Magic Knight Rayearth

Three schoolgirls pulled into a magical world where they are meant to become legendary knights — anime fans know this story well. Magic Knight Rayearth brings the famous license by the group CLAMP to the SEGA Saturn as an action RPG that combines recognizable characters with adventurous gameplay in the spirit of classic Japanese action RPGs.

You play as the trio of heroines and traverse the fantasy world of Cephiro, solve puzzles, fight your way through enemies and advance a plot that follows the source material. The gameplay combines environment exploration with real-time action combat, where switching between the heroines and using their abilities gives both the fights and the progress their own dynamic. The visuals honor the anime aesthetic of the source and bet on a colorful 2D presentation.

This game earned a special place in the Saturn's history in the West: its English release became famous as one of the last official titles to appear for the console in North America, making it the platform's figurative swan song. For collectors it therefore also carries symbolic value as a full stop at the end of the console's life on that market.

For lovers of anime and classic action RPGs, Magic Knight Rayearth is a pleasant blend of a beloved license with gameplay that honors the genre's roots. It's a title that recalls how closely Japanese games and anime were intertwined in their time, while also carrying the nostalgic tinge of the end of one gaming era.

Why play: For the blend of the popular CLAMP anime license with a classic action RPG and for the symbolic status of one of the last Western Saturn titles.