Madō Monogatari I

• Title — Madō Monogatari I • Developer — Compile • Publisher — Compile • Designer — Hitoshi Nishizaka • Composer — Masanobu Tsukamoto • Series — Madō Monogatari • Released — March 22, 1996 • Genre — Role-playing video game w/ first-person perspective • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — Mega Drive, PC Engine, Game Gear Madō Monogatari I is a 1996 role-playing video game developed and published by Compile for the Mega Drive. It is the last official Mega Drive game released in Japan. The game is part of the long-running Madō Monogatari series. It is a later revision to the Game Gear version, Madō Monogatari I: Mittsu no Madō-kyū, which is based on the original MSX and PC98 versions, and borrows heavily from the PC Engine version, Madō Monogatari I: Honō no Sotsuenji.

The game takes place in a 3D maze with obstacles, enemies, and characters to confront. Attacking monsters is similar to Paladin's Quest and the Phantasy Star series. A few examples of crazy items are Japanese curry, champagne, mini-elephant, and strange little crystals that may summon Santa. There is also a capsule item that allows players to capture enemies in a similar way to the Pokémon video games. Once captured, these enemies will serve as allies to the main player. Both brains and brawn must be used as the battles and puzzles are equally difficult in the lower levels of the game.

Five-year-old Arle Nadja (later the protagonist in the Puyo Puyo series) is a member of the magic school. For her final exam, she must go through the Dark Prince's tower. Her knowledge and skills will be greatly tested with the puzzles and illusions of fiends that are inside. Not all are illusions though, there may be rivals and friends in this tower and Arle has to be on the lookout if she wants to pass this test.