Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the invention of the hurdy-gurdy. Today we’re going to take a look at Cyborg Hunter, one of the very few third party (sort of) games released for the SEGA Master System. Cyborg Season? Developed by SEGA and published in the United States by Activision in 1988, Cyborg Hunter
Read more
Sunsoft recently revealed that that a revival of the 1985 Ikki arcade game is coming soon to Steam PC in the form of Ikki Unite. Ikki Unite is an all-new multiplayer game for up to 16 players. Like the first game, Ikki Unite centers around a peasant revolt against an abusive government. Your village’s rice harvest has been decimated by
Read more
Sunsoft recently announced that Ufouria: The Saga is coming to consoles sometime in 2023. Originally released in 1991 for the Nintendo Famicom, Ufouria (aka Hebreke) never received a physical release in the United States (it was temporarily available as a Virtual Console title on the Wii U and 3DS). This new release is planned for the Xbone, Nintendo Switch, and
Read more
When we posted our review of Ninja JaJaMaru-kun earlier this month for our 80s August event, we had no idea that we’d be seeing breaking news about this dormant franchise anytime soon. Well, it’s fair to say that we are pleasantly surprised, as ININ Games recently announced that three compilations of Jaleco’s classic Ninja JaJaMaru games will be coming to
Read more
ININ Games recently announced that 2-D brawler Slaps and Beans 2 will be coming to consoles sometime in 2023. Developed by Buddy Productions and Trinity Team, Slaps and Beans 2 is the sequel to the irreverent first game starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. The game was successfully crowdfunded in 2021, and will feature an improved combat system and the
Read more
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since bacon. Today, we’re going to take a look at The 3-D Battles of Worldrunner (aka 3-D Worldrunner), a game published by Acclaim for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. Developed by Square before they started making good Final Fantasy games, then bad ones, then good ones
Read more
ININ Games recently announced that 2D beat ‘em up Jitsu Squad is scheduled to release later this year for Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 (in both digital and physical format). A digital-only release for Xbox is planned for a later date. Developed by Tanuki Creative Studio, Jitsu Squad is a fast-paced brawler featuring unique character designs, colorful graphics, and both
Read more
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since We’re marking this festive occasion with an all-new installment of Box Art Bombshells, where we reveal the completely fabricated super really-real events that inspired some of the wackiest and weirdest box art from gaming history. This time, we’re revealing the hidden truth behind Black Belt, the martial arts action game released on
Read more
Surveillance: noun: close observation of a person or group, especially one under suspicion We live in a world where constant surveillance has been weaponized by overreaching technocratic dictatorships, projecting the right to privacy as a necessary sacrifice to ensure safety and security from both foreign and domestic threats. Observation devices are purchased at-will, sometimes worn on our wrists as status symbols, and other times installed in our homes
Read more
What’s happened to Gex?! On Monday, QUByte Interactive announced that Chameneon will be released on 18 August for Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbone and SeXbox. Developed by Burning Goat Studio, Chameneon is a 2D platformer/runner with a stylish aesthetic inspired by retro pixel art. Here’s the official breakdown of Chameneon from QUByte: Chameneon is a 2D platformer/runner game with an
Read more
Behold, the power of mElOnS! Publisher XSEED Games recently released more details for its upcoming multiplatform title, Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories. Developed by independent studio Froach Club, Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is a retro-inspired adventure featuring a visual aesthetic similar to a 1980s monochrome computer screen or a Nintendo Game Boy. The world of Melon Journey is populated by fruity
Read more
Publisher Gravity Game Arise has announced that new puzzle title Arctictopia is now available on Steam PC. Developed by Taiwan-based indie developer Gamtropy, Arctictopia is a game intended to focus more on helping you chill out rather than intensely test your skillz. Here’s the official breakdown of Arctictopia from Gravity Game Arise: Arctictopia is a puzzle game set in the
Read more
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of everything 80s. Derp. Despite being primarily famous as a 90s console the SEGA Genesis (aka Mega Drive) was actually released in 1989, so the launch games and other early titles can still lay claim to being entertainment artifacts of the 80s. One such launch game is Thunder Force II. I know what
Read more
Publisher Hamster has announced that vertical shooter Gun & Frontier is now available on Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the digital Arcade Archives series. Originally released in arcades by Taito in 1990, Gun & Frontier puts one or two players behind the stick of the Desperado, “earth’s latest fighter plane.” Your mission: strike and destroy the vicious cabal
Read more
Gravity Interactive recently announced that their horror MMORPG Requiem Online is now open for pre-registration. The game is expected to go live on 25 August. Set in a bleak, nightmarish world teeming with monsters, Requiem Online is actually being “relaunched” following a number of improvements and other changes (which may not be improvements, depending on your point of view). Here’s
Read more
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the chicken laid the first egg… or, wait… Today we’re going to look at Chack’ N Pop, an arcade puzzle platformer released by Taito in 1983. A horde of monsters has stolen all of Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man Chack’n’s hearts, so now they don’t love each other, or something
Read more
On Wednesday, indie game publisher Digerati announced plans to release the futuristic sci-fi puzzle-platformer Overloop on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbone, and SeXbox. Developed by Charge Games, Overloop is described as “a light-hearted adventure set in a dark future where big brain scientists create a cloning gun.” The game begins when this weapon is mass produced and made commercially
Read more
Konichiwa! Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the development of opposable thumbs. Today, we’re going to take a look at Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, an arcade style 2D action game developed by Jaleco and released for the Nintendo Famicom in 1985. Ninja JaJaMaru-kun stars the young hero JaJaMaru who must come to the rescue of Princess Sakura, who has
Read more
The 2.5D platformer Space Tail: Every Journey Leads Home is slated for a release this Fall for both Nintendo Switch and Steam PC. However, for those who are eager to try the game out, there will be a free demo available exclusively on Steam titled Space Tail: Lost in The Sands. In Space Tail, players take control of Bea, a
Read more
On Sunday , SNK announced that a new installment in the Fatal Fury franchise is currently in development. Also known as Garou in other regions, Fatal Fury is the foundational franchise on which SNK’s legacy of fighting games was created. This game will be the first new title in the series since the release of Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Read more
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since movable type. When I was in elementary school, one of my friends had a computer in his bedroom that we would stay up all night playing around on. He was the only person I knew with a computer, and coming from a household that only gamed
Read more
Earlier this week, Vector5Games released Jungle Joe, a brand new Commodore 64 game four decades after the system’s heyday. For those out of the know, there is a fairly healthy C64 indie/homebrew scene. She why have I decided to to highlight Jungle Joe? One word: Alliteration! As for Jungle Joe, it’s a puzzle-adventure game where players must build a ladder
Read more
Publisher Games Operators recently announced that the futuristic horror game Cryospace is coming next year to Steam PC. Developed by Kuklam Studios, Cryospace takes place in “a world inspired by the science fiction books of the 50s and 60s and the original Alien movies.” Here’s the official breakdown of Cryospace from Games Operators: Whether you call it a stroke of
Read more
Indie game developer and publisher 7 Raven Studios recently announced that After Wave: Downfall is now available on Xbone and SeXbox, is coming soon to Nintendo Switch on 4 August, and finally to PS4 and PS5 on 5 August. After Wave: Downfall is a vertically scrolling, arcade-style shooter set in a sci-fi world decimated by a great flood. One or
Read more
Have you ever played a Castlevania game and thought, “I wonder who is Dracula’s decorator?” Thanks to developer Astirian-Rae Games and publisher Gameparic, it could be you! Okay, it’s more complicated than that, but Dracula’s Castle is coming soon to Steam PC, nonetheless. Dracula’s Castle gives players the chance to recruit underlings, defend your home from pitchfork-wielding mobs, and of
Read more
On Tuesday, independent game developer Brian Lynch released his first game REDSHOT via Steam PC. Developed by Lynch as a one-man development team, REDSHOT blends bullet-time mechanics into the Metroidvania formula (“Metroidvania” being gamer speak for a non-linear action adventure game. Sorta). Here’s the official breakdown of REDSHOT from Lynch: REDSHOT is a bullet-time Metroidvania where everything is deadly, but
Read more
Game publisher Modern Wolf recently announced that it will publish Zero Sievert, a procedurally generated, top-down extraction shooter developed by new independent developer Cabo Studio. Inspired by games like Escape from Tarkov and S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Zero Sievert is set in the “tense and ruthless atmosphere” of a post apocalyptic world. Players must traverse procedurally-generated maps, loot gear, and explore the devastated
Read more
RAWRLAB Games and TATSUJIN recently announced that Pipi & Bibi’s will be coming to the Nintendo Switch and Steam PC later this year as Spy Bros. (Pipi&Bibi’s DX). Originally developed in 1991 by TOAPLAN (creators of Snow Bros.), the Pipi & Bibi’s arcade game went mostly under the radar due to most arcades choosing not to license it. Why? Not
Read more
Welcome back to 80s August, The Splintering’s month-long celebration of the greatest decade since the breakup of Pangea! Since the original RoboCop film was released in July 1987, that makes this year an anniversary of sorts. To celebrate, we’re going to pick apart RoboCop for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Published by Data East in 1989, RoboCop is for NES
Read more
Publisher ININ Games recently confirmed that both Ray’z Arcade Chronology and RayStorm x RayCrisis HD Collection will be receiving a western release on both Nintendo Switch and PS4. While Ray’z Arcade Chronology is planned to launch on 23 March 2023 in Japan, there is no set release date for the western versions. All of the games are being developed by
Read more
The Splintering 