This week’s release list includes a new game for players with retro tastes: Viractal, arriving on Switch 1 and Switch 2. It is the latest RPG-infused multiplayer board game from the team behind the friendship-fracturing Dokapon series. Compared with Dokapon, it leans more genuinely cooperative and is less openly hostile—except for its mechanic that lets a player secretly strike a deal with the devil to sabotage the party. It also draws clear inspiration from today’s roguelite deckbuilders. And it is another globally released game with content adjacent to Baroque, rather than an authentic localization of Baroque itself.
ARCADE ARCHIVES / ARCADE ARCHIVES 2
Balloon Bomber
• Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X (worldwide, ACA2) / Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (worldwide, ACA)
• Price: $9.99 / €8.99 / £7.39 (ACA2), $7.99 / €6.99 / £6.29 (ACA), $2.99 / €2.99 / £2.49 (ACA-to-ACA2 upgrade)
• Publisher: Hamster / Taito
What is it? Taito developed and released this fixed-screen shooter in arcades in 1980. It later received emulated reissues in the Japan-only Taito Memories compilation series during the mid-2000s. You control an anti-aircraft gun and shoot at balloons and biplanes crossing overhead. The aircraft carry or drop bombs that carve craters into the ground if left alone, restricting the gun’s movement. Success means dodging danger while also intercepting incoming shots.
Why care? It’s a chance to play one of Taito’s more inventive attempts to quickly put those overstocked Space Invaders boards to use—and a game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado himself.
Trivia: The exact firsts in this area are debatable, but Balloon Bomber does mark a couple of audio milestones for Taito: it was the company’s first game with continuous background music, and its first to speed up that music when the action got tight.
Crazy Balloon
• Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC via Xbox Play Anywhere (worldwide, ACA2)
• Price: $9.99 / €8.99 / £7.39 (ACA2), $2.99 / €2.99 / £2.49 (ACA-to-ACA2 upgrade)
• Publisher: Hamster / Taito
What is it? This dexterity-focused maze game was developed and distributed in arcades by Taito in 1980. It was converted officially and unofficially for various Japanese and European microcomputers, and later reissued in emulated form through the Taito Memories collections for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. Arranged adaptations also appeared for PlayStation, PlayStation Portable and feature phones. The task is to guide a wavering balloon through a maze full of spikes as quickly as possible. Each time you loop through one of the three core layouts, extra variations and gimmicks are introduced.
Why care? Play it to try Taito’s first great game after Space Invaders, or to appreciate the remarkable precision available in a game running on such basic hardware. You might also want to check it out knowing it sits several degrees of separation away from being a predecessor to The NewZealand Story.
Trivia: This is the first Taito back-catalogue game from ACA to receive an ACA2 upgrade. Xbox players can now look forward to catching up with the many Taito classics that have been available on other platforms for years.
CONSOLE ARCHIVES
Chack'n Pop (Famicom)
• Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 (worldwide)
• Price: $7.99 / €6.99 / £6.29
• Publisher: Hamster / Taito
What is it? This is the Famicom port of Taito’s archetypal 1984 fixed-screen arcade action game. Taito originally published it in Japan in 1985, alongside related conversions for Sega SG-1000, MSX and other Japanese computers. The player controls Chack’n, who must release hearts from cages to move forward. Bombs can be thrown to the left or right, while Chack’n’s extendable legs let the character move from floors to ceilings and back again.
Why care? I can’t honestly explain what makes this game appealing, or what the Famicom version gains or loses compared with the arcade original. Maybe its loose visual resemblance to games like Bubble Bobble will keep you playing long enough to finally get it.
Trivia: Since the Arcade Archives reissue and the creation of the Egret II Mini, Taito producers have had something of a debate over whether the Japanese title Chack'n Pop should be written in hiragana or katakana. They never reached a firm conclusion: because the title was trademarked in English, either spelling is acceptable, and everyone can take whichever side they like.
EGG CONSOLE
Nyanpi (MSX)
• Platform: Nintendo Switch (worldwide)
• Price: $7.34 / ¥880
• Publisher: D4 Enterprise / Compile
What is it? Compile created this puzzle-action game starring cute cats for its Disk Station compilation series in 1990, followed by a quick run of content packs. One of those, the Puyo Puyo-themed Carbuncle-pi, was recently reissued. Choose one of eight adorable cats, then walk and jump through side-scrolling stages, popping every balloon before heading to the trash can. Balloons also function as platforms, making them essential for crossing each level.
Why care? When Carbuncle-pi appeared on EGG Console, I guessed that the service would follow it with the complete Nyanpi cartridge compilation of all the level packs. I was wrong, but the 40 stages included here should satisfy most players—and anyone craving more can create their own.
Language barrier? No, go ahead and play.
OTHER RELEASES
Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete Edition Remastered
• Platform: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox, PC via Steam (worldwide)
• Price: $39.99 or equivalent
• Publisher: Koei-Tecmo
What is it? Powered by Unreal 5, this remake revisits the second game in Koei’s now-legendary Shin Sangoku Musou series of historical action games built around one fighter taking on enormous armies. The original was developed and published for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2001. This new edition combines the base game with its Xtreme Legends expansion, bringing back all the original modes and playable characters, as well as the protagonist from the recent Dynasty Warriors Origins. It also adds new story material, new mechanics and weapon-crafting systems, a broad range of detailed settings grouped under “new” and “classic,” plus remade visuals, audio and voice acting in two languages.
Why care? Koei’s various Musou series are often written off as formulaic, but they have changed and developed alongside popular trends. Anyone expecting this remaster to feel much like the latest entry they played could be surprised by how different it is from modern Musou—at least with the classic settings enabled. These games once felt like they were responding to other contemporary action titles. Put another way, beating them called for more than charging through miles of digital bubble wrap.
Helpful tip: For now, multiplayer is restricted to offline split-screen. Online play has been promised in a post-launch update.
Muchi Muchi Pork & Pink Sweets Boosted
• Platform: PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox, PC via Steam (worldwide)
• Price: $39.99 or equivalent
• Publisher: City Connection / Cave
What is it? This double-pack brings Cave’s Japan-only arcade danmaku shooters Pink Sweets: Ibare Sorekara and Muchi Muchi Pork, originally released in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Both were ported exclusively to Xbox 360 in Japan in 2011. Produced by City Connection, these new editions bring those Xbox 360 releases—which already included extra arrange modes and revision options—to modern platforms. The ports have a few refinements, including retuned slowdown and on-screen displays for hidden values such as rank. The most significant new feature is optional arrange soundtracks for both games, composed by Daisuke Matsumoto, Yosuke Yasui (of “Yokai Disco” fame), Hagane and Sean Bialo. The international physical edition will arrive later this month.
Why care? It’s understandable if these games seem a little offbeat or overlooked in discussions of Cave’s catalogue. Even setting aside Muchi Muchi Pork’s very particular take on “moe,” both games were guided by Shinobu Yagawa, who moved over from rival studio Raizing and created games such as Battle Garegga. Their rhythm differs from other Cave shooters, and newcomers may need time to adjust. Still, MMP is a dark-horse favorite among Cave fans. These ports are based directly on existing, relatively recent Xbox 360 code, rather than relying on emulation that could add lag to already laggy games. Their quality is therefore at least on par with the Xbox 360 versions, and may be better thanks to a few basic options that should have been there 15 years ago.
Helpful tip: The contents do not match the earlier Xbox 360 release exactly. The first-print-exclusive Matsuri Mode arrange DLC for Muchi Muchi Pork, which brings Pink Sweets bosses into MMP, is not included in any version of this release.
UPDATES AND MORE UPDATES
Star Fox (Switch 2) battle mode update
People wanted more new Star Fox, and Nintendo delivered: new battle stages! That’s what you were hoping for, right?
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Ace Combat Zero (PC, PS5, Xbox), an early-purchase exclusive bonus for Ace Combat 8, is set to disappear on October 2.
Namco continues its practice of linking vintage Ace Combat reissues to new releases, this time with Ace Combat 8. The 2006 PlayStation 2 game Ace Combat Zero is available only with digital purchases made before October 2, or through a code included with first-print physical copies. Original licensing agreements covering the real-world aircraft included in these games prevent Namco from releasing them for general sale, and the company is serious when it says it cannot do so. If you’re determined to get this new port of Zero, don’t wait.
出典: Retronauts
