In this version, the hero is only referred to as "The Legendary Warrior", while both "Rygar" and "Ligar" refer to the main villain. In the Japanese original, references to "Ligar" and "Rygar" are one and the same because the Roman syllables "Li" and "Ry" come from the same Japanese character. In console versions clues and limited dialogue are given in the form of large, sage like men encountered in stone green temples throughout the game.
Information gleaned from console manuals reveals that the evil being Ligar has taken over the land of Argool, and Rygar, a dead warrior who has risen from his grave, must use his Diskarmor, along with a variety of other weapons, to stop him. Many dominators have ruled in all their glory, but time was their greatest enemy and it defeated their reign.
The arcade game begins with the following introduction:Ĥ.5 billion years have passed since Earth's creation. The NES game Rygar is entirely different from the arcade game of the same name. However, the layout of some rounds was different, and there were only 23 rounds. The Atari Lynx version closely followed the arcade version. The arcade version has also been re-released on the Wii Virtual Console.
It was also included in a compilation of game called Tecmo Classic Arcade for the Xbox. The game is primarily set from a side-scrolling perspective, but there are also some. The main form of attack is a spinning shield on a chain called the 'diskarmor,' which is tossed out like a yo-yo. The game was ported to the Sharp X68000, Commodore 64, Sega Master System (Japan only as Argos No Jūjiken), Spectrum 48K, Amstrad 6128 and the Atari Lynx. Rygar is an open-world action-adventure game where the player assumes the role of a 'Legendary Warrior' who battles through a hostile landscape.