Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A playthrough of Working Designs' 1992 action-RPG for the TurboGrafx-CD, Exile.
Exile is a console-based reimagining of the second game in the XZR series, a line-up of PC88 action-RPGs from Telenet. (XZR is a stylized take on "eguzairu", or Exile, in case you're wondering where the seemingly random English title comes from.) The first XZR never saw an international release, and Working Designs' botched localization of the third - Exile: Wicked Phenomenon - introduced bugs that rendered the game nigh unplayable.
The game first appeared on the PC Engine CD in early 1991, and it was brought to North America by Working Designs the following year. The Sega Genesis port was released in Japan and North America at the end of 1991.
Exile, like Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (youtu.be/f-ZEdTDWslQ), is a plot-driven hack-and-slash platformer that incorporates a healthy assortment of RPG elements, and the combo works well. The action controls smoothly, with Sadler handling a lot like Yuuko from the PCE remake of Valis I, which makes sense when you consider that both games were developed by Telenet's Riot (Reno) team, and it's all quite stylish in its presentation.
Exile puts on a very nice show for a game running on the memory starved System Card 2.0. The character sprites are big and smooth in motion, and the backgrounds are attractive, though a bit plain at times. The rest of the game, where you explore and chat with NPCs from the traditional RPG bird's eye view, shows off a close attention to detail (the flies swarming around piles of animal poo still get a chuckle out of me), and I liked the art style used for the character portraits. The game makes good use of the Turbo's color palette - it looks significantly better than the Genesis version in most scenes - and the CD-exclusive cutscenes look fantastic.
It features an unexpectedly "adult" plot for a console game of its time, tossing multiple religions, time travel, and heavy drug use into a blender to see what sticks. It's surreal and a bit disjointed, but I enjoyed its strangeness, and I appreciated how it didn't resort to blatant stereotyping and demonizing Islam. Operation Desert Storm was still a relevant topic when this was released, so props to Telenet for not pandering to ignorance.
The localization is... adequate. The translation is rough and lacks polish, but it gets the job done. Though a few elements were censored (like how heroin is referred to as "heart poison"), most of the naughty bits were left intact. Unfortunately, the game didn't escape the funk that Working Designs' releases were known for. The dialogue is displayed in an ugly monospaced font, the enemy stats have been jacked up, a spell that allowed you to instantly escape from a dungeon was removed, and the script injects painfully low-brow attempts at humor at the least appropriate times. The jokes are usually less intrusive than they were in Vay and Albert Odyssey, but a few still manage to be impossibly tone deaf. For instance, at one point, you come upon the -Christian- Klispin crusaders burning "heretics" at the stake in a town square. When you examine the victims, you'll find one man still clinging to life. Speak to him, and he'll start screaming that he hates mesquite. (I think that's where I was supposed to laugh. I didn't.)
Overall, even if its short and easy, Exile is one of the lesser known US releases that I think is worth playing. I loved it when I played it on the Genesis, and I found the Turbo version (my issues with the WD localization aside) to be even better.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!
A playthrough of Working Designs' 1992 action-RPG for the TurboGrafx-CD, Exile.
Exile is a console-based reimagining of the second game in the XZR series, a line-up of PC88 action-RPGs from Telenet. (XZR is a stylized take on "eguzairu", or Exile, in case you're wondering where the seemingly random English title comes from.) The first XZR never saw an international release, and Working Designs' botched localization of the third - Exile: Wicked Phenomenon - introduced bugs that rendered the game nigh unplayable.
The game first appeared on the PC Engine CD in early 1991, and it was brought to North America by Working Designs the following year. The Sega Genesis port was released in Japan and North America at the end of 1991.
Exile, like Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (youtu.be/f-ZEdTDWslQ), is a plot-driven hack-and-slash platformer that incorporates a healthy assortment of RPG elements, and the combo works well. The action controls smoothly, with Sadler handling a lot like Yuuko from the PCE remake of Valis I, which makes sense when you consider that both games were developed by Telenet's Riot (Reno) team, and it's all quite stylish in its presentation.
Exile puts on a very nice show for a game running on the memory starved System Card 2.0. The character sprites are big and smooth in motion, and the backgrounds are attractive, though a bit plain at times. The rest of the game, where you explore and chat with NPCs from the traditional RPG bird's eye view, shows off a close attention to detail (the flies swarming around piles of animal poo still get a chuckle out of me), and I liked the art style used for the character portraits. The game makes good use of the Turbo's color palette - it looks significantly better than the Genesis version in most scenes - and the CD-exclusive cutscenes look fantastic.
It features an unexpectedly "adult" plot for a console game of its time, tossing multiple religions, time travel, and heavy drug use into a blender to see what sticks. It's surreal and a bit disjointed, but I enjoyed its strangeness, and I appreciated how it didn't resort to blatant stereotyping and demonizing Islam. Operation Desert Storm was still a relevant topic when this was released, so props to Telenet for not pandering to ignorance.
The localization is... adequate. The translation is rough and lacks polish, but it gets the job done. Though a few elements were censored (like how heroin is referred to as "heart poison"), most of the naughty bits were left intact. Unfortunately, the game didn't escape the funk that Working Designs' releases were known for. The dialogue is displayed in an ugly monospaced font, the enemy stats have been jacked up, a spell that allowed you to instantly escape from a dungeon was removed, and the script injects painfully low-brow attempts at humor at the least appropriate times. The jokes are usually less intrusive than they were in Vay and Albert Odyssey, but a few still manage to be impossibly tone deaf. For instance, at one point, you come upon the -Christian- Klispin crusaders burning "heretics" at the stake in a town square. When you examine the victims, you'll find one man still clinging to life. Speak to him, and he'll start screaming that he hates mesquite. (I think that's where I was supposed to laugh. I didn't.)
Overall, even if its short and easy, Exile is one of the lesser known US releases that I think is worth playing. I loved it when I played it on the Genesis, and I found the Turbo version (my issues with the WD localization aside) to be even better.
_____________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!
![Splatterworld: Rick vs. the King of Terror (Famicom) Playthrough [English]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f3D_ERm8cow/mqdefault.jpg "Splatterworld: Rick vs. the King of Terror (Famicom) Playthrough [English]
A playthrough of Namcots unreleased JRPG for the Nintendo Famicom, Splatterworld: Rikku to Kyoufu no Daiou (スプラッターワルド リックと恐怖の大王, lit. Splatterworld: Rick and the King of Terror).
Splatterworld, the Famicom-exclusive follow-up to 1989s Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti (https://youtu.be/5T9d5aaV-nQ), was developed by Now Production. Though the game was essentially finished and promotional media had already been circulated, it was canceled shortly before its slated Q1 1993 release date.
Coming out of nowhere, a near-final build of the ROM was posted to 4chan on Halloween 2025. A month later, AeonGenesis released an English translation patch, and thats what youre seeing in this video. You can find the patch at https://aeongenesis.net/projects/splatterworld
The game begins with a throwback to Wanpaku Graffitis showdown with the Pumpkin King before opening up and sending Rick and Jennifer on an homage-laden quest to save the world from Dr. Wests mad ambitions.
As cartoony as the graphics are, they dont blunt the impact of Splatterworlds horror underpinnings. Thematically, it goes to some dark places, it doesnt shy away from being grotesque, and it carries a few unexpectedly poignant messages in its narrative. You get to see the creation of one of Splatterhouses signature squishy baby flesh bag enemies. Freddy Kruegers mommy issues lead him to save orphans by wielding the power of epic guitar solos. The triple-threat tag team of Napoleon, Nero, and Hitler can be summoned to lay waste to enemies in battle, but their support comes at great cost to your own survivability. The game subverts horror and RPG tropes in all sorts of clever ways, and its more thoughtfully written than its humble NES presentation lets on.
The battle system is especially cool in how it allows you to channel spirits to fight in your place. Some are weak on their own but become powerhouses when paired with like-minded souls. Some will abandon you at the first opportunity, while others might become overly attached and will refuse to leave unless you force them away with a spell. The riskiest of them have self-serving motives that lead them to disregard your commands as they forcibly possess your body to exert their own will.
I can only imagine that Namco realized that the Famicom was no longer a viable platform for big releases in 1993, and that it was more palatable to cut their losses than to risk shelling out for the manufacturing and marketing costs. Its not like they couldve sold it outside of Japan, either. The content wouldve made it a non-starter under Nintendo of America and Europes family-friendly guidelines.
Whatever the reason, it sucks that Splatterworld never got a chance, because its a quality game. I wouldve adored this back in the early/mid 90s! Still, Im happy to see it given a second life in 2025. It looks and sounds ancient (because it is), but the game holds up in all the ways that count.
Its not every day that you get the chance to experience a new game that was produced back in the day, so dont miss out on this one. Its excellent.
(And so is the translation patch. Kudos to the folks who made it!)
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!")
