Retro Re-release Roundup, week of January 25, 2024

Why should I care? For as commendable as most of Rainbow Islands’ many, many ports were in their day, none of them managed to fully capture both the playability and the many secrets of the authentic arcade version, so finally having this version available again on contemporary platforms — and with several quality-of-life features at that — should hopefully allow y’all to not only reacquaint yourselves with a Taito classic but fully explore its many hidden depths, minus some of the guesswork.

Helpful tip: Rainbow Islands’ original main BGM, which heavily cribbed from Wizard of Oz’s “Over the Rainbow”, has been altered or otherwise censored in a variety of different ways over the last 30+ years, and this version is no exception: for this release, ez-Zuntata composer Yukiharu Urita adapted the legally-distinct soundalike BGM from Taito’s NES version for the YM2151 sound chip of the arcade version, producing what should hopefully be a lasting and acceptable compromise.

EGG CONSOLE

Yokai Tantei Chima Chima (PC-8801)

• Platform: Nintendo Switch (worldwide)
• Price: $6.49 / ¥880
• Publisher: D4 Enterprise / Bothtec

What’s this? An arcade-style top-down action game with a sp0o0o0oky motif, originally developed by hobbyist devs Alex Bros. and published as one of the winning entries in a programming contest held by fledgling publisher Bothtec in 1984; the original version was produced for Sony’s SMC-777 microcomputer, with ports to Sharp X1, Fujitsu FM-7, MSX (published in Europe as Chima Chima Private Eye) and PC-6601 and PC-8801. The player is tasked with saving an idol kidnapped by monsters, which is achieved through the use of a projectile that can be manually steered around the stage and remotely detonated, causing a Bomberman-esque cross explosion, with the caveat that steering your projectile will also move your character, forcing you to make sure you don’t accidentally trap or kill your character while trying to aim an attack.

Why should I care? Of all the versions they could’ve published, it’s a shame they picked this specific version — it does have some added mechanics, but the movement is much choppier than almost every other version — but the performance is just competent enough to allow the simple arcade-y mechanics to shine, while they last.

Useless fact: This game lets you toggle between a “Japanese version” and a “Western version”, which changes the sprite set to Japanese-style graves and yokai or western-style tombstones and monsters, respectively; the game itself plays exactly the same, so go ahead and pick whichever version you find most appealing.

G-MODE ARCHIVES+

Jaleco Super Tennis ~Heroines Cup~

• Platform: Nintendo Switch (Japan)
• Price: ¥800
• Publisher: G-MODE / City Connection

What’s this? A tennis game featuring prominent female characters from Jaleco’s then-current feature phone series, originally released for Japanese phones ivia the Jaleco Garesso service in 2007; in addition to the tournament mode, which sees you facing off against a variety of characters in the pursuit of unlockable art of the various heroines, there’s also a challenge mode with high-score minigames, as well as unique special shots for each playable character.

Why should I care? You have a morbid fascination for “all-star” games with a certifiable lack of all-star power.

Helpful tip: Of the three playable characters, only one is currently represented via G-MODE Archives: City Connection‘s Clarice, and given that she’s sporting her ’00s cellphone-era design, you might not even recognise her. (There are opponents from certain other games you may have played via G-MODE Archives, like the RPG Maou ga Ochiru Hi .

OTHER

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy

• Platform: Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation 4
• Price: $49.99 or equivalent
• Publisher: Capcom

What’s this? A remaster of games 4, 5, 6 in the mainline Ace Attorney Trilogy of contradiction-deducing lawyer adventure games, ostensibly centred on Apollo Justice, apprentice of the now ex-attorney Pheonix Wright; in addition to including high-definition, single-screen remasters of each game and relevant DLC, they also offer extras like a sound test with remastered music and select orchestral tracks, a gallery with developer documents and art, including a promotional anime, and an animation viewer that lets players mess with all the many character emotes. (The collection is getting a physical Switch release in North America and Japan, and a physical PlayStation 5 version in Japan.)

Why should I care? In their day, this second trilogy was paradoxically burdened by its new protagonist while also criticised for essentially sidelining them in their own series, and playing these games back-to-back might make that sidelining a little more obvious, the writing mostly maintained the quality and tone of the original trilogy (save for the uncharacteristic but not-unengaging cynicisym of Apollo Justice) and the series’ ever-more-steep descent into full Japanifornian absurdity is a fun ride.

Helpful tip: Dual Destinies’ DLC case is chronologically positioned between the second and third cases of the main game, so you should play it directly after the second case rather than saving it for the post-game. (Spirit of Justice’s DLC can and should be played after the main game.)

Chip’s Challenge

• Platform: Nintendo Switch (worldwide)
• Price: $2.99 or equivalent
• Publisher: Pixel Games UK

What’s this? An emulated reissue of the original version of Chuck Sommerville and Epyx’s overhead puzzle game, produced as a launch title for the Atari Lynx in 1989 and various European computers soon thereafter, as well as a cancelled NES port, with a Microsoft-produced version released for Windows in 1992 to gradual cult acclaim; this version offers the Lynx version pretty much as-is, with the addition of save states and some basic screen filters.

Why should I care? You’re looking for a tile-based puzzle game that leans a little heavier in the action/real-time direction than the typical Sokoban-like, and you don’t mind playing the postage-stamp Lynx version over the relatively recent remaster produced for Steam.

Useless fact: In addition to the licensed remaster and sequel for PC, Chuck Sommerville not only produced an unlicensed followup named Chuck’s Challenge but also reskinned that game as a Ben 10 tie-in for Cartoon Network.