The Sega Master System was available in North America from 1986 to 1992. During that time, it was never able to best the juggernaut that was the Nintendo Entertainment System, but it put up a valiant fight. Games like Phantasy Star, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, and the arcade port of Rastan helped to put the system on the map for many US fans. Those of us who stuck with the system beyond the US retirement date and were able to import titles from Europe or Brazil, where the Master System lasted longer (in Brazil’s case, years longer), were treated to some of the best games ever released for the system.
Here are five Master System titles that you’ve probably never played, but definitely should.
Power Strike II for the SMS
Power Strike II
Power Strike II was developed by Compile, the Japanese studio responsible for Zanac, Aleste, Gun-Nac and numerous other technically accomplished shooters. It is a genuine Master System entry in the Aleste lineage and should not be confused with the separate Game Gear game also marketed in some regions as Power Strike II. It was released in Europe in September of 1993, with TecToy subsequently distributing it in Brazil.
Rather than using the overt science-fiction imagery associated with many Compile shooters, Power Strike II takes place in an alternate version of the early 1930s. Economic collapse has led unemployed pilots to become airborne pirates. The player is a professional pirate hunter piloting the Falcon Flyer and accepting contracts to clear the skies and seas around Italy.
September 1993 was exceptionally late for a Japanese-developed Master System exclusive. The Mega Drive had already been established in Europe for several years, and players interested in shooters had access to titles such as Thunder Force IV, M.U.S.H.A. and Raiden Trad. North American and Japanese Master System owners had no official way to buy it at all. Its limited production and regional distribution also made the cartridge comparatively scarce. For many years, emulation or importing an expensive PAL copy was the only practical way to experience it. The Aleste Collection for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch finally gave it a broader official release 27 years later.
Land of Illusion for the SMS
Land of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Land of Illusion was developed internally by Sega as the 8-bit successor to Castle of Illusion and released in Europe in 1993. It is not an abbreviated conversion of the Mega Drive’s World of Illusion. The Master System and Game Gear editions were created as separate games, although the portable and console versions share the same underlying design.
Mickey falls asleep while reading a fairy-tale book and awakens in a village whose magical crystal has been stolen by the Phantom. Without the crystal, the surrounding land has become dark and hostile. Mickey must cross the countryside, consult the princess, and ultimately reach the Phantom’s castle in the clouds.
By 1993, the Master System had left the US and Japanese markets, so American players were far more likely to encounter Mickey on the Genesis or Game Gear. Its family-friendly license also disguises how sophisticated it is. It is frequently assumed to be a simplified children’s platform game, when it actually combines precise controls, item-gated progression, secret collection and unusually varied stage mechanics. It deserves to be discussed alongside Wonder Boy III and Asterix as one of the Master System’s best original platform adventures.
Ninja Gaiden for the SMS
Ninja Gaiden
The Master System’s Ninja Gaiden is neither a port of Tecmo’s arcade brawler nor a conversion of the NES trilogy. It was developed by SIMS under license from Tecmo and presents an independent story, its own stages, its own bosses, and several movement mechanics not found in the NES games. It was released in PAL territories on July 16, 1992.
Ryu Hayabusa returns to his village to discover that the Dragon Ninja clan has been massacred and the sacred Bushido scroll stolen. The scroll supposedly grants its possessor the power to control the world. Ryu pursues the thieves across Japan and eventually confronts the Shogun of Darkness. The game uses illustrated narrative panels between stages, imitating the cinematic presentation that helped distinguish the NES series. The story is simpler and less elaborate than the NES trilogy, but the cut scenes give the adventure continuity and showcase artwork unusual for many Master System action games.
Its greatest disadvantage was that it was part of a franchise strongly associated with Nintendo hardware. Players in the United States and Japan often assume the classic series consists of the arcade game, three NES titles and several handheld adaptations. The Master System game fell outside that familiar lineage. It also appeared after the Mega Drive’s The Revenge of Shinobi and Shadow Dancer, which offered superficially similar ninja action on newer hardware. Even European Sega owners could easily treat it as an aging 8-bit alternative rather than a distinctive game in its own right.
Micro Machines for the SMS
Micro Machines
Codemasters originally created Micro Machines for the NES, releasing it in 1991 as an unlicensed cartridge. The design grew from an earlier prototype called California Buggy Boys and was transformed into a licensed Micro Machines game after Codemasters reached an agreement with toy manufacturer Galoob. The Master System edition was programmed and graphically adapted by Ashley Routledge and David Saunders, with original design credited to Andrew Graham. Lyndon Sharp provided its PSG music. Codemasters published it in Europe on March 10, 1994, making it one of the last significant commercial Master System games released in Great Britain.
The game views its races from overhead. Because the vehicles are miniature toys, ordinary household environments become enormous racing circuits. Breakfast tables, billiard tables, desks, gardens, bathtubs and workshops contain improvised tracks whose hazards include pencils, cereal boxes, spilled liquids, rulers, tools and pool balls. Vehicle types include sports cars, Formula One cars, off-road vehicles, powerboats, helicopters and tanks. The handling varies enough that a course designed around boats or helicopters does not simply feel like the same race with a different sprite. Tanks can also fire at opponents, adding a combat element to certain events.
By its March 1994 release date, European players could purchase Micro Machines on the Mega Drive, Amiga, and Game Gear, and Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament was approaching release. The Master System edition was an excellent conversion of a game many consumers already associated with newer hardware. It was also completely absent from North America, despite the Micro Machines toy brand’s popularity there. American Master System owners who had remained with the console never received this unusually suitable version.
Lemmings for the SMS
Lemmings
The original Lemmings was created by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis for the Amiga in 1991. Probe Software handled the Master System conversion, with Krisalis contributing audio work. Dominic Wood is credited as the programmer, Mark Knowles as the artist, and Neil Young as the producer. Matt Furniss arranged the Master System music. Sega published the cartridge in Europe in 1992 under license from Psygnosis, with Brazilian and South Korean editions also appearing. It fits 120 levels into a 2-Mbit cartridge and uses passwords rather than battery-backed saving.
Each level releases a procession of lemmings that walk forward without regard for cliffs, water, fire or traps. The player must save a specified number by assigning one of eight jobs: climber, floater, bomber, blocker, builder, basher, miner and digger. The challenge comes from limited resources and timing. A builder creates only a fixed number of steps. A blocker may save the group from immediate danger but must eventually be bypassed or removed. A poorly positioned miner or basher can create an unusable tunnel. Later levels require coordinating several actions across different areas before the time limit expires.
Most players experienced it on the Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Mega Drive or Super NES. The Master System edition arrived after the game had already become synonymous with computers and 16-bit machines. North America did not receive the cartridge, and the lack of the two-player mode gave owners of newer systems an obvious reason to choose another edition. Nevertheless, the 120-level campaign, exclusive Sega stages, and strong music make it more than an inferior curiosity.
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