Retro-Bit announces new Undeadline Collector’s Cartridge for Genesis/Mega-Drive; pre-orders open until August 10th, 2025

When there’s an ultra-rare, ultra-expensive, and especially Japan exclusive shooter for Genesis/Mega-Drive, you can bet your bottom dollar that Retro-Bit will try to bring it to the western world as one of their Collector’s Cartridges, as they have done a few times before. This time, they’ve set their sights on the monster filled shmup known as Undeadline (1991).

Pre-orders have already begun in North America and Europe for this ghoulish shooter, which is at a big time bargain compared to trying to track down even a loose cartridge of the original Japanese copy of this cult Mega-Drive classic. This comes licensed from the current rights holder D4 Enterprise and with a brand new English translation made in cooperation with D4.

Come on down past the break for a closer look at this game and for pre-order links.

Before Undeadline was a Mega-Drive game, it was first made for the MSX series of computers in 1989, then brought to the Sharp X68000 series of computers, and then finally ported to Mega-Drive in 1991. The game was developed by T&E Soft, who may sound familiar to devout Saturn fans, as they’re also the developers of Pebble Beach Golf Links (1995), starring the unforgettable and unflappable golf icon Craig Stadler. T&E Soft were known for making a lot of golf games like that one (Anyone else feeling some deja-vu?), as well as the Hydlide series of classic RPGs for Japanese computers and consoles. Undeadline was their only shooter on Mega-Drive and, as mentioned earlier, goes for high prices from $150 to thousands of dollars, not just for the Mega-Drive version, but even the MSX and X68000 computer versions, including the official reprints of the computer versions put out by BEEP in 2020. If you don’t have the game already, Retro-Bit’s Collector’s Cartridge may be your one chance to get it for a far more reasonable price.

Today, the rights to Undeadline and the rest of T&E Soft’s gameography lies with D4 Enterprise. They own the rights to a lot of classic Japanese computer games from multiple companies, including Compile, and re-release them on consoles and PC now as part of the Project EGG series. They’ve already released the MSX2 version of Undeadline to the Nintendo Switch eShop worldwide too, as part of the Switch version of the Project EGG series, Egg Console, in case you’re interested in what that version was like. Just keep in mind that version is not translated to English despite the international release.

In this game, you take on the role of one mighty demon slayer named Leon. He is tasked by King Fahrenheit II with securing an ancient magic weapon before the evil Count Brahzhen can get to it first and take over the world with extreme prejudice. Unlike many shooters of this type, Leon fights through waves of enemies while walking on foot instead of flying through the air. He fights with multiple shot types based on various magic weapons he finds along the way. Pressing A activates a magic orb that can attack enemies and absorb damage, but it will disappear after one too many hits and Leon only gets 3 per stage. Pressing C brings up a shield that can block frontal shots, but you cannot fire while holding your shield up. There will be times where Leon faces unavoidable attacks that only the shield can protect him from. There are also fairies hidden in each stage, and after finding them, you can upgrade Leon’s stats between stages, such as his speed or proficiency with certain weapons.

Undeadline, like so many other cult shooters of the day, is no slouch with its difficulty. It’s said that playtesters sometimes had to play with a piece of paper with a hole cut in the middle taped to their monitors, hiding a lot of enemies and bullets from view. The developers would then crank up the challenge even more based on whether or not those playtesters could still get through the game easily. It sounds like a pretty cool idea for an extra challenge, if you’re game.

Here’s what comes with Retro-Bit’s Collector’s Cartridge release:

● First official release outside of Japan

● Localized by Nathan Deren with translations by Jonathan Antonioli

● Midnight Soul Cartridge for Genesis/MD consoles

● Full-color instruction manual

● Individually numbered commemorative slipcover

● Reversible cartridge inlay sleeve featuring exclusive artwork from

Zander Martinez of Zander6comix

● Celebratory art card set from Zander Martinez of Zander6comix

Pre-orders are available in North America at $59.99 USD or $84.99 CAD from Castlemania Games, Rondo Products, Limited Run Games, and PnP Games. Pre-orders in Europe go for €69.99 EUR and come from Dragon Box Shop, NedGame, Retro Cables, Spel & Sånt, Strictly Limited Games, and Xtra Life. Be sure to check out Retro-Bit’s dedicated Undeadline website for the most up-to-date pre-order information.

Are you excited to see Undeadline come back in a fresh new cartridge reprint? Are you going to pre-order? Have you played it before? Were you fortunate enough to have gotten an original copy on Mega-Drive, MSX, or X68000 or at least seen one staring you right in the face with its fiendish logo? What other games are you hoping Retro-Bit will re-print? Send us a word about it in the comments below. (Also, if you do have a game you want Retro-Bit to reprint, let them know too.)

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