Landstalker

An isometric world full of treasure, puzzles and precise jumps – Landstalker is an adventure that brought a fresh take on the action-RPG genre to the SEGA Mega Drive. In 1992 (it reached the West a year later), studio Climax built an expansive journey whose perspective and gameplay departed from the standard of the time.

The most striking feature is the isometric view, which gives the world spatial depth and opens up room for jumping in three dimensions. The game combines combat, exploration and the solving of spatial puzzles, where you have to carefully judge jumps between platforms, push objects and search for paths through hidden nooks. It is a mix of action and logic that keeps the player attentive.

Landstalker is also considered the predecessor of Beyond Oasis, which people from the same studio later worked on. Already here you can sense a feel for blending action with discovery and for building an expansive, charmingly designed world that invites a thorough exploration of every corner.

Charm and scope are the game's strong points, but the isometric perspective also has its price. Judging jumps precisely can, due to the distorted view, occasionally be frustrating and requires a bit of getting used to. Once the player masters the spatial perception, however, an inventive and rewarding adventure opens up before them.

For fans of exploration and the action-RPG genre, Landstalker represents an interesting and today somewhat forgotten choice that shows how diverse a catalog the Mega Drive built up even beyond the action and shooter genres.

Why play it: An expansive isometric action RPG with spatial puzzles and jumping, the predecessor of Beyond Oasis – ideal for lovers of discovery.