NEWS: The complete Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection is finally coming to digital!

The early SEGA arcade hit that shook the  gaming world forever comes back in an iconic Anniversary Digital Collection Six games, 21 versions, one collection

Stuttgart, December 13, 2022 - The year is 1986, and designer Ryuchi Nishizawa has  an idea for a new game. Mr. Nishizawa wanted to create an action game with an added  amount of pressure. The initial concept he came up with involved an automatic scrolling platformer, but it was too difficult, and even he couldn't play it. Some of these elements transferred into the game we know and love as Wonder Boy, such as the iconic  skateboard.

Today, more than 35 years after, Bliss Brain brings you a legendary Anniversary Collection of the universally-beloved Wonder Boy adventures in a downloadable version: Featuring 21 versions of six of the most iconic Wonder Boy games ever released, this incredible compilation brings the influential platformer series to today’s hardware, with precise ports and new features such as the ability to rewind your game at any moment, filter, shader, a save anytime option and many more that you’ll find  while playing!

This collection will be released digitally by Bliss Brain on January 26th, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

The perfect blend of platforming and RPG action you can find throughout the Wonder Boy series has delighted generations of gamers, and now, the Anniversary Collection combines the beloved adventures with a complete package of Wonder Boy history, crisp chiptune audio, a menu in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Japanese  languages and perfect pixel art!

DOOM Retrospective

The year was 1993. It was a frigid Canadian December day, you may even say it was as cold as hell.

I was 9 years old, and a pint-size PC gaming fanatic. My first taste of computer gaming had come from the likes of edutainment titles such as Cross Country Canada and The Oregon Trail, as well as some of the Arthur titles which I had played in the classroom. That soon changed when my parents purchased out first home computer, a slightly used but not abused 486, and that opened my eyes to the bold new world of shareware. Through the portal of these magical floppies passed around by my friends I had hopped and bopped my way through the exotic alien worlds of Commander Keen, fought the Nazi scum throughout the moldering corridors of Wolfenstein 3D, and I was totally excited for whatever would come next. Luckily I would not have to wait long.

My friend Ryan called me over to his place, he had just downloaded the newest shareware, something that would "totally blow my effing head off". He bragged about how he had tied up the phone line all night just to download it (he had a 14.4 baud modem, still better than nothing), and then had played all the way through it in the early hours of that morning. He had a damn fine system, a 486 66mhz with 8mb of ram and a sound blaster 16, and a MASSIVE 17" monitor. (It was doubly as good as my own rig, a 486 33mhz with 4mb of ram, no sound card, and a measly 14" monitor.) Ryan told me to have a seat, and simply type in "doom". So that's what I did.

As I typed in the command to launch the game, and the scrolling startup text crawled up the screen, I could feel my heart pounding in anticipation of what could possibly be as amazing as Ryan was hyping it up to be. And then I heard it, the low droning of the title screen theme, and I stood in awe of the color and detail of the green-clad space marine surrounded by hideous, otherworldly foes drenched in the red of the landscape surrounding them. I didn't know it at the time, but this would be the first step on a lifelong adventure through space, hell on earth, and beyond. I chose Knee Deep in the Dead, and my difficulty, and then the screen melted away.

So there I was, in a blue-carpeted landing bay (Oh my gawd, there were floors and ceilings! And different heights too! The walls are at different angles!), the most epic synthesized metal that the Yamaha YMF262 could possibly muster pumping out of the speakers. My hands trembled as I tested the keyboard controls, pleased to find that they responded exactly like they did in Wolfenstein 3D. I took a look around the room, in awe of the colorful and detailed environment visible through the hangar windows. I then walked up to a barrel full of bubbling green goo and did the first thing that came to mind: I started shooting at it.

One messy death and respawn later I was off again, exploring the nooks and crannies of the starting room, finding my way up the stairs to the suit of fancy suit of green armor sitting on a pedestal(no undead grunts yet, I had chosen "I'm Too Young To Die" like a wuss). I then came back down the stairs, and proceeded through the first door I found (ignoring the deadly barrel this time), and came face to face with the first of the game's zombified ex-marines. After exchanging fire and dispatching him, and his compatriot around the corner, I came out into a room with a narrow walkway surrounded by glowing green sludge. It was at that point that I took a fireball to the face, and met my second untimely end.

Another respawn at the beginning of the level, I was starting to realize that anything and everything could kill me. I set out again, confident that I could win this time. I sprinted through, taking out my assailants with ease, and this time dodged the fireballs and nailed the spiny creep on the ledge. Feeling cocky and proud, and avoiding the green goo pooled at the sides of the walkway, I strode through the door into the next room and found myself face to face with another of the spiny bastards. Panicking, I fired blindly at it, setting off another explosive barrel which reduced said spiny and myself into a fine red mist. 

Yet another respawn.

With an enraged roar, and a hearty laugh from Ryan, I set off again through the gauntlet. I managed to rip and tear every demonic freak that crossed my path a fancy new asshole, and even find a pump-action shotgun behind the first spiny's platform in the process. Finding my stride at last I continued my rampage through the next six levels, through nuclear plants, refineries and command centers, until I reached the ominous sounding Phobos Anomoly. I had learned to use explosive barrels to my advantage, and so I had no problem shredding the four butt-ugly gorilla-like pink demons near the entrance. Felling confident I took the elevator upstairs, straight into the lair of the two ugliest freaks I had ever seen, the Barons of Hell.

My first encounter with the barons went as expected, with my head immediately finding a new home up my arse. The second time went slightly better, I actually lasted 10 seconds or so that time! After 20 or so attempts I finally became good enough at strafing between their fireballs while delivering a salvo of rocket fire to take them out. As their still-warm corpses hit the floor the walls started rumbling, lowering slowly to the ground to reveal a vast outdoor arena. I braced myself, expecting to be overtaken by an onslaught of new foes, but they never came. I curiously explored the area, and found a teleporter platform at the end.

As I stepped through the teleporter, everything went black. I heard my space marine being torn limb from limb by invisible attackers, grunting in pain as what was left of his health drained, finally falling to his unseen foes. Then the screen melted once again, the ending text scrolling slowly out. It told me of my marine's fate, and of the battles that lie ahead if I was so bold as to face the challenge. I would have to order the full game to continue the experience. That would cost money. My young mind reeled, trying to work out how we would pay for it. 

I came to a decision.

Eyes wide, I turned to Ryan.

"We're gonna have to shovel a HELL of a lot of snow, man!"

NEWS: Awesome limited edition double pack coming to Nintendo Switch!

 

The Japanese Indie Shooter One-Two Punch Combo! - Two superb titles in one box -

Stuttgart, Germany - December 2022 - Strictly Limited Games welcomes two new Shoot ‘em up titles in one ‘hot’ combo physical releases for the Nintendo Switch to their store. In collaboration with Hanaji Games, this is the only physical version of these two gems available.

Two Different Styled Shooters, One Great Collection

Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo is a vertically scrolling ‘score’ focused shooter set in an apocalyptic mechanised world. With seven different ships to choose from, each with different attack and movement properties, this frantic paced shooter delivers deep and satisfying combat. Exciting unlockables - 14 playable mechas, branching paths, multiple endings, and much more will be unveiled as you delve deeper into the game. Quickly clearing enemies and raising your rank is key to unlocking the final stage and is just one ongoing task to complete.

In Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo, not only does the score hunt and challenging gameplay provide plenty of replay value, but also the branching stage paths will influence the ending. Paired with the quirky story and popping graphics, you sure won’t get bored playing this one.

Dezatopia is a classic arcade styled horizontal shooter with a huge assortment of content, which offers both value and an amazing experience. 24 different stages with 21 bosses arranged in 21 routes, with intuitive and simple controls that will please both experienced and novice gamers. Unique enemies, bosses, weapons galore and interactive components are supplemented with great art and visual backdrops.

Strange and unusual creatures inhabited Earth’s underground. These unknown to humankind until Momoko, a fashion-obsessed high school girl, accidentally discovered them; but now she plans to create a new world: Dezatopia. Akane and Aoba, Momoko’s schoolmates, are hired to help achieve her directive but things don't go to plan. The backdrop story could soon become a distant memory, as the all out colourful and non stop, over the top, but compelling, fire and hail explosive onscreen action ramps up!

The craft you control has four unique, intuitive weapons which can each be fired in one direction to halt the enemy onslaught. Upgrades and items can also be purchased from a mid-flight shop, but these advantages are countered by a dynamic difficulty system that automatically adjusts to match the player’s skill level to ensure their experience, strategy, technique and luck are always tested.

Both Mecha Ritz: Steel Rondo and Dezatopia present great and amusing backdrop stories which set the scene for the action and challenges that gamers will encounter once they are ready to face the enemy forces, along with some awesome Bosses and cast that will materialise!

ABOUT THE SLG BOXED VERSIONS The SLG Dezatopia & Mecha Ritz Limited Editions will come in two versions, each featuring a cover artwork focusing on one of the games in the collection, named Momoko and Veloce Edition as well as reversible cover artwork featuring both. Included is a colored manual for both games. The game cartridge included is the same. These are limited to 999 units each.

The Special Limited Edition will accordingly also be featured in 2 versions, with the artwork on the outer box being the same. These will be limited to 500 units each and contain the following items. Game for Nintendo Switch Special Limited Edition Box Colorful Game Manual Staff Book, approx. 80 pages containing developer insights for both games 2 CD Original Soundtrack Double-Sided Poster, A3 Size

Mecha Ritz and Dezatopia are out now on the Nintendo eShop. Pre-Orders for the physical editions can be placed from 4th of December 2022 exclusively on  https://www.strictlylimitedgames.com/collections/dezatopia-mecha-ritz

Review: Lunistice (Switch)

Lunistice

Developed by: A Grumpy Fox

Published by: Deck 13

Date of Release: November 10, 2022

Price: $4.99

It's not too often that a game comes along out of nowhere that just sweeps me away in a whirlwind of nostalgic feelings. I've been playing such a glut of retro-styled games lately that the gimmick is starting to lose its charm and I feel like I've fallen into a rut. However, when it comes to Lunistice on the Nintendo Switch, things are completely different. Not only does it really look and feel like a classic PSX era release, but it also does such an amazing job of representing that mid-90s time period that it was able to snap me right out of my retro nostalgia doldrum.

At its core Lunistice is a tried-and-true 3D platformer with enemies to stomp, tricky jumps to make, and plenty of collectables to grab. The candy-colored aesthetic with its beautiful retrowave sunsets and chunky low-poly art evokes fond memories of mascot games for the good old PlayStation, and the super-adorable protagonist, Hana the Tanuki, would have seemed perfectly at home on the classic console. She controls like a dream too, perfectly responding to player inputs with no perceptible lag to speak of. 

The graphical presentation of Lunistice is utterly peak PlayStation in all its glory, with pixelated textures and dithered transparencies, sprinkled with chunky pixels galore. Despite all the busy action on screen and the massive draw distance, the framerate is a buttery smooth 60fps. The audio and music are also crisp and clean, perfectly resembling the best of what the 32-bit days had to offer. In my humble opinion A Grumpy Fox should be proud of what they've accomplished here, and I hope to see more of their work in the future. This game is an utter steal at $4.99, and I'd recommend it to literally anyone with a Switch. Go buy it already!

Review: Chasm: The Rift

Chasm: The Rift
Ported by: General Arcade

Published by: SNEG

Date of Release: October 10, 2022

Price: $19.99

In the year 1996 id software released their blockbuster first person shooter known simply as Quake. Building on the success of Doom it featured gorgeous 3D environments and an epic CD soundtrack. It very much redefined what a first-person shooter could be and set the stage for the future of the genre. In 1997, a Ukrainian studio known as Action Forms released their take on the 3D FPS, Chasm: The Rift. it wasn't quite as successful as Quake; however, it became a cult classic over the years to come, and commands quite an expensive resell price due to scarcity. But now in 2022 General Arcade has brought Chasm kicking and screaming into the modern world!

At first glance, Chasm: The Rift could be mistaken as being a sequel to Quake, despite using a far more basic engine, and more simplistic game style. The graphics look the part, though a fair bit more colorful than Quakes murky browns, and the models have a similar style and chunkiness that one would expect from id's classic. However, Chasm is a beast of its own, and in some ways has a fair bit more environmental detail than Quake did, with quaint medieval villages and high-tech bases galore. The wind farm in the first level certainly comes to mind. On top of that you get voiced mission briefings to set up the story, which is a lot more than Quake did to introduce it's lore.

Chasm definitely satisfies with its level layouts, ambient soundtrack, excellent animations, badass weaponry, varied bestiary, and tough bosses. It's definitely a good game to play if you're into game from the era, and an amazing example of what might have been had id software been located in Ukraine. General Arcade has done an excellent job porting it to modern systems with all the conveniences one would expect, with the exception of multiplayer. The original game also comes packed into Dosbox, with a CD image you could burn and play on period correct hardware as well. It's a well fleshed-out package that any boomer shooter fan should consider adding to their collection.

NEWS: DariusBurst CS Core + Taito/SEGA Pack coming to physical!

  

 

 

 

 

 

DARIUSBURST CS CORE + TAITO/ SEGA PACK coming for Nintendo Switch™ 

Play the latest instalment in the long-running DARIUS-Series – an arcade style shooting game.  

  

Stuttgart, Germany - 20 October 2022 - Strictly Limited Games, in partnership with TAITO, announce that DARIUSBURST CS CORE + TAITO/SEGA Pack will get an exclusive physical release with a Limited Edition, a Collector’s Edition, and a digital release for Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders for this legendary shoot ‘em up start on Sunday, October 23th, at 12 AM CEST (midnight), only at strictlylimitedgames.com. Digital pre-orders start on October 20th. 

 

 

 

Pilot one of 15 ships into battle against hordes of enemies in this arcade style shooting game! In DARIUSBURST CS CORE you have to fight your way through relentless waves of enemies and huge, aquatic-lifeform-modelled battleships over numerous different stages. With the help of your burst laser, try to beat the boss at the end of each stage and get the highest score.  

 

Choose CS Mode and leap into a space opera spanning the franchise’s history, battling the Belsar across a galaxy featuring new, exclusive stages and story! Or jump into the DLC mode and pilot ships from iconic Sega and TAITO franchises in specially arranged stages!  

The DARIUSBURST CS CORE + TAITO/SEGA PACK contains the CS and DLC Modes from the previously released DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours on PS4, Vita and Steam. This packaged version includes the whole history of the DARIUS Saga and will only appear on Nintendo Switch. 

 

Features: 

• Expanded CS Mode with new scenarios and 6 new areas. 

• Arranged stages from DARIUSBURST ACEX+’s Event Mode and the PSP version. 

• Features Replay Mode, Ghost Score and force feedback. 

• New DLC Mode stages with 6 guest ships included from Sega and TAITO. 

 

 

CS mode features 6 new areas, for a total of 225 areas, with the following features included:  

 

• Ghost Mode: learn from the best players!  

• Replay Mode: study your own play and hone your skills! 

• Controller HD Rumble: force feedback via the Joy-Con! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In DLC mode, six new ships are reporting for duty from the TAITO and SEGA universe to join the battle against the Belsar.  

 

 

Night Striker / Inter Gray (TAITO) 

A high speed 3D shooter released into arcades in 1989. Pilot the Inter Gray through the city at night using the analog stick and trigger. 

  

Metal Black / Black Fly (TAITO) 

A side scrolling shooter released into arcades in 1991. It was known for its unique beam-duels, hard-boiled story and elaborate direction. 

  

RayForce / X-Lay (TAITO) 

A vertically scrolling shooter released into arcades in 1994. Targeting multiple enemies with the lock on laser was the key to mastering this game. 

 

Space Harrier / Harrier (SEGA) 

Harrier the warrior uses his super blaster in his adventures from the all-time classic Sega shooting game. 

  

Galaxy Force II / TRY-Z (SEGA) 

Sega's ultimate "body-sensing" game. The Super Deluxe Type cabinet wowed players with its movement: 15 degrees up or down and 335 degrees to both the right or left.. 

  

Fantasy Zone / OPA-OPA (SEGA) 

Unique graphics and novel gameplay helped this game become a big hit. Use the coins you get from destroying enemies to buy weapons!      

 

 

 

 

 

 Strictly Limited Editions: 

Strictly Limited Games is honored to bring you this unique piece of history as part of our catalogue: Giving DARIUSBURST CS CORE + TAITO/SEGA Pack the boxed legacy it deserves, with two unique editions, available for pre-order exclusively via the Strictly Limited Games online shop. 

 

The Limited Edition is limited to 3,000 copies for Nintendo Switch at a price of 29.99€/29.99 USD, including a colorful game manual and an exclusive serialized title sheet.  

 

 

 

 

 

The Collector’s Edition is limited to 2,000 copies for Nintendo Switch for 59.99€/59.99 USD, including lots of additional collectibles:  

  

• CE Box w/ Magnetic Latch 

• Manual 

• Enamel Logo Pin 

• Cool Metal Dog Tag 

• Official CD Soundtrack 

• Acrylic Starship Standee 

• Reversible Poster 

• Acrylic Artcards 

• Sew-on Patch 

 

 

  

  

Check out all of the available editions and get ready for the pre-order start at the Strictly Limited Games store.   

 

 

 

The digital release will be available worldwide via TAITO from the Nintendo eShop for pre-order on the following dates: 

Japan/Korea: 2022/10/20 00:00:00 (JST/KST) 

Americas: 2022/10/20 09:00:00 (PST/PDT) 

Europe/Australia: 2022/10/20 15:00:00 (CEST) 

Hong Kong: 2022/10/20 00:00:00 (HKT) 

 

NEWS: Snow Battle Princes Saiykui gets a limited PS4 and Switch physical release!

 

Snazzy snowballs & fierce snow goddesses 

- A limited legacy for the snowy fast-paced run & gun with a fluffy sidekick -

 

Stuttgart, Germany - September 28th 2022 - Strictly Limited Games, in partnership with Mebius & Starfish-SD are proud to announce that Snow Battle Princess Sayuki will receive an exclusive, limited physical release. This Run and Gun shares the gameplay legacy with its spiritual predecessor Pocky & Rocky and will be available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. 

Preorders for the Limited Edition and Special Limited Edition are kicking off on Sunday, October 2nd at 12 AM CET (midnight), only at https://www.strictlylimitedgames.com/.

About the game:

The snow goddess Sayuki is in love with a mortal boy who has fallen under a grave illness. Therefore, you go on a journey to find a remedy for his condition and gain the trust of the villagers, who are wary of the goddesses. If only the forces of evil wouldn’t get in the way. 

With your trusty bunny Toto at your side, use different types of snow magic, upgrade them and blast your way through the hordes of yokai and other monsters standing in your way!  

Battle Princess Sayuki rewards an aggressive playstyle! 

Snow Battle Princess Sayuki can also be played with a friend who takes the role of Sayuki’s sister Koyuki. Playing in 2-player couch co-op mode will turn the game into a competition. Who will have the highest score at the end? 

Snow Battle Princess Sayuki originally was planned to be a part of the Pocky and Rocky/Kiki Kaikai series. The game changed its appearance due to TAITO being acquired by Square Enix in the fall of 2005. 

Instead of scrapping the whole game, developer Starfish took their hard work and transformed the Pocky & Rocky exterior and narrative into Snow Battle Princess Sayuki. Combining the cuteness of Cute 'em Ups and the intense action of isometric fast-paced scrolling shooters, the game turned out to be a true fan-favorite within a small but passionate following and was released for the PS2 and Wii back in 2008.

Features: 

• The spiritual successor of Pocky and Rocky with the familiar gameplay and a combo meter twist!

• Single and two-player modes 

• Fresh setting using elements from Japanese and Western myths 

• Hand-drawn meets pixel art for a unique style 

Strictly Limited Editions:

Strictly Limited Games is happy to bring you this unique piece of history as part of our catalog: Giving Snow Battle Princess Sayuki the boxed legacy it deserves, with two unique limited editions, available for pre-order exclusively via the Strictly Limited Games online shop.

The Limited Edition is limited to 2,500 copies for Nintendo Switch and 1,000 for PlayStation 4, at a price of 29.99€/29.99 USD, including a colorful game manual.

The Special Limited Edition is limited to 1,500 copies for Nintendo Switch and 500 for PlayStation 4, for 49.99€/49.99 USD, including lots of additional collectibles: 

 

• Special Limited Edition Box

• Game Card/Disc (NSW/PS4)

• Colorful Game Manual

• Enemy Sticker Sheet 

• Original CD Soundtrack

• Toto Bunny Plushie 

• Reversible Poster

• 6 Mini Art Cards

• Mochi Bunny Recipe