia. In the kingdom of Palmeccia both the King and Queen have been murdered by the hands of a servant of Ragon, son of the Zuhl. The player takes control of the Prince of Palmeccia in a quest for revenge and to kill the evil Ragon.

Fundamentally, the game plays and looks like Dragon Quest. The player is given control of a single character and can explore a number of towns, dungeons, and the world map itself. However, once the player receives the ship for sailing, the game becomes non-linear as the player can explore almost anywhere that can be reached.

Another unique feature is the battle system. Like a typical RPG, there are random battles, but actual combat resembles a sort of action RPG. In battle, the player starts at the bottom of the screen facing the enemies that are at the top. In order to defeat enemies, the player must run into one in order to exchange blows. The closest analog to this unusual system is the MMORPG, or the MMORPG-ish single player game Final Fantasy XII.

Beyond that, the basic plot and some of the battle system concept seems to have been co-opted by Sega's Sword of Vermilion.