The first time a CD spun, and a cartoon you could talk back to leapt out of the disc.
In 1991 most RPGs were silent sprites on a cartridge; Telenet's Laser Soft team poured hand-drawn anime cutscenes and full voice acting onto a CD-ROM, and you felt the medium change under your hands. The story is small-town boy Van, beaten down and then flung twenty years into a future of space pirates and aliens — a fairy tale that quietly turns cosmic. When Working Designs carried it to America in 1992 it became the first third-party game on a CD console, and Electronic Gaming Monthly named it RPG of the Year. Sit with it now and you notice how much hope people pinned on that spinning disc — the belief that a game could finally speak.
About this game
Cosmic Fantasy 2 is a 1991 role-playing video game for the pc engine, developed by Telenet Japan.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Released in January 1991 for NEC's PC Engine CD-ROM², Cosmic Fantasy 2 was developed by Telenet Japan's Laser Soft division. It arrived at the moment CD storage was opening new possibilities — full voice acting and animated cutscenes on a game console — but few developers knew how to use them. Working Designs brought the title to North America in 1992, where it became the first third-party release for a CD-based console and won Electronic Gaming Monthly's RPG of the Year award.
Tricks & Tales
It was the first game ever published by a third party on a CD-based console, and Electronic Gaming Monthly named it RPG of the Year for 1992. Working Designs censored the US version: in the Japanese original the heroine Rim flips the bird in her intro cutscene, and her hand was redrawn into a clenched fist for America. The plot pivots when hero Van is thrown twenty years into the future, turning a medieval fairy tale into a story of time travel, space pirates and aliens.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The PC Engine (Japan) and TurboGrafx-16 (North America) share the same physical HuCard slot shape but are not compatible with each other's software. NEC deliberately reversed the data bus wiring between the two regions: data pin D0 on the PC Engine corresponds to D7 on the TurboGrafx-16, and so on through all eight lines. Beyond the hardware wiring difference, most North American HuCards contain region-checking code that detects a Japanese console and immediately crashes. Converters that electrically flip the data bus do exist and allow cross-region play. CD-ROM² discs themselves carry no region protection and play freely on both systems—however, the System Cards required to boot CD software are region-locked in the same way as HuCards, so a Japanese System Card cannot be used in a TurboGrafx-16 and vice versa.
Maintenance Tips
HuCard contacts are the most common maintenance point on the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16. The card's edge connector oxidizes over decades of storage, causing failure-to-read and graphical glitches. Cleaning with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab—gently wiping the gold contacts on the card itself—resolves most contact issues; stubborn oxidation responds to dedicated contact cleaners such as DeoxIT. Never blow into the card slot with your mouth, as moisture accelerates the very corrosion you are trying to remove. On systems equipped with the CD-ROM² or Super CD-ROM² add-on, the optical drive is subject to the same age-related laser and sled degradation seen in any CD system of that era; the laser assembly uses a KSS-220a-type unit on the Super CD-ROM² and replacement parts remain available.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Cosmic Fantasy 2 copies regularly.
Is the Japanese PC Engine CD-ROM² version in English?
No. The Japanese disc is Japanese-only. The English release is the Working Designs TurboGrafx-CD version (1992); a TurboGrafx-CD console or compatible setup is required to play it in English.
Will the Japanese disc play on a US TurboGrafx-CD?
It is a CD-ROM² title, so it needs a PC Engine CD-ROM² (or Super CD-ROM²) setup with the matching System/BIOS card. It is a separate release from the US disc, so check that your hardware and region match the disc you buy.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Cosmic Fantasy 2
A short checklist for buying used PC Engine software wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
Japanese PC Engine HuCards and CDs are not compatible with the North American TurboGrafx-16 — the formats differ. Use a Japanese PC Engine system.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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HuCard or CD-ROM² — know which you're buying
PC Engine games come on HuCard chips or on CD-ROM². CD titles also require the right CD system and a working System Card.
Confirm the format in the listing, and for CDs check the disc surface and that saves are supported.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Cosmic Fantasy 2 sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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