is a role-playing video game developed by Japan Art Media (JAM) and published by Yanoman Corporation to an exclusively Japanese market. It was originally released for the Game Boy in 1990. A sequel to the original trilogy named Aretha the Super Famicom was later released for the Super Famicom in 1993. Aretha was the first title in the game series of the same name. Gameplay In the SNES version, an all-directional random encounter turn-based battle screen is used that allows enemies to attack from the rear, the side, and the front. Plot Aretha tells the story of Ariel, the granddaughter of a wise old grandmother who has been turned a ten-year-old, who has been given a simple task: to go through the forest to Nineveh, the nearby town, and meet a certain person while visiting the place. Eventually, Ariel uses this quest to hone her magic skills to fight the ultimate battle against evil. Development Aretha was developed by Japan Art Media and published by Yanoman. Reception The Super Famicom version of the game was on the console's top-ten bestseller list in early 1994. Legacy Aretha was followed by two sequels, Aretha II: Ariel no Fushigi na Tabi (ARETHA II ~アリエル不思議な旅~) and Aretha III, and a standalone side-story game Rejoice: Aretha Ōkoku no Kanata (リジョイス 〜アレサ王国の彼方〜). They were released for the same platforms between 1991–1995. References External links Aretha at MobyGames 1990 video games Fantasy video games Game Boy games Japan Art Media games Japan-exclusive video games Japanese role-playing video games Super Nintendo Entertainment System games Top-down video games Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Yanoman games Game Arts games Single-player video games