7 Awesome Japanese Video Games Never Released In The USA

The greatest games that never made it across the Pacific Ocean.

Metal Wolf Chaos
Microsoft

Japanese developers dominated the video game industry throughout the 90s, with key players like Nintendo and Sega competing to dish out enough awesome, nostalgia building games and characters to capture the hearts (and wallets) of gamers all across the globe.

In fact you could argue the case that the market is still dominated by Japanese titles today, with gaming titans Sony and Nintendo still pumping out incredible games year on year. As one of the biggest demographics on earth, the US has had the great fortune of getting the vast majority of these titles translated, allowing us English speakers to revel in the majesty of classics such as Super Mario 64, Pokemon Red and Blue, Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus.

However, there are some gems that we never got. Games that, no matter how awesome and popular they were in Japan, never made the trip across the Pacific ocean and into our hearts. Games so good the developers kept them all for themselves. Games so controversial they weren't allowed to trespass on US soil. Games so troubled in production it's a wonder they were released at all. All are awesome; all are perpetually out of reach.

These are their stories...

7. Devil World

Metal Wolf Chaos
Nintendo

Devil World is a maze game first released in Japan in 1984. You control Tamagon (a green dragon cuter than Robert Pattinson being drowned in kittens) and collect crucifixes to gain the ability to breathe fire and eat dots in the maze.

The cool original feature is that the maze moves around as you play it, controlled by the Devil and his minions pulling pulleys and ropes at the top of the screen. It’s fun and addictive like these early maze games can be.

Devil World did get a European release in 1987, and was also released on the Wii's Virtual console in 2008. But Devil World never got an American release. Presumably because a little dragon in hell shooting fireballs at the devil out of a crucifix was a little too iconoclastic for the American populace to handle.

Who knows how many young minds this adorable little green dragon would have corrupted if he’d been allowed into the USA. Don’t worry Tamagon, you’ll always have a place in my heart.

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Writer, editor and presenter for WhatCulture, also a resident musician at NU. I know I'm not as funny as I think I am, please stop pointing it out...