One of the things I love about doing this Flash Briefing is I get to learn about these games too! This is one game that I’ve never heard of before and researching it was nuts. The idea of something like Exile existing now wouldn’t be that crazy but having it on the Genesis in the early 90s?! I love it.

1/23 – Exile (Genesis)

Hello and welcome! My name is Katosepe and I’ll be your host for today’s video game of the day.

Today’s game goes by a few names but western audiences are most likely to know it as Exile, released on the Sega Genesis or Mega Drive. Interestingly, what western audiences got as Exile, is actually a remake of the second game in the Japanese series. Although the series is written XLR in Japan, it is pronounced Exile and the localized games are simply written as Exile.

Exile is an action RPG melding side-scrolling action with RPG progression. Players play as Sadler and use their hideout to manage companions, items and the like. A map screen allows travel to various towns, which use an overhead camera view, typical of JRPGs of the time, or dungeons, which switch to a side-scrolling action view.

The story has Sadler, a war hero who saved the world years earlier, taking up arms once again to save the world from the Luciel Empire. To say that the story takes some unexpected turns would be an understatement. If you play this one today, expect some rather surprising themes.

Despite being a remake, much of the story of Exile was changed from the original. Some elements referencing the first game were removed but also the original game contained several scenes of violence and nudity that were removed from the Genesis version. Several of the original names also referenced Christianity and were removed as were the inclusion of several illegal drugs used as stat-boosting items.

Exile was also released on the Turbografx-CD, widely regarded as the superior version of the game due to the higher quality graphics and included voiceovers. This version also had less censorship than the Genesis version. The adult subject matter also likely lowered sales at the time as adult-focused games were not as popular on consoles. Reviews for the game have been decent, with many praising the games graphics although the localization is often criticised.

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