ActRaiser

In 1990, Quintet and Enix released ActRaiser for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game blends two distinct gameplay styles: side-scrolling action sequences and an overhead city-building simulation. The player controls an angel during the simulation phases and a living statue during the platforming sections. The angel can shoot arrows at monsters, use miracles like lightning and earthquakes, and guide the growth of a civilization starting from just two humans. As the population expands, it can seal monster lairs, which raises the region’s civilization level and unlocks more advanced buildings. The Master, the game’s protagonist, gains hit points and miracle power as the world’s total population increases. Each area features two action stages—one before the simulation and one near its end—where the statue jumps and fights monsters, ending with a boss battle. The final level is a boss rush against Tanzra.

The story follows the Master, a godlike being who lost a battle to Tanzra and his six lieutenants. After sleeping for centuries, the Master awakens to find his powers diminished because people no longer believe in him. By rebuilding civilizations and receiving prayers, he regains his strength, defeats the lieutenants, and storms Tanzra’s stronghold, Death Heim. After victory, the Master and his servant observe that the temples are empty; the people have solved their own problems and no longer need a deity. The Master then departs into the heavens.

The game carries a Judeo-Christian allegory. In the Japanese version, the protagonist is named God and the antagonist Satan. Nintendo of America’s early-1990s policies banned overt religious content, so the protagonist was renamed “The Master,” though the allegory remains—he travels on a cloud palace, commands an angel, performs miracles, and is prayed to. The bosses draw from real-world religions and mythologies, including Greek and Hindu themes. The ending explores the idea of faith becoming unnecessary.

Other changes for the North American release included a new logo, monster lairs marked with skulls instead of Stars of David, easier action stages with altered enemy attacks and lower magic costs, and more difficult simulation segments. A sequel, ActRaiser 2, came out in 1993 for the SNES.