Alternate history settings make for great RPGs. While the quality of the games varies, they tend to have wonderful stories. New Horizons and Destiny of an Emperor are both good RPGs, and they have more grounded takes on alternate history games.
Neither game leans into fantasy all that much when it comes to the gameplay. They’re both grounded in reality, with some low fantasy or supernatural things happening in the game. This is particularly true with New Horizons, as you’ll occasionally encounter ghosts and sea monsters. These are events instead of battles.
These are games I first played on emulators in the mid 1990s. It was fun to find games like this online. Back then, I was relying on my friends, rental stores, and the occasional magazine to know what was out there. When it came to games in the NES, Genesis, and SNES, I had no clue, as most of the magazines had moved on from those systems.
Since this is an NES game going up against an SNES, I won’t be focusing on graphics that much. These games don’t really push the boundaries of their respective consoles, but I still don’t think it is a fair comparison. Let’s get into it and see what these games have to offer.
Game Descriptions/Overviews
While these games are both alternate history tales, they don’t take place at the same time and have different source material. New Horizons is a sequel, and Destiny of an Emperor is based on a manga, which is based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They have some pretty significant differences and very few similarities.
Destiny of an Emperor is an alternate history game set during China’s Three Kingdoms Period. It loosely follows the plot of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. You play as several of Liu Bei’s generals, and your goal is to unite China under his rule. The game has you go on a quest to find all your party members, which is something I always enjoy.
New Horizons takes place during the Age of Exploration in Europe. Most of the six stories are focused on Europeans and have them learning about and impacting world history. Each story is pretty good, and a few of them overlap at times. The game really focuses on the player exploring the world, discovering things, and acts like a sandbox for the player.
These are the basic overviews for both games. Since these games are so different, this will be a little tricky. It makes things a little more challenging and fun for me to do this because of it. Let’s get into the main differences between these games.
Main Differences
Narrowing this down was quite difficult. These games are radically different, and I wanted to try to keep this to fewer than five big things. I settled on story, setting, gameplay, and exploration. There are more than these, as I kept it rather broad.
The stories are quite different. Destiny of an Emperor tells one story. While there are a few side quests and chapters to it, the game is the same each time you play it. New Horizons has six possible storylines to choose from. These aren’t long stories, but the player has the option to tackle the main story at any point they want.
These settings are very different. While both are alternate history games, they take place during different time periods. New Horizons takes place during the 1500s and has a time limit that ends the game in the 1550s. Destiny of an Emperor takes place from 270 to 340 AD. You only explore ancient China in this game, as opposed to exploring Earth in New Horizons.
Destiny of an Emperor is a turn-based RPG with a few unique mechanics. You control five armies, which act as your party members. There also has to be a tactician assigned so you can use your “magic.” New Horizons has a lot going on. You can be a pirate, merchant, explorer, or pirate hunter. If you want, you can do all of these in one play-through. It is possible for you to beat the game without fighting anyone, depending on which of the six stories you’re playing.
New Horizons encourages the player to explore. It is as close to an open-world RPG as you can get on the SNES. There is a lot to find in this game, and some of the stories encourage you to do so. Destiny of an Emperor allows you to explore the game’s world, but it is set up on a mostly linear path.
These are the things that stood out to me as I was looking at each game. There are a lot of minor things that separate these games. Not everything in each of these games is good, but there are quite a few things in them that I enjoy. Let’s get into some of the core mechanics.
Comparing Core Mechanics (Combat, Story, Visuals, etc)
I’ve covered most of this already, so I’ll try to keep things brief. I’m going to elaborate on a few of the things that I mentioned in the previous section. I’m going to keep this to just three of the minor things that are different between these games.
The combat is totally different. New Horizons has two different combat scenes: one for ship battles and one for dueling. They aren’t exactly what you would expect from a console RPG. Destiny of an Emperor is closer to what you would expect to see from a console RPG. The combat is turn-based, there is a magic system, and you have to be a little more strategic when you get to boss battles.
These games have similar approaches to storytelling. While the graphics are different because of the consoles they’re on, they both rely on in-game graphics to tell their stories. Overall, I like how Destiny of an Emperor looks a little more than New Horizons.
There is a heavy focus on freedom and exploration in New Horizons, which is something I’ve come to enjoy from their RPGs. Destiny of an Emperor is mostly a linear game that has a few dungeons and caves for you to explore. The towns also have more variety in Destiny of an Emperor, as the towns in New Horizons are largely the same.
Even as I wrap this section up, I feel like there is more to say. New Horizons is a very unique RPG, which makes me feel like I need to keep bringing things up. Destiny of an Emperor is in the same boat. I really like both of these games. Let’s get into what each game does better than the other.
What Does New Horizons do Better?
New Horizons has a lot of unique features that aren’t in any other RPG on the SNES. It has six storylines, a lot of gameplay options, and an open-world feel. It does all of this better than what you’ll see in the first game in this series.
Having six stories is very unique when you compare this game to every other RPG on the NES, SNES, or Genesis. Each has a story, and some of them overlap. You also have the option to ignore the main story for a while and just mess around.
There are so many things you can do in this game aside from the main stories. You can rise the ranks of nobility, become a merchant, be a pirate, or an explorer. It is something that you would expect to see in a modern RPG, but it is all in this game from the mid 1990s.
The game’s world is great. You’re encouraged to explore it, especially if you have a contract with one of the cartographers. There are also 50 villages for you to explore, each of which has something for you to discover. You can sell these discoveries to one of the minor nobles.
New Horizons has so much that I enjoy. Two of the six stories are so much fun for me, and I love exploring the game’s world. The 50 villages are randomly selected, so there is a chance that you’ll find different ones on each play-through. This is also one of the games that got me interested in history.
What Does Destiny of an Emperor do Better?
Destiny of an Emperor is what I want from a retro RPG. It has the gameplay that I enjoy, a wonderful story, and some unique features that aren’t in other games from this genre. I also have a lot of memories of playing and looking for this game. More than I have with New Horizons.
I love the gameplay. Being able to recruit enemy generals is awesome, and it can help you out in future battles. Going on a quest for your party members is always something that I enjoy, and I love the strategy it takes to put your party together before you get all your party members. There is also an auto-battle feature, so you don’t have to fight random battles if you don’t want to.
This game has a story that I’m very familiar with. It is very similar to Dynasty Warriors if you’re playing as one of Liu Bei’s factions. I wish more games used this setting as an RPG. It is a wonderful game.
Destiny of an Emperor is a wonderful RPG. It has some great mechanics that I find very enjoyable. I find grinding in games like this to be relaxing, and there is quite a bit of it in this game.
This is the game that has more of what you should expect from a console RPG. It has a lot of good things in it, and it is a lot of fun if you like this type of game. The ending is a little rough, but not impossible. Let’s get into which one is better and which I would rather play again.
Which is Better Overall and Why?
Looking at these games as RPGs, I’m going to say that Destiny of an Emperor is better. It is closer to what I think of as a role-playing game on the home console, and it doesn’t have things that I want to avoid. I really like the setting, story, gameplay, and graphics.
This game uses one of my favorite settings for a video game. I really enjoy games that use Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a backdrop. There are quite a few stories that can be told within this period, and I find them all very engaging.
The story in this game is quite good. It is a very good adaptation of the story from the manga. Capcom used this license in other games, and I’m glad that they didn’t butcher the story as they did with other games they made.
Destiny of an Emperor has great gameplay. I really like being able to recruit enemy generals to my side, and I find the magic system to be unique. While the final battle is very annoying, I enjoy the challenge that it brings to the table. It also sends you on a quest to assemble your party, which is something I love in games like this.
There is something about the graphics in this game that I find charming. They look similar to the Dragon Quest games, which is a good thing in my book. Each general looks a little different, which is very impressive given how many playable characters are in this game.
At the end of the day, this is the more complete RPG. It has what you would expect to see from a console game. While both games are unique, I think that this one is the better game, considering what I look for in a console game.
Which Would I Rather Play?
New Horizons is the game that I would rather revisit. While I like both of these games, and I have a lot of memories tied to them, I’m giving this section to New Horizons. It has more stories, unique gameplay, and I like how much freedom you have.
Having six possible stories to choose from helps this game stand out. While I don’t like all of the gameplay, it is fun to experiment with the stories. You can always turn them into what you want and ignore the mainline story. It is part of the fun with games like this.
The gameplay is very different from the other RPGs on the SNES. A lot of this has to do with the different ways you can play and the things you can do in the game. You can be a merchant, pirate, or explorer on top of the way the story you’re playing goes. It is also cool that you have the freedom to go anywhere in the game right off the bat, as long as you have enough money to buy food and water.
New Horizons encourages the player to explore the world. Most of the game revolves around you traveling around the world and visiting the various ports. No matter what story you choose, you can do everything that the game has to offer. I also like that the game has a long time limit, which allows you to tackle the story at your own pace.
Those are the big reasons why I would rather revisit New Horizons over Destiny of an Emperor. There are a lot of things in this game that I absolutely love. The combat isn’t one of them, but you don’t have to engage with that if you pick the right story.
Conclusion
This was a lot of fun. It is hard for any RPG to compete with Destiny of an Emperor because of how I feel about that game. New Horizons has some wonderful things in it, and is in a similar situation to how I feel about Destiny of an Emperor.
I love alternate history games. Much of this comes down to which time period I like more than the other. While New Horizons takes place during a fun time in world history, it can’t really compete with the Three Kingdoms period. The stories from the novel based on that period are some of my favorites.
This was closer than I thought. While I like both games, when I look at them as RPGs, I have to say that Destiny of an Emperor is the better one. It has better gameplay, even if there isn’t much variety to it.
If you liked this post, check out some of my other posts in this series. Such as Robotrek vs Final Fantasy Mystic Quest or Robotrek vs New Horizons.