Magic Knight Rayearth is a manga / anime that homages Role Playing Games so well that it just makes a perfect franchise to turn into a video game. Luckily we did get a couple of them trying out different things. What I did not expect is that many of these expanded on the story or offered their own side stories and gaiden adventures. It’s always nice to see new stories for Hikari, Umi and Fuu in Cephiro
Magic Knight Rayearth Super Famicom SNES I start with what is mostly a faitfhul adaptation of the first season. It’s a Turn-based RPG which makes perfect sense, it doesn’t really expand on the world too much but that’s not to say it doesn’t provide the some interesting bits while you explore the world. Even if it mostly sticks to what we know and that is a fairly accurate representation of the story in game form. The graphics are an accurate 16 bit representation
Magic Knight Rayearth Sega Saturn, is the more well known entry featuring a different opening dub song and actors. This is an Zelda like Action RPG also retelling the story of the first Arc. But this one actually gives it its own spin expands on the adventure and locations which add a bit more to the story. The graphics give us a beautiful 2D look of Cephiro and its characters. Besides the added parts to the story, the english localization certainly changed a couple of things that might seem out of character but at the same time give it a special touch.
Magic Knight Rayearth for Game Boy Is a simpler RPG that looks quite decent on Super Game Boy since it adds colors to the main characters. It features a side-tale that once the girls are in Cephiro, they find a mysterious canvas get sucked into a painting that features a full world which they must escape from.
Magic Knight Rayearth 2nd: The Missing Colors Another Game Boy RPG, this one takes place after the events of the first arc but before the second season. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are summoned back to Cefiro, but find out that the world has been drained of all its color. They have to find the stolen pigments, it’s nice to see a sequel story and fitting that its on a monochrome game boy granted, it has Super Game Boy support.
Magic Knight Rayearth for Game Gear is another simple RPG, actually looks great for an 8 bit system. This one also has an original story that after landing on Cephiro they are trying to find Mokona since she goes missing. They go through some adventures and even defeat Zagato, though you find out it was all an illusion, this is after all still early in the quest.
Magic Knight Rayearth 2: Making of Magic Knight for Game Gear is more ofe a role Life Simulation. Instead of a quest, you train and raise the Magic Knights. You meet characters from the anime and dress up. In a way it tells a story of you becoming a Magic Knight, even if fights are more of a mini game. Which you can enjoy with your limited edition red MKR themed Game Gear they bundled the original game with.
Super Robot Wars T & Super Robot Wars 30 I dismissed these games as being just crossover games. But no, each one adapts one of the seasons of the Magic Knight Rayearths just with other characters from Gundam to even Cowboy Bebop. These of course add twists to the stories but they do adapt the stories and can very well be considered MKR games.
Magic Knight Rayearth: Magic Knight Tanjou (Sega Pico) This is a weird interactive storybook the Birth of the Magic Knights which gives a simpler retelling of the first episodes. It has interactive pages with small mini games, it likely has the most beautiful MKR sprites and animation.
For anyone looking for more Magic Knight Rayearth lore and stories, the handheld games actually have what could be called filler epsiodes, side-quests or even sequels. Even if the ones adapting the first story arc are the better ones. Despite only the Saturn game being localized all other games do have some form of fan translations.