Here's something for the Sega Saturn fans in the audience — 30 years after its Sega Saturn release, Hyper Duel is getting a new 2-disc CD soundtrack release in Japan next month.

Developed by Technosoft, the creators of Thunder Force, Hyper Duel is a horizontally-scrolling shoot 'em up that originally debuted in arcades in 1993. It was the company's second arcade game (following 1990's Thunder Force AC, based on Thunder Force III for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis), and focused on a story about alien technology, a stolen weapon, and spaceships called "Buster Gears" capable of transforming from spaceships to robots at the press of a button.

In 1996, an expanded version, with an all-new mode and a CGI-animated intro sequence, was later released for the Sega Saturn, with both the arcade and Saturn editions featuring an adrenaline-fueled electronic soundtrack from composer Hyakutaro Tsukumo.

Previously, our editor-in-chief Damien McFerran included the game on our list of best Sega Saturn titles of all time, where he called it a game "few people have played" but "one of the most appealing blasters of the 32-bit era and well worth tracking down." That seems to be easier said than done nowadays, however, with the majority of copies we've seen being listed for hundreds of pounds online.

Disc 1 of the new soundtrack CD features 32 tracks. This includes 31 tracks from the original arcade release, and a new full suite super-arranged version of the soundtrack by the former Technosoft employee, Kei Takanishi. Disc 2, meanwhile, will feature the Sega Saturn tracks.

Notably, the release is also said to come with a booklet featuring comments from former Head of Development at Technosoft, Naosuke Arai, as well as Mr Kei Takanishi and others, making this a pretty interesting package for those who want to learn more about the development of the title.

It is expected to cost ￥3,960, and is available to pre-order from Amazon JP, Disk Union, and Beep, ahead of its release next month on November 26th, 2026.

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