Tsuki no megami no densetsu IV: Ekuripusukingu to no tatakai (月の女神の伝説IV：エクリプスキングとの闘い) – Super Famicom, 1994

The immense success of Tsuki no megami no densetsu IV and Tsukimeg IV Easytype made a sequel a foregone conclusion for Kyopro, which immediately commissioned both a fourth entry in the series as well as a handheld port for the Game Boy. In a slightly odd move, most of the Kyopro team that had worked on the first three games was shifted to the handheld version, while an almost entirely new team was assembled for the Super Famicom sequel. This team, mostly new hires, would go on to produce the majority of future games in the series. Its title can be translated as Legend of the Moon Goddess IV: Fight against the Eclipse King.

In addition to the removal of the unpopular time limit, the new team added a “career system” to the game – Selene could take on a variety of “careers” that would enable her to access new skills, dialogue, and combat abilities, with the caveat that only a single career could be held at any given time. Party members–up to three at a time including Selene–also had jobs, though they could not change them. The map was also expanded, with more dungeons, the addition of conversations and other visual novel gameplay elements in select dungeons, and many combat skills were given uses in dialogue and vice-versa. This leads to a total of 101 possible endings, with each carrying a value of 1-3 stars. Getting any 3-star ending unlocks the new game plus mode, which further enables a series of joke endings.

This game, set in 1972, has Selene inhabiting the body of a middle-aged woman named Mioko, attempting to unravel a conspiracy of assassination attempts on seemingly random figures in the fictional coastal city of Odohama. While Mioko herself was not assassinated, she and her suspicious death at the age of only 46 play a crucial role–especially given that she was one of the police detectives investigating the case. Eventually, it is revealed that the Eclipse King, a longtime rival of Selene, is attempting to influence history via the butterfly effect. By killing people who will have an impact in the future, the Eclipse King plans to create a future where no one will believe in, or ask for the aid of, Selene herself, permanently banishing her from the world. Fan-favorite characters Inspector Takahashi and Akima the Reluctant Oni both make cameo appearances, with the latter serving as a secret recruitable party member.

Massively popular in its home market, Tsuki no megami no densetsu IV was nevertheless never considered for a North American or European localization. The failure of the previous game, combined with the large amount of text to be translated and fears at Kyopro that the gameplay was “too complex” for Western players, all contributed to this decision. Numerous fan translations sprung up in the ate 1990s and early 2000s as a result, but the game has never been officially released in English–or any other language–as of 2018.

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