The Dragon & Princess

Commonly considered the first Japanese-made game with role-playing elements, Dragon and Princess involves a quest of a party of adventurers who is requested by the king to exterminate bandits and eventually rescue the princess from the clutches of a dragon. Gameplay-wise, the game is for the most part closer to the adventure format than to true role-playing. Much of the game consists of text and plays like interactive fiction, with text-based commands and movement through maze-like environments achieved by typing letters corresponding to the four directions (N, S, W and E). The RPG element is manifested in tactical top-down battles, during which the player navigates characters in a turn-based fashion. It is possible to take cover and protect weaker allies. Dead characters cannot be resurrected afterwards.