Sunsoft_is_back_game_selection_2
Image: Sunsoft

Veteran developer Sunsoft has announced a second compilation of the studio's earliest releases. The wonderfully titled Sunsoft Is Back! Retro Game Selection 2 launches this December and includes four vintage titles pulled from the mid-1980s.

First on deck is Super Arabian, a single-screen platformer released for the Famicom in 1983. Much like its coin-op counterpart, Super Arabian sees a young hero on a quest to rescue a fair princess from tyranny's clutches. The player must navigate a series of vertical mazes, gathering magic jars in order to progress to the next stage. Armed with little more than a Big Boot, our hero must battle a variety of enemies while also avoiding the invincible spirit that haunts the stage.

Next up is the notoriously silly Ikki, which was released in 1985 to mostly negative critical reception. Set in feudal Japan, Ikki has players fill the shoes of farmers Gonbe and Tago, who must defend their land from an army of ninjas, sending them packing via a hefty swing of a crop sickle.

As a somewhat dubious point of legacy, Ikki is the title that birthed the phrase kusoge ("shit game"), coined by Japanese journalist Jun Miura following his own experience in Gonbe's fields. Everyone's a critic. Ikki would receive a new lease of life in 2024, with the release of a reimagined version, Ikki Unite.

The third title in the compilation is 1986's Atlantis no Zayo, or The Mystery of Atlantis. This simplistic side-scroller has a pseudo-Indiana Jones named Wynn on a quest to explore the legendary lost city, which has risen from the waves to land on terra firma, with seemingly sinister intent.

Armed with a supply of dynamite, Wynn picks his way through a staggering 100 levels, set above ground, in the depths of the earth, and finally in Atlantis itself. Unfortunately, the unforgiving gameplay and clunky controls frustrated many players, and given that Super Mario Bros. had been released just a year earlier, Atlantis no Zayo was buried in the tombs in short order.

The final title is something of a rarity: the 1989 RPG Maharaja. Never released outside of Japan, Maharaja tells the story of a young vagabond who stumbles upon a lost mythical treasure belonging to the city's Maharaja. Returning the treasure to the palace, the hero finds themselves trapped within its walls and awaiting execution. Fortunately, the Maharaja's daughter is on hand to guide the player to freedom in a command-driven adventure reminiscent of early RPGs such as Wizardry and Zork.

While Maharaja wasn't ever localised into English (a basic fan translation is available), it's probably asking too much to hope Sunsoft translate the game for this new compilation.

Sunsoft is Back! Retro Game Selection 2 launches digitally December 17 on PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. A physical edition will be available exclusively in Japan.