@Dissensus You’re correct. It is indeed Pier Solar and the Great Architects. Originally a fan-made Genesis/Megadrive game that released in 2010. Then, in 2014, after a kickstarter for it, the “HD” version came out on PC, PS3, PS4, Ouya (lawl), Wii U and Xbox One. In 2015 it got a Dreamcast port, according to Wikipedia. However, that is not how I remember things. I’m almost certain the Dreamcast version came before the others (except the original Gen/MD). Anyway, the later versions had the ability to switch between the new “HD” graphics and music or the original 16-bit versions.
The original Genesis/Megadrive version is a big collector’s item. Especially since Watermelon had all the drama in recent years and it’s looking like they won’t be making new copies of it any time soon. You can still get the Steam version:
Anyway, you should now understand why I couldn’t answer Left_Empty’s question. It is a post 16-bit era RPG, but at the same time definitely IS a 16-bit RPG.
You’re up, @Dissensus. I realize you were not intending to win with that guess, but I don’t think anyone else is familiar with the game at all. Even if you had to look up its name, you knew what game you were trying to track down.