Taito’s Rastan never reached great heights in the barbarian-crowded zeitgeist of the 1980s. Few remember that his first game received a sequel in Rastan Saga II, and even fewer (myself included) are aware that the Rastan series received a third installment in the early 90s.

More than three decades later, publisher Hamster has finally brought Warrior Blade: Rastan Saga III to the Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released exclusively in Japanese arcades in 1992, this is the first time that Warrior Blade has been available outside of Japan.

In Warrior Blade, one or two players can choose between Rastan the barbarian bandit, the knife-wielding hireling Dewey, and the sexy whip-slinging thief Sophia. This band of treasure hunters have set off to the distant lands of Depon in search of the great riches rumored to be hidden there.

This third game in the Rastan Saga series changed from the conventional side-scrolling gameplay style of the previous installments and instead adopts a brawler/beat ‘em up style akin to Golden Axe or Double Dragon. Similar to Konami’s X-Men arcade game, Warrior Blade uses a two-screen cabinet to double the size of the play area. There are also multiple pathways to choose from, as well as horseback and dragon-riding stages to mix things up.

Like other Arcade Archives titles, players can post their high scores to the online leaderboards and change various game settings to match their own personal skill levels and taste.

Arcade Archives Warrior Blade is available today for $7.99 via PSN and the Nintendo Switch eShop.

You can check out some screenshots below, or visit the official Hamster website here for additional info.

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