A dark, concept driven Japanese RPG leaning hard on world building and gothic mood. The mechanics feel rough but original and the atmosphere wins over fans of strange, melancholic stories.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player12+
Description
The hero battles angels and demons in a dark tactical JRPG with a gothic universe and religious themes for Dreamcast. Published by NEC Interchannel, released in Japan in October 1999. Tactical RPG with angelic and demonic matrix combat, sin and salvation system, intense gothic atmosphere. Japanese edition.
Black-Matrix Advanced review
3/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Polished"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Gameplay
"Decent"
Fun
"Mild"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Easy"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Caught between angels and demons, the tactical progression stretches through long battles where every choice weighs on the system of sin and salvation. The gothic world and its religious themes make you want to see the adventure through, while the steady difficulty invites a restart to optimise your units. This density of combat explains the lasting aura of a demanding, generous tactical RPG.
Technical info
💾0,64 GB📅21/10/1999
Published by NEC Interchannel
Black-Matrix Advanced (Dreamcast) price, value & rarity
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Is Black-Matrix Advanced still worth playing in 2026?
Black-Matrix Advanced offers a tactical RPG with a dark world, where angels and demons clash against a backdrop of moral dilemmas. Its strategic grid based turn battles and deep management of characters and their alignments give genre fans real substance. The mature atmosphere and crafted story remain its best assets. On the other hand, modest presentation, sometimes harsh difficulty and the lack of localization temper the whole. Worth recommending to patient fans of Japanese strategy rather than the casual onlooker.
