Landstalker

Landstalker is an action-adventure game that was developed by Climax Entertainment originally released for the Sega Genesis. A follow up game called Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past was released in Japan for the SNES.

Gameplay
The player, as Nigel the treasure hunter, is tasked with searching for clues that lead to the treasure of King Nole. This is accomplished primarily by travelling through both outdoor areas and dungeons. All gameplay and plot-advancing scenes take place in an isometric view.

From the outset of the game, Nigel may walk, jump, swing his sword, climb ropes and ladders, talk to various non-player characters, and pick up and throw various objects. With very few exceptions, these basic actions do not change throughout the game, although Nigel's weapons and armor may be replaced with better versions thereof. There are a variety of items throughout the game, most of which either increase or restore health and attacking power or are important to advancing the plot or solving puzzles.

Much of the game's dungeons and overworld are filled with monsters, mostly creatures from fantasy and mythology like ogres, skeletons, ghosts, golems, and more; many may be avoided or killed for gold or other collectables, while others must be killed to advance the plot and the game. Many traps and puzzles also appear requiring the player to jump from platform to platform press switches and move blocks to climb on. Locked doors inhibit the player's progress, the player must find keys or beat enemies or puzzles to unlock them and progress further. Many dungeons and areas have a boss to defeat at the end. The monsters, puzzles and dungeons increase in difficulty as the game progresses. The player has health which is kept track of by hearts; health and the maximum health limit may be increased with items purchased in towns or found in dungeons. The player is not prevented from revisiting old towns and dungeons, and is frequently required to do so to advance the plot.

There are several optional side quests found in the game involving helping out the non-player characters. Nigel can complete these tasks for benefits, like increased attacking power and use of shortcut warps to travel across the overworld quicker. These can help the player but are not necessary to complete the game.

Plot
Nigel is a treasure hunter working for pay. While receiving payment for a recent hunt, the wood nymph Friday flies in, asking for help, as she is being chased by thieves who know she knows something about the treasure of King Nole, a forgotten king who escaped his subjects's wrath and became lost with his treasure. Nigel sets out to find the treasure with Friday as a guide in the hopes of becoming richer than his wildest dreams.