Nihon Falcom Corp.

During the 1980s, the company established its reputation on Japanese personal computers, such as the PC-8801, before expanding to home consoles. Early success came with the release of Dragon Slayer (1985), which laid the groundwork for the action role-playing genre. This was followed by the fantasy adventure Romancia (1986) and the highly successful Xanadu (1987).

The company solidified its industry presence with the critically acclaimed Ys II (1987) and the side-scrolling departure Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (1989). Falcom continued to iterate on its core franchises throughout the early 1990s, releasing Dragon Slayer: The Legend Of Heroes (1990) and a handheld adaptation of Dragon Slayer (1990). The company's narrative and design sophistication grew alongside CD-ROM technology, exemplified by the release of Legend of Xanadu (1994) on the PC Engine system. These early releases defined the mechanical conventions of Japanese role-playing games, particularly through their emphasis on real-time combat, intricate level design, and progressive soundtrack integration.