Wizardry V - Heart of the Maelstrom (1992, PC-Engine CD)

Wizardry V - Heart of the Maelstrom is a dungeon-crwling RPG. It was originally developed by Sir-Tech Software for C64, C128, Apple II and PC. It was later also released for NEC PC-88, NEC PC-98, FM Towns, SNES and Playstation (as part of a compilation). It was ported to the Turbografx CD/ PC-Engine CD by Japanese company Access Co. and published by Naxa Soft.

Once again, the world of Llgamyn is in danger. This time, a malevolent form of energy, called the Maelstrom, appears. A person called the Gatekeeper is able to seal this energy away. But now the Gatekeeper has been imprisoned by a mysterious force called SORN. A party of brave adventurers seeks out to free the Gatekeeper and defeat evil.

The game plays very similar to the original trilogy of games. You create a party of up to six characters in a town and hit the dungeon right next to it. You can go back to the town to buy equipment, heal your characters, train them etc. Despite some enhancements for the PC-Engine port, graphics are still pretty basic with dungeons consisting mostly of plain walls and doors. There is no automap, so you need to pay attention which way you go. Encounters are random, the monsters are not animated. Combat is turn-based. Death can come quickly, as you might easily encounter a huge group of tough enemies, and many treasure chest are booby-trapped with powerful spells which might kill your party in an instant.