It’s difficult to whittle down the best Sega Saturn hidden gems because technically most of its releases can be considered hidden gems. This is because the console did not fare well in North America and most gamers missed out on what it had to offer. That’s why this list was especially grueling to make. I try to avoid low hanging fruit when it comes to hidden gems and assume anyone reading this list knows about the now highly discussed titles. I really want to highlight the games that even collectors might not know about. With that out of the way it took some time and effort, but I think I’ve finally nailed it. Before we get started with our list of Sega Saturn hidden gems let’s go over a few ground rules I established for myself.
- As difficult as it was I had to limit entries here only to North American releases. I’ll do a separate import only list for Saturn games somewhere down the road, but these are North American titles only.
- My list focuses exclusively on titles that are still obscure. Some, like Guardian Heroes, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Albert Odyssey have found their audiences and highly sought after now. I tried my best to avoid these.
- Licensed titles and first party efforts got a lot of exposure and advertising back at the time of release. That’s why I am trying to avoid these types of games.
- I don’t care if a game was a mega hit in Japan. If the North American release is still obscure then it’s still a hidden gem.
With that out of the way let’s move on to the list. These are the best Sega Saturn hidden gems!
Darius Gaiden
Outside of Japan shmups kind of faded into obscurity during the 32-bit era. Darius was never a household name like Gradius or Thunder Force, but it did have a decent following in the arcades. Even as an avid Sega Saturn collector I never knew this title existed for the longest time. What’s more is it’s an exclusive title for the platform in North America. Darius Gaiden takes the classic formula and kicks up the action several notches. You have an absolute ton of moving elements on screen in every scene, and mastering this one will take some time due to the high difficulty. I’ve always loved the aquatic theme of Darius and it makes it’s triumphant return here with some amazing 2D graphics. Darius Gaiden was overshadowed by more popular titles at the time but is well worth playing today.
Dark Legend
2D fighters were overshadowed by 3D ones in this era. Sega is partially to blame due to the popularity of Virtua Fighter, but that doesn’t mean the Saturn didn’t have some worthwhile ones under its belt. Almost no one has heard of it which makes Dark Legend one of the best hidden gems for the Sega Saturn. It’s a weapon based fighting game with a distinct Asian flair. It’s also one of the early weapons based fighters before that concept really took off. This is used for more than just looks however; you can actually lose your weapon during combat. When this happens your style of attack completely changes. It’s an interesting dynamic which adds a ton of strategy to what would otherwise be another Street Fighter II clone. Gameplay is fast and furious, and the special moves and combos are a real treat to perform. It’s a great game.
Dark Savior
This one got a fair amount of exposure at the time of release because it was an action adventure game. It’s also a pseudo follow up to Landstalker on the Sega Genesis which still has quite a following. Dark Savior hasn’t been re-released on any other platforms, and due to the grid based exploration has been largely forgotten about. The large sprites haven’t aged particularly well, but the action is still as fun as it ever was. In addition it has some really good puzzles and great dungeon designs. The mix of 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds still looks lovely as well. Even fans of Landstalker have forgotten that this one exists. In some ways I’d say it’s even better than its predecessor. Dark Savior is a true blue hidden gem.
Enemy Zero
The Sega Saturn was not known for having a huge library of survival horror titles. Especially when compared to the Sony PlayStation at the time. Enemy Zero has a very interesting story. It’s a follow up of sorts to the FMV classic D, and when premiered featured the Sony PlayStation logo fade into that of the Sega Saturn. Despite that it has since fallen into complete obscurity. In this title you play as a woman aboard a space station who awakens from cryogenic slumber. Unfortunately aliens have overtaken the ship, and they can cloak themselves to appear invisible. You can only tell their location based off of sound, and can only shoot them at short range. The game is displayed from a first person perspective and is downright frightening to play due to the aforementioned gameplay elements.
Galactic Attack
Remember how I said shmups were mostly relegated to obscurity following the 16-bit era? Well, that’s why Galactic Attack is a hidden gem. It’s a space ship based vertically scrolling shooter with screen after screen filled with enemies. There are some neat elements in play here such as enemies that approach from behind before attacking. With a few well placed shots you can completely eliminate them before they get into offensive position. It also helps that Galactic Attack is a beautiful sprite based game. There aren’t any polygons whatsoever which is probably a reason why it was so overlooked at the time of release. Yes, there are better 2D shooters on the platform but Galactic Attack is certainly one of the hidden gems for the platform.
Golden Axe: The Duel
Unfortunately, Golden Axe: The Duel represents a large part of what was wrong with Sega at the time. All they had to do was make a 3D iteration of the classic beat ’em up series for the platform. The Saturn was more than capable of this, and it would likely have sold gangbusters. Instead they released a 2D fighter based on the series. I personally hate the early Golden Axe titles so I’m happy with the change but I still see it as a bad business decision. Golden Axe: The Duel is kind of a mish-mash between Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. As a 2D fighter it’s fine, and is enjoyable in short bursts. I also really like the 2D graphics with beautiful scenery and well animated fighters with great designs. This is my favorite Golden Axe title, and one of the best hidden gems on the Sega Saturn.
Highway 2000
If you wanted a racing game for the Sega Saturn odds are you stuck to either Daytona USA or Sega Rally. Sega had you covered for arcade style racers, but that doesn’t mean other developers didn’t give their best shot. In some ways I’d actually say Highway 2000 is better than Daytona. It’s a fast and furious racer through a series of urban environments with some very challenging twists and turns. Highway 2000 has really good graphics for the time, and a rockin soundtrack that will stick with you long after you’re done. It doesn’t have a lot of content, but the focus here is on fine tuning your driving abilities. There’s also a lack of polish but it’s perfectly playable with a decent framerate and fair draw distance. Highway 2000 deserves its place in any Sega Saturn library.
Last Bronx
Sega was an absolute beast in the arcade scenes during this time. It’s no surprise that the Saturn had more than it’s fair share of ports from their coin-op releases. Last Bronx is one of these such games. Sega bet the farm on Virtua Fighter which overshadowed most of the other fighters on the platform but that doesn’t mean the others aren’t worth playing. Last Bronx was a weapons based 3D fighter before the concept was mainstream. What I really like is the fact that the characters aren’t just limited to swords. Instead some have bow staffs, nunchucks, tonfas, and even a hammer. It’s more based on martial arts than things like Soul Blade which is really neat. What makes Last Bronx such a hidden gem is the fact that it’s a one-off. There’s no sequel, and it was never re-released outside of Japan.
Legend of Oasis
Beyond Oasis was a big hit and cult classic for the Sega Genesis. It was the house of Sonic’s attempt to create a Zelda clone, but with beat ’em up elements to appeal to gamers worldwide. It had a little known sequel released for the Sega Saturn in the form of Legend of Oasis. In my opinion it’s better than the original in many ways. First of all this is still a 2D title despite being on 32-bit hardware. This means it’s absolutely gorgeous and has aged better than most titles from this time. Legend of Oasis features some intricate dungeons with light puzzle solving. You’ll never be left scratching your head, but there’s plenty in this regard to keep you busy. Combat itself sticks with it’s beat ’em up roots. You’ll often face enemy waves and need to attack in combination strikes. It’s neat, and hardly anyone played it.
Sky Target
The Sega Saturn had shmups on lockdown. The problem is that few gamers outside of Japan still cared about the genre. Most had already moved on to 3D games and that includes rail shooters. Sky Target was one of the few offerings for the console, and it’s quite a good one at that. Graphically the game transcends what most think the Saturn is capable of. The terrain is a bit blocky and repetitive, but your ship animates incredibly smoothly. You can lock on to enemies as well as fire POV. It’s kind of a spiritual sequel to Afterburner, and plays pretty similarly after all. It begs the question why Sega didn’t rebrand this one, but this is hardly the time nor the place for that. Sky Target in my opinion is one of the best hidden gems for the Sega Saturn.
Scorcher
This was one of the graphical showcases for the platform at release, but due to middling reviews was quickly forgotten about. In my opinion it’s fun, and that makes it an ideal Sega Saturn hidden gem. This is a futuristic racing game wherein you play as a ship of sorts. Your goal is to beat three AI controlled opponents to the finish line across several laps. At first it looks akin to something like Wipeout, but without weapons or anything like that. It seems to me that the main reason this one reviewed so poorly was because of complaints with the controls. You have to make use of the shoulder buttons in order to be successful here. The more narrow curves in the course require a fair amount of finesse, but I loved getting the hang of it.
SCUD: The Disposable Assassin
Technically this is a licensed game. It’s based off of a comic book series from the mid 90s, but to be honest I’ve never heard of it. The game itself is never mentioned except among the most hardcore of Sega Saturn collectors. This is a genre bending title that is one part run and gun and one part light gun shooter. You can play with either a light gun or a standard controller which is neat. Basic gameplay has you controlling the tituar character through a variety of stages. He can run, jump, and shoot. It’s somewhat similar to Contra but a bit more limited. The other scenarios take place in a first person viewpoint as you guide a crosshair around the screen shooting foes. This is both done from the perspective of running through corridors or shooting gallery type sequences. SCUD is definitely underrated in my opinion.
Shinobi Legions
As I’ve already mentioned one of Sega’s biggest issues was that they kept many of their games 2D. Shinobi Legions is one such case. Rather than bringing their hit arcade series into the new dimension they instead went for a pre-rendered style. It looks kind of like an ugly Mortal Kombat. It even has live action sequences which are kind of laughable now. This is still an action side scrolling game where you jump, strike, and throw projectiles at your foes. It also becomes pretty challenging, and sometimes unfairly so because it can be hard to see background elements at times. Either way this one still plays like the classic Shinobi titles and that’s enough to make it one of the best hidden gems on the Saturn. Just try to look past the graphics because Shinobi Legions is pretty ugly.
Steep Slope Sliders
The Sony PlayStation had Cool Boarders, and the Nintendo 64 1080 Snowboarding. It often feels like the Sega Saturn was left out. It wasn’t until decades later that I discovered it did actually have it’s own snowboarding title in Sleep Slope Sliders. In my opinion this one is better than any of the Cool Boarders titles because of the physics. The sense of momentum, paired with how your character turns actually feels more like the actual sport in my opinion. Furthermore the graphics are wonderful. Your character animates wonderfully, and there’s not as much pop-in as you would expect from a title of this era. 1080 Degree Snowboarding is still the king of the generation, but Steep Slope Sliders gets the silver medal from me.
Three Dirty Dwarves
It’s easy to see why most gamers passed on this title. The 32-bit generation was all about edgy titles for teens and adults. This most certainly is not one of these such games. Three Dirty Dwarves goes more for the Nickelodeon audience with colorful hand drawn graphics and over the top animations. This is a beat ’em up that was pretty unique at the time of release. If you’re by yourself you can switch between the three characters that all have separate attacks and strengths. If you have a Saturn multitap however you can tackle this adventure with up to three total players. Multiplayer is and always will be the biggest draw of the beat ’em up genre. The ability to play with more than just one friend more than makes this worthy to be considered a hidden gem.
Joshua Roberts
Nice list!