The Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear of Vermillion (PC-98)

The Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear of Vermillion (JP title: 英雄伝説IV 朱紅い雫, literally “Crimson Drop”) is the second chapter of Falcom’s Gagharv Trilogy and was first released for the NEC PC-9801 on 24 May 1996. The original package contained seven 3.5-inch high-density floppies with an HD-install option—an unusually large game for the platform at the time. Set 56 years before The Moonlight Witch, the story follows orphaned siblings Avin and Eimelle across the western land of El Phildin. Gameplay keeps the top-down, turn-based battles and formation system introduced in III, but expands the world into three long chapters with wide-open side quests; events can be tackled in any order, giving the PC-98 build a reputation for being the “most sandbox” entry of the trilogy.