After the high-speed action of last week's release, Hamster, the company behind Arcade Archives, has decided to take a slightly different approach this week, announcing plans to reissue a title that is more likely to put your brain to the test than your reflexes.
SNK's 1995 game, Master of Syougi, is described as "the only authentic shogi (Japanese chess) title for the Neo Geo system" and, unsurprisingly (given its subject matter), was never officially released in the West.
As a Japanese-exclusive title, it was clearly developed with players in that country in mind, but now, 31 years later, it is being made available to others outside Japan who might be interested in brushing up on their shogi skills.
According to its description, it features two kinds of shogi (standard shogi and the simplified "hasami shogi") and also has "adjustable settings to display beginner guides or play with handicaps (piece drops)." There are also short live-action video clips during matches to show your opponent reacting to your moves.
Following its arcade release, Master of Syougi later made its way to the Neo Geo CD that same year, and also received ports for the Neo Geo Pocket (in 1998) and the Neo Geo Pocket Color (in 1999). All of these releases, though, were again exclusive to Japan.
Given how high expectations have become for Arcade Archives & Arcade Archives 2 reissues over the last year or so, thanks to the company's previous reissues of games like Ridge Racer, Rave Racer, Ace Combat 22, and Aqua Jet, we imagine this week's announcement may come as a disappointment to some. But, at the very least, it feels kind of appropriate to drop something like this, today of all days, given it is April 1st (aka, April Fool's Day).
Master of Syougi will be released on April 2nd, 2026, across Nintendo Switch and PS4, and is set to be priced at $7.99.