XZR for Mega Drive may have less cut content and less censorship, but there is still a dramatic overall difference between the Turbo/PCE and Sega versions of Exile.
Apart from the cutscenes, redbook audio and translation, both have almost identical gameplay and graphics. Exile on Genesis is slightly darker. I've played through both versions.
A very minor difference is that the genesis version has a warp spell, while the pce version refills health and magic when you level up. The genesis version also has autofire for attacking, while on pce you have to turn on the turbo switch.
It doesn't matter which version you play as the differences are mostly superficial. I only prefer the Turbo version slightly.
I'm not going to fill up this thread with a lengthy breakdown of all the differences, which have been discussed in the past. But the gameplay isn't identical, the Genesis and Mega Drive visuals (
when the artwork isn't altered) take a big hit in most places and are not simply "darker", the warp spell is in the PCE version, Genesis version is missing at least one section and is heavily censored, the Japanese versions have various differences, etc. By 16-bit console game standards, the difference is far greater than most games which fuel long discussions in SNES/Genesis comparisons.
It's a fun game on all four versions and worth playing through each if you appreciate differences in games.
