Artelius (Japan)

Artelius is an action RPG adventure game developed by Konami exclusively for the NES in Japan. The game blends top-down overworld exploration with side-scrolling action combat segments, reminiscent of titles like Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

In Artelius, players control a hero embarking on a quest to save the world from an evil force. The game world is divided into various areas including towns, dungeons, and wilderness. While on the overworld map, players navigate from a top-down perspective, discovering new locations and finding their way to the next objective.

Upon entering dangerous areas such as dungeons or enemy-infested wilderness, the game transitions to a side-scrolling view. Here, players engage in real-time combat, using a sword to attack enemies and a shield for defense. Additionally, the character can learn and utilize various magic spells, ranging from offensive to supportive, each consuming magic points (MP). Managing MP is crucial to sustain combat effectiveness.

The RPG system in Artelius allows for character progression. Defeating enemies grants experience points and gold. Experience points help the character level up, which in turn increases basic stats such as health points (HP), attack power, and defense. Gold can be used to purchase stronger equipment like swords, armor, and shields from shops in towns, or to buy healing items and magic spells.

The game's objective involves exploring dungeons and defeating powerful bosses that guard important artifacts or information. Each boss battle requires players to employ appropriate strategies and have adequate equipment. With its unique blend of exploration, combat, and character development, Artelius offers a deep and challenging action-adventure experience on the NES.