Well, I've officially purchased my 101st Super Famicom RPG! That brings my collection to 104 Super Famicom games in total, with 101 of them being RPGs. I've managed to build up quite a collection over the past few months, and I'm honestly surprised by how quickly it's grown.
So, what's the latest addition?
This time, I picked up Kouryuu Densetsu Villgust: Kieta Shoujo (甲竜伝説ヴィルガスト 消えた少女), a rather obscure RPG released by Bandai in 1992. I paid approximately ¥11,980 for a complete-in-box copy in pretty good condition. The listing included the original box, manual, and other contents, which is exactly what I was looking for.
Now, why did I spend nearly ¥12,000 on a game that apparently isn't very good? That's a question I've been asking myself, too.
There were cheaper copies available, and some of them were in decent condition. However, the boxes had retail stickers, visible wear, or other cosmetic issues that I really didn't want to deal with. Since I'm collecting these games as much as I'm playing them, I figured I might as well spend a little more and get a copy I'd actually be happy displaying on my shelf.
Front
Back
Contents
Cartridge
Manual
My First Experience Using Hard Off's Off Mall
This was also my first time ordering anything through Hard Off's online marketplace, Off Mall.
For some reason, I'd been a little hesitant about using the site. I've browsed it plenty of times, but I'd never actually purchased anything from it until now. As it turns out, the process was pretty straightforward. You create an account, find what you want, and choose from the available payment and delivery options.
I decided to pay at a convenience store and have the game delivered to another convenience store for pickup. Here's the weird part. I'm paying at Lawson but picking up the game at FamilyMart.
I was hoping there would be an option to have the game delivered to a nearby Hard Off location instead, but unfortunately, that wasn't available for this purchase.
The FamilyMart I selected is relatively close to home and along my usual commute, so it shouldn't be too inconvenient. Still, it seems a little strange to pay at one convenience store and collect the item from another. Aside from that, the ordering process was surprisingly painless, and I can definitely see myself using Off Mall again in the future.
So, What Exactly Is Villgust?
Villgust is a 1992 RPG that seems to follow a fairly typical fantasy adventure premise, although with something resembling an early isekai setup. The protagonist, Shun, is an ordinary Japanese schoolboy who finds himself transported to another world. His girlfriend, Michiko, has also disappeared into this fantasy world, and he sets off to find her while joining forces with various characters along the way.
The Villgust franchise actually began as a line of collectible figures before expanding into other media, including manga, games, and a two-part anime OVA. I'm thinking about watching the OVA before playing the game, just to familiarize myself with the world and some of its characters. I've always enjoyed exploring the anime and manga connections behind these older Japanese games, especially when they're franchises I never encountered growing up.
Unfortunately, the reviews I've read haven't exactly filled me with confidence.
I read the general impressions and it seems to be that it's a fairly mediocre RPG. And once again, I find myself wondering why it's always the questionable games that end up costing me so much money.
I spent around ¥35,000 on Aqutallion, and my copy of Hourai High School cost well over ¥100,000. Now here's another obscure RPG that I'm paying nearly ¥12,000 for, despite already suspecting that I probably won't enjoy it very much.
Apparently, collecting obscure Super Famicom RPGs means spending a fortune to discover just how bad some of them are. What a wonderful hobby I've gotten myself into.
An Interesting Approach to Grinding
One thing about Villgust that caught my attention is its unusual approach to random encounters and leveling. Apparently, as your characters gain levels in a particular area, enemies gradually become less frequent. Eventually, random encounters can stop appearing altogether. The idea seems to be to discourage players from excessively grinding in the same location. I actually think that's an interesting concept, especially for a game released in 1992.
In a way, it reminds me a little of how EarthBound handles weaker enemies, although the systems are obviously quite different. In Villgust, you don't see enemies wandering around the map. Instead, the random encounter system itself gradually becomes less active as your characters grow stronger.
I'm surprised this kind of system didn't become more common in later RPGs.
I don't particularly enjoy grinding for hours, although it depends on how much I'm enjoying the game itself. If the battles are fun and the progression feels rewarding, I don't necessarily mind spending extra time leveling up. However, if the combat becomes tedious, grinding can quickly turn an otherwise decent game into something I just want to finish and move on from.
From what I've read, Villgust might actually require quite a bit of grinding despite having a system that supposedly discourages it. That sounds like an interesting contradiction, and I'm curious to see how it works in practice.
I'm also slightly worried that this could turn into another Dual Orb situation.
And considering how much I disliked that game, that's not exactly something I'm looking forward to.
My Growing Suspicions About Early Super Famicom RPGs
Something I've started noticing during this project is that many of the Japan-exclusive RPGs from the early Super Famicom years seem pretty rough. I'm beginning to suspect that games released between 1991 and 1993 might be particularly hit-or-miss, while RPGs from the later years of the console's life might be more consistently enjoyable.
Of course, that's just an early impression. I've almost completed ten games in this project, and so far, the Japan-exclusive titles I've played have generally ranged from average to downright terrible.
That's not a particularly encouraging start!
To be fair, I certainly haven't played enough games to make any definitive judgments about the entire library. There are plenty of highly regarded Japanese RPGs that I haven't gotten around to yet.
Still, I can't help noticing the pattern.
On the other hand, that's also part of what makes this project interesting to me. I'm finally getting to experience games that I never had access to growing up, and I'm approaching them without the nostalgia that might influence my opinion of more familiar titles.
Even when a game turns out to be disappointing, there's something satisfying about discovering it for myself and forming my own opinion.
And who knows? Maybe Villgust will surprise me.
I'm not particularly optimistic, but stranger things have happened.
Slowing Down the Collection
I've included a few pictures from the Off Mall listing so you can see the condition of the copy I purchased. Once I actually receive the game, I'll probably put together another short post showing the box, manual, and other contents in more detail.
As for future purchases, I think I'm going to have to slow things down considerably.
I've bought an enormous number of games over the past couple of months, and with everything else going on in my life right now, I can't really justify continuing to spend this much money on retro games.
I've already managed to collect a substantial portion of the Super Famicom RPG library in a relatively short period, so there's really no reason to rush.
From now on, I'm thinking about limiting myself to roughly one game per month, with the occasional exception if something particularly interesting comes along.
I'm also planning to save up for some of the more expensive games that I'd really like to add to the collection. Two titles I'm especially interested in are Gunple: Gunman's Proof and Fire Emblem Thracia: 776.
Both would make wonderful additions, although depending on their prices and condition, I might need to save for a few months before buying either one.
For now, though, Villgust is my latest purchase and my 101st Super Famicom RPG. Whether it ends up being a hidden gem or another addition to my growing pile of disappointing RPGs remains to be seen.
At least the box looks nice!
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