Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole[1] is an action role-playing that was developed by Climax Entertainment and released for the Sega Genesis in 1992 in Japan and 1993 elsewhere.
Players take on the role of the treasure hunter Nigel as he navigates a three-dimensional world through an isometric viewpoint, solving puzzles and fighting enemies.
It has been re-released several times: on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2007, Steam in 2011, on the Sega Genesis Mini in 2019, and on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack in 2023.
From the outset of the game, Nigel may walk, jump, swing his sword, climb ropes and ladders, talk to various non-player characters, and pick up and throw various objects.
There are a variety of items throughout the game, most of which either increase or restore health and attacking power or are important to advancing the plot or solving puzzles.
Nigel can complete these tasks for benefits, like increased attacking power and use of shortcut warps to travel across the overworld quicker.
After selling this statue to a shop owner in a port town of Kalva, Nigel is accosted by a wood nymph named Friday.
She explains that she is being chased by three persistent yet bumbling thieves named Kayla, Ink, and Wally because she knows the location of the legendary treasure of King Nole.
Once Nigel spends most of his money on a bird to carry him to the island, Friday admits that while she doesn't know the exact location of the treasure she has a "feeling" where it is.
The player controls Nigel from here on where he and Friday, who accompanies him for the entire game, first journey through a dungeon until they fall into a river and end up in the care of the red-furred bear-people of Massan.
When Nigel awakes, he finds his way to the neighboring village of Gumi, where the yellow-furred bear-people are ready to sacrifice the daughter of Massan's leader, Fara.
He manages to escape to find the castle knights in open revolt and ships stuck in the harbour because the lighthouse in Ryuma is broken.
Nigel saves Arthur, the Duke's general, and is given the key to the Greenmaze, where the Sunstone can be found, the gem that powers Ryuma's lighthouse.
Nigel retakes his sword in hand, and Friday leads him up through mountains to get to the entrance to the underground dungeon where King Nole hid his treasure.
The Duke then shows up and as he thanks Nigel for doing the dirty work for him, Gola, the Dragon God that King Nole worshipped, burns him alive.