I've preferred computer RPGs for as long as I've understood the concept of the genre. My introduction was probably The Bard's Tale, which was given to me as part of a lot from my father's boss when he gifted my family (meaning, me) our first computer - the Commodore 64. But RPGs are kind of under-represented on this site. There are reasons. One, I have adopted the habit of making an entry for any reasonable game (no Mahjong, no Shogi, with rare exception no sports games) I sell on Yahoo Auctions, and I don't end up selling RPGs that much. But also, action, arcade, graphic adventures, etc. can be understood, photographed, and written about in mere minutes, but RPGs yearn for more exploration to get an idea of what they're about.

I've felt the nagging need to reduce my game collection a bit, so I've been playing some of my boxed software that I gave a cursory glance to when I first got them, maybe thought they would be interesting, but haven't had time to pursue playing. Some have been RPGs. Sometimes I play them a bit and decide they're not worth keeping, so I sell them. Haja no Fuuin, for example.

But not Rune Worth: Kokui no Kikoshi (The Gentleman in Black). This looks like it's going to give me a lot of fun someday. I still don't have much in the way of free time, but I am working toward creating some for myself. This game will definitely be played!

The game comes with a dedicated opening scene disk. This is a nice touch, because you are in charge of when you see it. There were many more colorful scenes that get more to the heart of the story, or at least the character development, but somehow they didn't end up in my photographs. I'll have to grab some more later.

The game takes good advantage of the PC-8801mkIISR and beyond's FM sound and increased color palette. Each town is given a distinct look and its own BGM song. Unfortunately, one cut corner is that the shop staff all look the same from one city to another.

Rather than walk from city to city, you are transported there automatically from the map scene. There seems to be only one dungeon per city, at least so far. I've only found enemies in the dungeon, which makes it a little less random, but as much as I do love RPGs, this keeps one of the most annoying features in check - too many encounters when wandering around. Combat is done in real time, directly on the battle field.

Here are some interesting features of the game. If you go to a temple for healing, you have the option of playing a concentration game with the priest/healer dude. Starting with a sequence of four and increasing one per time, if you remember up to eight, you get a magic boost. Additionally, the game keeps track of night and day. It's nothing too special, just becomes much darker when it's in night mode.

It is a 2D game, of course, but it sometimes adds some elements to give it a 3D effect, such as climbing staircases. And perhaps most impressively, it draws shadows if you walk besides buildings. It will even draw shadows only on the portion of your body currently in the shade. Kinda neat!