ActRaiser (16.11.1990.)

When the Super Nintendo arrived, developers were eager to show what Nintendo’s new machine could do. Better graphics, richer sound and more ambitious ideas were all part of the 16-bit promise, and some launch-era releases could be described as extra daring, such as Quintet’s ActRaiser. A hybrid that combined side-scrolling action with city-building simulation, it put players in the role of a deity tasked with rebuilding a ruined world. It was an unusual concept, and even decades later, there is still nothing quite like it. However, while ActRaiser deserves recognition as a pioneer, its rough edges and the way its two separate sides don’t really blend together or aren’t anything special when viewed separately prevent it from reaching the heights of the console’s true classics.