A Mega Drive port of Compile's Madou Monogatari, a cute RPG that gave birth to Puyo Puyo. Rare and confidential, lovely for Japanese fans.
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Category
RPG1 player7+
Description
Arle Nadja explores dungeons in an RPG from Compile's Puyo Puyo universe for Mega Drive. Published by Compile, released in Japan in June 1996. Turn-based RPG in the Puyo Puyo world with Arle exploring dungeons, combat spells and franchise enemies.
Madou Monogatari I review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Compile applies its rounded, colourful style to a dungeon seen in first person: pastel walls, monsters drawn with deliberate childishness, the young heroine's expressions shown large with every hit taken. The gap between this graphic sweetness and the harshness of the progression gives the game its particular stamp.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Madou Monogatari I is the Japan-exclusive edition of the Compile RPG on Megadrive, released locally by Compile in a very limited print run. Its collector value is exceptional: it is one of the rarest Compile RPG cartridges in the world and the Madou Monogatari franchise (the origin of Puyo Puyo) remains a cult object among Compile collectors.
Is Madou Monogatari I still worth playing in 2026?
An RPG by Compile, Madou Monogatari I is an atypical dungeon crawler where young Arle progresses through first person labyrinths fighting enemies that would later become the Puyos. The adorable kawaii art direction, humorous tone and simplified combat mechanics make this title an absolutely overlooked gem. For anyone fond of light and original Japanese RPGs or wishing to discover the roots of Puyo Puyo, a warm recommendation still valid today without any hesitation truly here indeed for any genre fan.
