Time is a concept that is very hard to master in video games, and few creators have been fascinated by it as much as Hideo Kojima. The legendary designer behind the Metal Gear Solid series and Death Stranding, whose second installment, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, showed off some impressive gameplay footage at Summer Game Fest, recently shared on his KOJI10 podcast some ideas for future games that he felt could revolutionize the use of time in the medium. However, something very similar to Kojima’s concept was already attempted — back in 1987.

Nihon Falcom Corporation is the most important Japanese video game developer you may have never heard of. In the 1980s, Falcom pioneered role-playing games and action-RPGs in Japan, creating iconic franchises such as Ys, Dragon Slayer, and The Legend of Heroes. One Falcom game, part of the Dragon Slayer series, was the most innovative and experimental in terms of its gameplay: Sorcerian.

Sorcerian came out in 1987 (the same year as the original Metal Gear) for the PC-8801 personal computer. On the surface, it’s a simple side-scrolling action game with RPG elements (a successful formula for Falcom), which allows the player to create several parties of characters and send them out to adventure in many different scenarios. The scenario system was one of Sorcerian’s biggest innovations, as........

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