Sega never quite managed to quite come up with an affirmative answer to the Nintendo's Zelda series, but Crusader of Centy (Soleil in Europe) gave it a pretty decent shot. Unfortunately, the game never received the exposure to compete with Zelda. On the bright side, Centy's obscurity means that it's grown to become a coveted Mega Drive treasure - which is more than can be said of Link's sell-out adventures. Centy is a top-down action RPG that casts you as Corona, a young boy who gains the ability to speak to all manner of flora and fauna, and sets off on an adventure with his dog side-kick to try and rid the world of evil. The game is a satisfying mix of dungeon exploration, combat, and puzzles. Plenty of reviewers at the time lauded it as being a worthy rival to the Zelda series. Centy's value has steadily been rising in recent years, and these days a mint Mega Drive copy of the game fetches north of $150.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
