Up next in my relaxing games series is Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The console came out in Japan in October 1988, in 1989 in North America, and 1990 in PAL regions. It was a direct competitor to the Super Nintendo and spent many years going toe-to-toe with it, both in sales and marketing.
The Mega Drive had a library of over 800 games and I wanted to look at some of the more relaxing ones; the kind you could just pop on and not worry about timers or exact inputs to enjoy.
The list
Games marked with an asterisk (*) are Japan exclusives. The main criteria for these games is a mix of chill music/aesthetics, lower pressure, lower stakes gameplay, and lower complexity. This is also not an exhaustive list so you’re welcome to suggest some games in the comments!
- Barbie: Super Model
- Barney’s Hide and Seek Game
- Crayon Shin-chan: Arashi o Yobu Enji*
- DJ Boy
- Ecco Jr.
- Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
- Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World
- Monopoly
- Outrun
- Paperboy
- Pirates! Gold
- Pyramid Magic
- Quackshot
- Richard Scarry’s Busytown
- Side Pocket
- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Sword of Vermilion
- The Great Waldo Search
- Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
- Wheel of Fortune
- Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
- World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck