Publisher ININ Games recently announced that six of its titles are finally coming to Microsoft platforms on 7 December, with more planned for early next year. The games are already available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. Here’s the list so far: Here’s the official breakdown of each game from ININ: Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined (Read our review here) The adventures
Read more
No bubbles. No bobbles. Just umbrellas On Thursday, publisher ININ Games announced that Taito’s retro platformer Parasol Stars: The Story of Bubble Bobble III is coming to PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Xbox in late 2023. Originally released in 1991 for TurboGrafx-16 (PC Engine) and home computers, Parasol Stars is one of the lesser known installments of the Bubble Bobble
Read more
“Welcome to the Air Twister Zone! Get ready!” No… let’s try, “Welcome to the Fantasy Zone. Get twisting!” Better… but now it sounds a little dirty… Publisher ININ Games recently announced that Air Twister will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox & PC on 10 November 2023. Developed by Ys Net, the development house of legendary SEGA developer
Read more
Publisher ININ Games has announced that the Taito Milestones 2 collection is coming soon to Nintendo Switch. Taito Milestones 2 includes ten classic arcade games from the 80s and 90s. Here’s the official breakdown of Taito Milestones 2 from ININ Games, followed by the list of games included (so far): TAITO Milestones is BACK with a second installment of your
Read more
Publisher ININ Games in cooperation with Tozai and IREM have announced that five volumes of old-school IREM arcade games are coming to consoles as IREM Collections. The first volume, planned for PS4, PS5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, is expected to release by the end of the 2023. Several games in these collections never made their way outside of Japan, so
Read more
ININ Games recently announced some new details for Puzzle Bobble Everybubble!, the upcoming competitive puzzle game and latest installment in the Puzzle Bobble/Bust-A-Move series. These new features come in the form of “EXtra Difficult” EX stages and a “Memory Album” where players can unlock and collect a number of bonuses including character costumes, stage music, and more. For those unfamiliar
Read more
Osman, huh? That’s the name that they went with for the English release. I feel like Cannon Dancer is a way cooler name than Osman, although I guess this release is trying to rectify that by tagging on the Cannon Dancer name this time around.* I figured “Osman” had to mean something, though. After some quick internet research, I found
Read more
Today we’re all celebrating the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection,* a new retro compilation of all of SEGA’s Wonder Boy and Monster World games from the 80s and 90s released to mark the 35th anniversary of the series. Weird number, but who’s complaining? If you’re thinking that this review seems awfully familiar, there’s a very good reason, as ININ Games published a Wonder Boy Collection less than a
Read more
There was clearly a lot of love that went into the making of Jitsu Squad – love for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, that is. Aside from the obvious inspirations and comparisons to TMNT, there are a plethora of other video game and pop-culture references throughout Jitsu Squad.* Naturally, some light spoilers will follow. Much like the aforementioned TMNT arcade game, Jitsu Squad lets you pick from four
Read more
Gesundheit. ININ Games has announced that the retro-inspired brawler Jitsu Squad will be available on 9 December for PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch. A digital-only release for Xbox is planned for a later date. Developed by Tanuki Creative Studio, Jitsu Squad is a 2D beat ‘em up featuring unique character designs, a hand-drawn 2D visual aesthetic, online and local co-op
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
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
ININ Games recently announced that inkle’s narrative adventure games 80 Days and Overboard! are both coming to the Nintendo Switch in a single, physical package. 80 Days is a reimagining of Jules Verne’s classic Around the World in 80 Days, but with a steampunk backdrop. Overboard! is described as a “reverse whodunnit” where players must find to escape a cruise
Read more
Following up on their recent retro revivals for Ninjawarriors and Wild Arms, developer Tengo Project are back at it trying to breathe new life in a latent Japanese franchise with Pocky & Rocky Reshrined.* Unless you are a seasoned Super NES veteran (or a connoisseur of rare Game Boy Advance curios), it’s very likely that you’ve never played Pocky & Rocky game. Originally developed by
Read more
My personal Wonder Boy Collection is already complete, as I like to think of myself as one of the Wonder Boy series’ biggest fans. My very first game (outside of the pack-in Hang-On/Safari Hunt) was the original Wonder Boy for the Sega Master System. While my brother picked up Alex Kidd in Miracle World (wise beyond his years), and my
Read more
I can remember seeing the original Cotton in game magazines back in the early 90’s, and thinking how it looked like a game that I would probably enjoy. My favorite games were typically shooters (shoot ’em ups, in modern terms), and I thought the premise of a witch flying around and shooting on her broom sounded like a fun idea.
Read more
Publishers ININ Games and Mebius recently released 2D bullet-hell shoot ‘em up Rolling Gunner + Over Power for the PS4. Directed by ex-Cave developer Daisuke Koizumi (Deathsmiles 2, Dondonpachi), Rolling Gunner has been available on Nintendo Switch since 2019, but this PS4 release includes the Over Power DLC which is bundled into the overall package. If you’re a physical game
Read more
ININ Games recently announced that Cotton Fantasy will be released for Nintendo Switch and PS4 on 20 May, and is now available for preorder. Released this past December in Japan under the title Cotton Rock ‘n’ Roll, this Cotton Fantasy is intended to represent a full rebirth of the Cotton series. This certainly makes sense, as Fantasy the first new
Read more
No Arkanoid, no Bubble Bobble, no Space Invaders, no Darius… How does one create a Taito Milestones arcade collection without those games? While some are available on other collections, it’s very strange to have a collection of classic, 1980s Taito arcade games without them (Fully acknowledging that the original Space Invaders was released in the 70s). Instead, Taito Milestones (published
Read more
Natsume has partnered with ININ Games to release physical retail editions of Pocky & Rocky Reshrined for both PS4 and Nintendo Switch, with Natsume publishing in North America and ININ Games in charge of the European release. In addition, there are also plans for both a Limited and Collector’s Edition of Pocky & Rocky Reshrined from Strictly Limited Games, the
Read more
ININ Games recently announced that the Wonder Boy Collection will be coming soon to Nintendo Switch and PS4 as part of the celebration of the series’ 35th anniversary. A digital version will be published by Bliss Brain, and Strictly Limited Games will release exclusive two retail editions: Limited and Collector’s Edition. The collection will include the following four titles: Wonder
Read more
Publisher ININ Games recently announced that The Boulder Dash Ultimate Collection will coming to the Nintendo Switch in a physical edition. The collection will include both Boulder Dash Deluxe and Boulder Dash 30th Anniversary. Originally created in 1984 by Peter Liepa, Boulder Dash is an action puzzle game that has since seen a number of ports, sequels and reinterpretations across
Read more
Guess which video game now holds the Guinness Book of World Records title of “longest time between a video game project start and final release?” Okay, that’s an easy one since we’re reviewing the game, but yes, it’s Westone Bit’s Clockwork Aquario, which began development in 1991 as an arcade game, and is now finally being released for the Nintendo
Read more
Publisher ININ Games has announced that the Taito Milestones collection is coming soon to Nintendo Switch. Taito Milestones includes ten classic games from the golden age of arcades: the 80s (the best decade, after all). Here’s the official breakdown of Taito Milestones from ININ Games, followed by the list of games included (so far): Replay the classics with which it
Read more
As part of Cotton’s 30th Anniversary celebration, ININ Games has announced an all-new game in the series: Cotton Fantasy. Developed by SUCCESS, Cotton Fantasy is a 2D horizontal shooter built from the ground up for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch (It will also be released in Japan under the title Cotton Rock ‘n’ Roll, FYI). This is the first new
Read more
*Disclosure: A copy of Panorama Cotton was provided to The Splintering for the purposes of this review. With that disclosure out of the way, I would like to now say, “THANK YOU” to ININ Games for the review copy of Panorama Cotton! I enjoyed the heck out of this game! I guess I spoiled the outcome of this review up
Read more
ININ Games has been on quite a roll while celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Cotton franchise. Originally created in 1991 for the Sharp X68000 computer (X68K), the first Cotton game helped to popularize the “cute-em-up” sub-genre of the 2D, side-scrolling shooter. The series would spawn several sequels, including a 1994 release for the Super Famicom (aka the Super Nintendo)
Read more
To celebrate 30 years (!) of the Cotton franchise, ININ Games recently announced that Cotton 100%, Panorama Cotton, and Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute will be getting western releases soon. Specific platforms and a release date have not yet been confirmed. However, at least Nintendo Switch and PS4 are extremely likely, and the games will have to be released before
Read more
Beginning life as a mobile game, WitchSpring 3 Re:Fine The Story of Eirudy is now available on the Nintendo Switch. Created by Kiwi Walks and published here in the United States by ININ Games, WitchSpring 3 is a fairly short (roughly ten hours), traditional turn-based RPG that has a great amount of charm. However, considering that you can get the
Read more
To celebrate 40 years of the monumental Space Invaders franchise, Taito has partnered with ININ Games to release Space Invaders Invincible Collection, a compilation that features 11 sci-fi shooters from the Space Invaders series (or, in some cases, loosely tied to the series). Here’s the list of games included with Space Invaders Invincible Collection: Space Invaders (1978, Arcade) – original
Read more
The Splintering 