Lost Classics: Skyblazer (Super Nintendo)

Before creating the Playstation, Sony was a 3rd party developer known as Sony Imagesoft. The company’s primary purpose was to develop games for the 16 and cd-based systems of the time. Besides a bunch of crappy licenced games, they put out a few gems, one of them is thie little-known SNES title Skyblazer. It took bits and pieces of other games such as Castlevania, Zelda, and Mega Man and combined them with a Southern Asian-inspired atmosphere to create an identity all on it’s own. While you play as the typical hero in the typical “save the princess” story, the gameplay differences make up for what the plot lacks in originality tenfold. You move on an overworld map, which soon gives you choices in which way to go next. As you progress through the game, you’ll gain new abilities, almost like an RPG. Mode 7 flight stages and some cool boss battles also help break up the action. With Sony Imagesoft being absorbed into 989 studios, there is zero chance of it coming to virtual console, so be prepared to spend some bucks on Ebay hunting this down.