12 Best FM Towns Games for Handheld Emulation

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The FM Towns is one of the most interesting machines most people have never heard of. Fujitsu launched it in 1989 with a built-in CD-ROM drive, years before CDs were normal in gaming. That gave it CD audio, more colors, and enhanced versions of games that looked plain elsewhere. It stayed in Japan, so its library is a hidden world of upgraded ports and exclusives. Emulation is heavier than an 8-bit computer because of the CD-ROM, but modern handhelds handle it well.

FM Towns emulation can be fiddly to set up, since it needs the right BIOS and CD handling. Once it runs, though, the payoff is real. Many of these are the best-looking versions of games you already know.

We frame all of this around games you already own and want to preserve.

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Enhanced Ports Worth Owning

Alone in the Dark (FM Towns) — The survival horror pioneer got a Japanese FM Towns release alongside a PC-98 version. A landmark game, and a fun way to see it on Fujitsu's hardware.

Splatterhouse (FM Towns) — The horror beat-em-up in a strong home version. Gruesome, arcade-faithful fun.

Sim City (FM Towns) — An early enhanced port of the city builder with color and sound upgrades. A tidy, timeless management game.

Populous (FM Towns) — Bullfrog's god game with the FM Towns' extra polish. Still clever and endlessly playable.

Action and Arcade

After Burner III (FM Towns) — Sega's jet combat game landed on the FM Towns, using its color and audio to good effect. Fast, loud, and a great showcase for the hardware.

Viewpoint (FM Towns) — An isometric shoot-em-up ported to the FM Towns in 1993. A striking, R-Type-flavored look and a real challenge. One of the system's standout action games.

Tatsujin Ou / Truxton II (FM Towns) — The FM Towns hosted the only home version of this Toaplan shooter. Fast, tough, and a treat for shmup fans.

Super Daisenryaku (FM Towns) — A deep turn-based war strategy game with a devoted following. Great for slow, thoughtful sessions.

Adventures and RPGs

Loom (FM Towns) — LucasArts' musical adventure in its 256-color CD form, with a CD-quality soundtrack. It keeps the full floppy-version text rather than the later voice acting, so you get the richest script with the best visuals. A lovely way to play.

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (FM Towns) — The enhanced CD version of the LucasArts classic, with 256 colors. A comedy adventure worth revisiting.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (FM Towns) — The point-and-click adventure in an upgraded CD form. Charming and clever.

Deep Cuts and Exclusives

Alltynex (FM Towns) — A vertically scrolling shooter released exclusively for the FM Towns in 1996. An ambitious, hardware-pushing exclusive and the root of a series that continued on PC years later. A real deep cut for shmup fans.

Free Software Collections / Towns OS games (FM Towns) — The system shipped with a color GUI and a range of pack-in software and demos that show off the hardware. A fun curiosity for retro fans.

Best Handhelds for FM Towns Games

The FM Towns is more demanding than 8-bit computers because of its CD-ROM and higher color depth, so a mid-range or better handheld is the safe choice.

A quick tip on emulation. The LucasArts adventures here, like Loom, Zak McKracken, and Indiana Jones, run beautifully through ScummVM, which is available on almost every handheld. For the rest of the library you want a full FM Towns emulator, so a more flexible device helps. An Android handheld like the

Anbernic RG556

gives you the power and controls this fiddly platform wants. For the smoothest experience with heavier CD games, the

Retroid Pocket 5

or a Deck-class device is ideal.