The Rarest PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 Games (& How Much They’re Worth)

Summary

• Sega was successful in Europe with the Master System despite struggles in North America.
• Rare PC Engine games like Gunhed & Cotton come with high price tags, especially with boxed copies.
• The US version of Magical Chase tops the list as the rarest and priciest PC Engine game.

In North America, the 8-bit generation was essentially run exclusively by Nintendo, despite Atari and Sega’s attempts to make some headway. Sega had better luck in Europe, where some old-school gamers still fondly remember the Master System, although most European gamers were stuck with microcomputers like the Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC until the SNES and Mega Drive (Genesis) hit the market.

In Japan, Sega played a distant third to NEC’s PC Engine. It was capable of 16-bit graphics, albeit with an 8-bit brain, which counted against it when NEC tried introducing it as the TurboGrafx-16 in the US. That, and its best games, like Castlevania: Rondo of Blood and Kaizo Chojin Shubibinman, were rarely localized. As such, many of its titles on both sides of the Pacific, be they on HuCard or CD, have become quite rare, and are wroth a pretty penny these days.

10

Gunhed Special Version

Robot Made To Fight Godzilla Ends Up On The PC Engine

The making of the movie Gunhed is more interesting than it is to watch, as it began life as a potential Godzilla title where the King of the Monsters would’ve fought its gun-toting robot. But it was passed up in favor of Godzilla Vs Biollante. Instead, Gunhed got his own movie, and Compile made a pretty good shooter loosely based on the bot’s silver screen outing. Then, to avoid legal issues, Compile removed all the movie references to release it in the West as Blazing Lasers.

Picking up its standard PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 HuCard is actually pretty cheap. However, Compile also made Gunhed Special Version, where they added a Caravan mode (basically a time attack) for local competitions. Getting this rare title involves coughing up $370 for a loose card, or $816 for a boxed copy.

9

Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams (US CD)

A Game As Smooth As Cotton At A Price As Rich As Satin

This list will also include games for the PC Engine CD-ROM²/TurboGrafx CD, since it doesn’t have many particularly rare games. It’s certainly got plenty of expensive ones, as tracking down gems like Castlevania: Rondo of Blood doesn’t come cheap. However, few border on the 4-figure mark, like Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams does.

Players control the titular witch and her fairy friend Silk as they blast monsters R-Type-style in a fantasy horizontal shooter. Picking up a US copy will set buyers back $300 for a loose disc, or $984 if they want the full box. It has since been ported to modern machines at more affordable prices, but some people might be keen on having one of its first official Western ports in their collection.

8

Bomberman ’93 Special Version (JPN)

Multiplayer Mayhem At A Mighty Price

Just because a game is rare and/or valuable doesn’t mean it’s the definitive version of the title. For example, PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 owners would’ve had a grand time blasting through the single-player campaign in Bomberman ’93, or by blowing up their friends in the multiplayer mode. American owners could even earn a good $350 if they put their title on the market.

Then there’s Bomberman ’93 Special Version. Like Gunhed Special Edition, it was made for local tournaments and demo kiosks highlighting its multiplayer mode. As such, it has all the single-player content cut out, and its multiplayer games can only be played with human opponents. Only 1,000 cards were ever made, and getting hold of one all boxed up will cost $990.

7

Legend Of Hero Tonma (US)

No Hero Can Save Buyers From These Prices

For anyone fluent in Japanese, picking up Legend of Hero Tonma is a cinch, relatively speaking. It’s a platformer with a standard save-the-princess plot, so even non-Japanese speakers can likely get the gist of the game. If they already have a Japanese PC Engine, and a spare $50 for a loose card (or $170 for a boxed copy), they can swoop and shoot as Tonma in no time.

However, if players prefer to see the action in English, getting the TurboGrafx-16 version is more of a challenge. Loose copies of the English version of Tonma cost over $610. Getting it boxed costs $1,347, give or take a few cents here and there. Collectors who want it in mint condition, as new as new can be, will need $2,000. Even then, they won’t need much change left over from that high price.

6

Syd Mead’s Terraforming (US CD)

The Price Is Terrifying

If anyone’s ever been wowed by the neo-futurist look of Aliens, Blade Runner, Tron, Turn A Gundam, and more, they have the late Syd Mead to thank. He practically invented the cyberpunk aesthetic with his unique mechanical designs. Right Stuff were certainly impressed enough to get Mead on board to create some designs for their horizontal shooter.

Thus, Syd Mead’s Terraforming was made and reached the TurboGrafx-CD in 1993. Its Japanese version, merely titled Terraforming, can be found for a comparatively manageable $90 ($40 if loose). Its American versions require over 16 times that amount, at $1,462. Getting it without the box isn’t any cheaper, as loose discs still go for $1,453.

5

Darius Alpha (JPN)

The Most Expensive Boss Battle Mode On The Market

Shoot ‘em up fans need no introduction to the Darius series. The original arcade game was a big hit in game centers across Japan in 1987, but it took a while to hit home consoles. CD-ROM² owners got Super Darius, with all the bosses and arcade-accurate music and sound effects. PC Engine players got the trimmed-down, but equally fun Darius Plus.

If players had both games, they could send in two coupons from their manuals to get Darius Alpha. It’s a Boss Rush game where players can fight all the game’s bosses in order. Only 800 copies of it were ever made, so picking one up will require $1,545 at best. However, if they get as lucky as one French buyer on eBay did, they could get a new copy for $82 instead of its usual $3,000 asking price.

4

Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire (JPN CD)

How A Futuristic Shooter Can Help People Relive The Past

Fans of 1990s anime art styles and vertical shmups will find themselves at home with a copy of Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire. As niche as that overlapping of fandoms may seem, it was large enough to turn this game into a cult classic. Its gameplay wasn’t anything special compared to its rivals, but its fancy graphics and outstanding sound gave it an edge that other shooters at the time couldn’t hold a candle to.

Its scarce supply led to a flood of counterfeit copies hitting the market in the mid-2000s. If buyers aren’t careful, they could find themselves going out of pocket for a burned CD bootleg. Therefore, they might have to go the extra mile to make sure they’re getting a genuine copy of Sapphire, as the real deal goes for $765 loose, and $2,000 boxed.

3

Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise (US CD)

Soaring As High As Its Prices

Bonk, aka PC Genjin, was meant to be the mascot for the PC Engine, but unlike Mario and Sonic, his games weren’t exclusive to the machine. NES, SNES, Amiga owners, and more got to see what the big-headed caveman had to offer. However, if they wanted to see Zonk in action—Bonk’s futuristic, shades-wearing, 90s attitude-filled equivalent—they needed a TurboGrafx CD.

His debut was Air Zonk, a horizontal shooter akin to Gradius with the same zany sense of humor as the Bonk games. The sequel, Super Air Zonk, threw in new levels, assistants (a la Gradius’ options), and a new rockabilly soundtrack done in Red Book Audio. It was wild, it was easy, and it will cost people $1,000 just to get a loose disc of it today.

2

The Dynastic Hero (US CD)

AKA Wonder Boy In Monster World

It’s hard to think of a franchise with more of an identity crisis than the Wonder Boy series. Each of his games has had an alternate title, often with wildly different gameplay, which led to the developers getting confused. For example, the proto-Metroidvania game Wonder Boy in Monster Land led to two different Wonder Boy 3 games, with WB3: The Dragon’s Trap (a genuine Metroidvania) also being released as Monster Land 2.

Westone tried to fix things by naming the next game Wonder Boy 4: Monster World 3 in Japan, which sounds more like a soccer result in Wonder Boy’s favor. Its TurboGrafx CD release went by the simpler name of The Dynastic Hero, which changed the character designs and replaced the old soundtrack with a new one done in Red Book Audio. With so many unique trappings, it’s little wonder boxed copies go for $3,600.

1

Magical Chase (US)

It’ll Take Some Magic To Chase This Title Down

With all that said, the rarest, most expensive PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 game doesn’t require any add-ons, CD or otherwise. A single TG-16 version of Magical Chase goes for $4,250 on its own. If it’s in its original box, and in good condition, it can earn owners nearly $10,000 if they put it up for sale, and if they can find a buyer.

It’s a solid, fun horizontal shooter made by Quest, the people behind Final Fantasy Tactics. With its cute graphics and smooth gameplay, it became one of the console’s best games. Sadly, since cutesy shooters weren’t in style in 1990s America, its US port has become particularly rare, although even Japanese copies go for roughly $600-700.