'Dragon Quest' And 'Shining' Legend Is Creating A NES RPG Featuring Characters "Left Behind" By The Late Yoshitaka Tamaki 1
Image: 4STUDIO4

Update []:

A crowdfunding campaign for Lady Stalker 2D: The Solitary Ruler of the Calendar is due to start on October 9th, 2026, with the aim of delivering the final game between February and the end of March next year.

"Development is progressing smoothly, and in fact, it's already nearing the final stages! The moment when "Lady Stalker" returns in a new form after 31 years is drawing near. Nostalgic yet new. An adventure that feels familiar but no one has known yet. We'll guide you back to that world once more."


Original Story []: It has been announced that Kan Naito is developing a new NES / Famicom RPG called Lady Stalker 2D, and that it will feature character designs created by the late Yoshitaka Tamaki, who sadly passed away in 2023.

Both Naito and Tamaki worked at Climax Entertainment on titles such as Shining in the Darkness (1991), Landstalker (1992) and Lady Stalker (1995), the latter title being the inspiration behind this new effort.

The original Lady Stalker was a rare Super Famicom release for the studio, which had traditionally been allied with Sega.

'Dragon Quest' And 'Shining' Legend Is Creating A NES RPG Featuring Characters "Left Behind" By The Late Yoshitaka Tamaki 1
The final cartridge will include LEDs which react to the on-screen action — Image: KAN NAITO

Its origins come from the fact that Naito, Tamaki and Hiroyuki Takahashi all worked at Enix prior to establishing Climax, and had wanted to create a spin-off from Dragon Quest IV starring Princess Alena. When this was rejected, the idea was revisited as Lady Stalker, with Taito handling publishing duties.

The Lady Stalker 2D cartridge will feature LEDs that illuminate in time with on-screen commands, and a Famicom-compatible console is also under development.

A crowdfunding campaign is planned for later this year.

[source dengekionline.com]