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Piko Interactive has revealed plans to release new, enhanced versions of Thinking Rabbit's Castlevania-style NES platformer, 8 Eyes, for Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance, and it's turning to crowdfunding to make it happen.
Piko acquired the rights to the 1988 action-adventure game several years ago, and since then has released it on PC (via Steam) in 2019 and also on Evercade (as part of the Piko Interactive Collection 1) in 2020. Now, though, it seems to be ready to go full steam ahead in producing a new "remaster" of the game for these new platforms, with "upgraded graphics" and "improved sound", alongside "a special NES commemorative edition" and a "collectable vinyl soundtrack" containing Kenzou Kumei's incredible soundtrack (in our opinion, the best thing about the original title), as well as "newly recomposed arrangements.
That's in addition to other potential releases for a variety of platforms (including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Neo Geo), which will be included as stretch goals during the campaign.
Back when we reviewed the Piko Interactive Collection 1, we weren't exactly blown away by the original, noting the NES game's similarities to Castlevania while arguing it "never quite matches the brilliance of Konami's series." This also seemed to be the consensus around the time of its original NES release, with Electronic Gaming Monthly Review Crew calling it "a decent imitation of Castlevania" with "slightly above average gameplay" though "nothing spectacular."
It remains to be seen whether Piko can sand off enough of the rough edges to make the game less of "an absolute pain in the ass," as one commenter succinctly put it, but we applaud them for trying.
Exactly when this campaign will go live hasn't been revealed just yet, outside of the fact that it's "coming soon." Those who want to be alerted, though, can register now on the Kickstarter page to be given a heads-up.