Mystaria: The Realms of Lore

Mystaria: The Realms of Lore, released in Europe under the title Blazing Heroes, is an action RPG that emphasizes battles involving large numbers of units at once, setting it apart from classic single-hero action RPGs. The player commands a party of warriors, mages, and creatures that move and attack in real time across isometric maps of a sprawling fantasy world, requiring the positioning of units, use of their differing abilities, casting spells on groups of enemies at once, gathering equipment, and reacting to enemy tactics, which brings the game closer to a strategic action hybrid than a pure RPG.

At the time, the graphics were among the more impressive showcases of the Saturn's capabilities, thanks to detailed environments, varied terrain types, and fluidly animated characters and creatures displayed on screen simultaneously in fairly large numbers, which was technically demanding for consoles of the era and required careful engine optimization. The music rounds out the fantasy atmosphere typical of the genre, and together with the colorful art style keeps the game in a welcoming, adventurous register without excessive darkness, though the story of a fight against a dark cult threatening the kingdom also offers weightier moments and steadily building tension.

The game earned praise from reviewers especially for its ambitious battle system with large numbers of units on screen and its solid overall craftsmanship, though it was ultimately overshadowed by more successful and better-selling RPGs on rival platforms, particularly the PlayStation. Today Mystaria is remembered as an interesting attempt to expand the action RPG with tactical elements of squad command and as one of the technically most ambitious titles of its genre on the Saturn, one that is worth rediscovering even years later, especially for players looking for an alternative to traditional solo action RPGs and willing to appreciate lesser-known parts of the console's library.

Why play it: For players looking for an alternative to traditional solo action RPGs, Mystaria offers an interesting blend of tactical squad command, even though it was once overshadowed by more successful titles on the PlayStation.