An NES game, an exclusive for the Nintendo console released in 1989, just got a surprise re-release, and it’s the first ever re-release of the game at that. The 37-year-old NES game, an RPG, has returned specifically via the Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5, and for now, that is it. There is no release on Nintendo Switch or PS4, nor any word of it coming to PC, nor any Xbox console. What we do know is that anyone interested in the old-school game will be asked to fork over $7.99 for it.
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The new re-release comes courtesy of Hamster, where the original was released by Data East. More specifically, the former has released Hercules no Eikou II: Taitan no Metsubou. Not only is this the first time this game has been re-released since its original release in 1989, but it is also the first time it has been released outside of Japan. And it’s returned with new features: customizable button layouts, multiple save points, CRT filters, and a rewind function. That said, only some of the game has been localized for the occasion. More specifically, the UI and manual are in English, but the actual content of the game is in Japanese.
A Japan-Only NES Game
For those who do not know, Eikou II: Taitan no Metsubou, as its name suggests, is a sequel. More specifically, it is a sequel to 1987’s Heracles no Eikou. And then in 1992, it got its own sequel in the form of the SNES exclusive, Heracles no Eikou III: Kamigami no Chinmoku. Then the series was capped by 1994’s SNES exclusive, Heracles no Eikou IV: Kamigami Kara no Okurimono.
As you would expect from a 1989 NES RPG, Eikou II: Taitan no Metsubou is a pretty simple game in premise. In it, you play as a hero traveling a vast world to stop monsters planning world domination. To do this, you will need to join forces with companions along the way.
Of course, if you don’t know Japanese, you almost certainly didn’t play the original. And unfortunately, this barrier to entry still exists, much to the disappointment and annoyance of fans in the comment section of the trailer above.
“People make fan translations for free. If you want me to buy your games, please put in the minimum effort of translation,” writes one fan of the news. Another adds: “No English, no buy. Wouldn’t mind if releases take longer as long as they have English translation.”
It’s not a surprise Hamster has not fully localized the game, as it did the same when it re-released the first one, and will presumably do the same if it re-releases the third and fourth games. The lack of full localization does keep the games cheap, though, it just also keeps many from buying them as well.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations happening over on the ComicBook Forum.
