What platforms is Kenseiden on?

Kenseiden was released on Sega Master System/Mark III.

When did Kenseiden release?

Kenseiden was first released on June 2, 1988.

Kenseiden

Jun 2, 1988PlatformRole-playing (RPG)Hack and slash/Beat 'em upSega Master System/Mark III

Kenseiden — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Kenseiden on?: Kenseiden was released on Sega Master System/Mark III.
When did Kenseiden release?: Kenseiden was first released on June 2, 1988.

About Kenseiden

A Master System side-scrolling platformer set in a fantasy version of feudal Japan featuring multiple paths to explore and crazy, potbellied monkeys to kill.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Developer: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Action, Fantasy, Historical

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

70/100

from 10 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Fake risk
Sega Master System	1988	$25	$44	—	4 reviews	Low (look-alike)

Also released on: Sega Master System/Mark III. We haven’t priced or authenticated that version yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28

Loose

$25

Complete

$44

Sealed

—

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
European (PAL) release	$25	$70	$133
Japanese release	$30	$48	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a week
Complete: about once a week
Sealed: about 2 times a year

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $2.77 in Jul 2009, $21 five years ago, and $25 as of Oct 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2010	$3.02	—
Jan 2011	$3.03	—
Jan 2012	$4.80	—
Jan 2013	$2.53	—
Jan 2014	$6.38	$14.95
Jan 2015	$10.49	$19.50
Jan 2016	$7.11	$15.48
Jan 2017	$15.00	$25
Jan 2018	$11.62	$20
Jan 2019	$14.31	$22
Jan 2020	$15.57	$29
Jan 2021	$22	$33
Jan 2022	$23	$42
Jan 2023	$24	$36
Jan 2024	$27	$36
Jan 2025	$28	$40
Jan 2026	$23	$33
Oct 2026	$25	$44

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number	Known board
North America	October 1988	—	—
Europe / PAL	November 1988	—	—
Japan	2 June 1988	G-1358	171-5564 · MPR-11488

Source: Product numbers: MAME's Master System software list and the No-Intro serial records in the libretro database, published only where both agree on the same cartridge dump; Japanese numbers also checked against Sega Japan's software list. Board and ROM numbers: MAME's software list

Region: NA+EU+JP
Released: 1988
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases, such as Sega Ages and Virtual Console, are not tracked hereLow look-alike risk

Sega Master System prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A samurai action-RPG that magazines enjoyed for its puzzles more than its action, now priced above the typical cart.

Kenseiden is an action-platform game developed and published by Sega for the Master System. It reached Japan on June 2, 1988, North America in October 1988 and Europe in November 1988. You control the samurai Hayato in sixteenth-century Japan, retrieving five scrolls and a sacred sword from evil warlocks and spirits led by Oda Nobunaga.

Mean Machines Sega's games guide admitted the action is thin but said a role-playing fan should be happy for weeks with the brain-bending puzzles, and it liked some of the screens.

What the press said at the time

Sega Pro Issue 34	July 1994	54%
Computer and Video Games		85%
IGN		7/10
The Games Machine		86%

“While therďs no doubting the size of Kense-iden, it suffers from being very predictable and easy in parts. A large but overly simple beat-’em-up that fails to”
— Sega Pro, July 1994

Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Sega Master System version.

Worth knowing

Korean release. In South Korea the game was released as Sword of the Hwarang. The hero is altered to look like a Hwarang warrior and the levels are set in Korea.

Before you buy

Three releases exist: US, European and Japanese. Loose, the European cart costs about the same as the US one but a complete European copy costs more. The Japanese cart is a bit pricier loose and about the same complete, but its smaller shape means it needs an adapter on a Western console. Loose, this sits above the middle of the US-released carts. The look-alike risk is low, and a complete copy is worth the manual check.