Two new Dreamcast games from Nape Games: Reknum Souls Adventure and Ploid, now available from VGNY Soft

Here’s two more brand new Sega Dreamcast games for ya. Reknum Souls Adventures and Ploid, both originally made for NES by Nape Games, are now available for Dreamcast and up for pre-order in North America through VGNYSoft, a known publisher of physical indie games who also dabbles in Dreamcast games. Both games, like most other indie games on Dreamcast, are VGA compatible and region-free as well. Both can be had for $29.99 USD each.

Check in past the break for trailers and pre-order links.

Over Jump Rally, a new indie spiritual successor to Sega Rally Championship, now wishlist-able on Steam

A new independently developed spiritual successor to Sega Rally Championship is now available to wishlist on Steam. Don’t get too excited though. I say “Wishlist” because the game is not available to purchase, pre-order, or download right now, at least from Steam anyway. Let me explain.

Some of you may remember this game as a demo in last year’s Sonic Amateur Games Expo (SAGE ’22), where it is is still available to download and play on PC right now. It was designed to be a modern, ultra realistic looking tribute to Sega Rally Championship, which plays almost exactly like the original game. However, the developer, Bansai Rosso, isn’t looking to release this as just a completely original game meant to invoke memories of Sega Rally. They also state on the Steam page itself that they are making this as a proof-of-concept to pitch to Sega. The game is still early in development, so it is pretty clear that they may not be sure what exactly they want to do with this game. Whether they get to work with Sega or not, the game features the same reproductions of real cars from Toyota and Lancia featured in Sega Rally, and it’s likely those will need to be changed soon if an agreement cannot be reached with those motor companies.

Regardless, having a Steam page means the game can be wishlisted, which not only helps motivate the developers, but also sends a message to Valve, the company running Steam, that people are paying attention to the game. This aids in convincing them to highlight the game on Steam’s main page when an announcement or release date is made. If this game looks fun to you and you have a Steam account, go ahead and wishlist the game. It does not guarantee the game will release or that it will release sooner, but it doesn’t hurt. Of course, the Steam page kindly asked people to help spread the word, so that’s what I’m doing now. On behalf of SegaBits, I wish Bansai Rosso the best of luck with development and with pitching the title to Sega. You can also check out the official Over Jump Rally linktree page for an easy hub linking to the developer’s sites, including their X Twitter, Discord, and YouTube, and perhaps you could wish them luck yourself as well.

Make an easy left to the comments section to tell us what you think of this game, maybe.

First brand new online Dreamcast game in 2 decades, Driving Strikers, now available for purchase

How’s this for an impressive new leap in Dreamcast indie game development? All new Dreamcast car soccer game (Think Rocket League, but played from an overhead camera perspective), Driving Strikers, is now finally available to purchase as both a physical game package and as a digital download from WAVE Game Studios. Built around the modern Dreamcast online infrastructure Dreamcast Live, which I have detailed in an earlier article, Driving Strikers can be played online through that service either with an original modem adaptor and DreamPi or an official Dreamcast broadband adapter. To celebrate the occasion, WAVE Game Studios is currently selling the game at a discounted price of £19.99 ($25.66 USD as of this writing). 

Some of you may even remember Driving Strikers as the one Dreamcast game from the recent Homebrew Games Summer Showcase. Looks like it made it in after all.

For more info, break in after the check.

Ancient/Yuzo Koshiro’s new Genesis/Mega-Drive shooter now named “Earthion”; Video footage shown

Since last year, retro game musician legend Yuzo Koshiro and his game development studio Ancient have been hard at work on an all new scrolling shooter for Genesis/Mega-Drive consoles, their first game for the classic 16-bit platform since Beyond Oasis (The Story of Thor outside of North America) from 1994. As of June 16th, 2023, Koshiro-san has finally revealed the decided upon title for this new game: Earthion. Along with that, he has also shared some new video footage of the game’s title screen and opening level. Looks cool, doesn’t it?

Of course, if you have been following Yuzo Koshiro on twitter like we have (And we do recommend it if you are still on twitter) you will know this is not the only sneak preview Koshiro-san has shown for Earthion throughout the months. Come see some more of them after the break.

Red Moon Lost Days is an indie RPG/visual novel for the SEGA Saturn

In the days of old, the long long ago times of 2009, professionally pressed indie games for SEGA consoles were both a rarity and a luxury. There were, at most, two or three games a year for consoles like Master System, Genesis and even the Dreamcast. Nowadays it seems that a new indie game is releasing every few weeks with all the bells and whistles of an official release, including color manuals, pressed CDs and cartridge labels. But, through all that time, rarely (if ever) was the SEGA Saturn given attention. That is why the game Red Moon Lost Days caught my attention.

Special interview with Ross Kilgariff, the creator of Harlequest!

 

Many of you probably remember the announcement of Harlequest!, a brand new action RPG in development for Sega Dreamcast that is now live on Kickstarter. As of this writing, there are 5 days remaining for the Kickstarter to raise as much money as possible.

Since I have written that article, I have gotten the opportunity to speak with the game’s main creator, Ross Kilgariff (ross:codes) to learn more about him and the inspirations behind Harlequest! Check in after the break to hear more from the man himself. Special thanks goes to Ross for reaching out to us for this opportunity.

New 3D Dreamcast Dungeon Crawler “HarleQuest!” now on Kickstarter

A brand new indie dungeon crawling RPG has just been announced for Dreamcast and PC (Including Mac and Linux), called HarleQuest!, and has begun its bid for crowdfunding on Kickstarter on April 1st. No foolin’.

Being developed by Ross Kilgariff, with assistance by Alastair Low of LowTek Games (Who have experience with Dreamcast development, porting indie NES games to the console), HarleQuest! is envisioned as a “high difficulty, procedurally-generated dungeon crawler” inspired by Gauntlet, Diablo, The Legend of Zelda, MidiEvil, and “SoulsBorne” games such as the Dark Souls series and Bloodborne. The dungeon layouts will be randomized, many different weapons and loot will be scattered around for the taking, fearsome enemies and giant bosses lurk around most corners, the option of co-op multiplayer is there, and best of all, the game will be in full 3D, a rarity for independent Dreamcast games. At the time of this writing, HarleQuest! has raised $8,214 of the $13,811 needed and has kept a good momentum after the Kickstarter campaign went live.

Go check out the Kickstarter page now, which is running until April 30th 2023, or check in after the break for more info from us at SegaBits.

SEGAbits @ SAGE 2022: Interview with Noah Copeland on Sonic Triple Trouble 16-BIT – PART TWO

[READ PART 1]

Welcome back to the second part of our two parter interview with Noah Copeland, the director of Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble 16 bit. On our last interview we chatted about how Noah gained an appreciation of the SEGA Genesis and his background in the fangame development scene. Hit the break to read the rest of the interview!

SEGAbits @ SAGE 2022: Interview with Noah Copeland on Sonic Triple Trouble 16-BIT – PART ONE

As part of our SAGE coverage, we managed to get a hold of Noah Copeland to come have a chat with us about the development of his fangame Sonic Triple Trouble 16 bit. This love letter to the classic Game Gear game released to much fanfair last month, remaking the original games visual to fit perfectly with it’s classic Mega Drive counterparts, featuring the ability to switch between Sonic or Tails as well as multiple playable characters. Hit the break for the first of two part interview with Noah as he goes into more detail about the fan games history and development ideology!

The House of the Dead: Remake announced for Nintendo Switch

It’s official! The House of the Dead: Remake was shown on Nintendo Indie World showcase and will be available for Nintendo Switch. The game will be published by Forever Entertainment and developed by MegaPixel Studio, the developers behind Panzer Dragoon: Remake and will feature the classic arcade rail-shooter gameplay with a whole new entourage of updated graphics and gameplay changes to suit modern gaming standards.

Release date and other console release for the title has yet to be announced. We will update this article when more news arrive. You can follow the game’s social media outlets to be keep up to date!

Facebook | Twitter | Website

UPDATE: Screenshots added to the article

Did you pre-order that indie Dreamcast game SLaVE? Better login now and save your receipt!

On September 9th, 2014 we shared the news of a new indie Dreamcast game called SLaVE. The game has been in development for so long, that back in 2017 I posted a story updating readers on why it was taking so long, and while I am not here today to give another update, you can read that article. The reason I am writing about the game again is that GOAT Store, which is the home to GOAT Store Publishing who had taken 400 pre-orders for the game back in 2014, emailed those with user accounts giving an update on the site:

You are receiving this email because at some point, you signed up for a GOAT Store member account. Your member account gave you access to a record of your past GOAT Store orders – but that was it, we kept no other information. I’m writing this email because this weekend, we will be performing a major site upgrade, and when we do, we will not be able to carry over our current member system.

Because of this, if you wish to access or save any part of your order record, please head to https://www.goatstore.com ASAP as we intend to upgrade this coming weekend.

If this is a reminder that you loved the GOAT Store and want to order more great gaming stuff, our old site is available for ordering now!

Basically, if you ordered SLaVE, which is an old unfulfilled order, it is likely that your order history will disappear after this weekend. So head to the site now, login and screen capture or print out your order because you may lose any evidence that you pre-ordered the game.

I do not know what their future plans are, but if pre-orders are disputed or refunds are issued, it’s good to have proof you paid for the game 7 years ago.

Fan-made open beta of Sonic Runners underway

2015 was an interesting year for Sonic. Before the ignition that started with the 25th anniversary party, the Sonic Mania hype, and SEGA Forever, we were gifted as with a few lovely mobile apps for SEGA to dip their toes into the market. With Sonic Jump and Sonic Dash being both moderate and raving successes respectfully, it was time that Sonic Team took a slightly different approach to the next mobile game, leading to Sonic Runners. However, within over a year of its launch, the game was shut down. Now fans have worked their magic again to revive the long-forgotten game app, which was a favorite among the community. Click the jump to find out more.

ToeJam and Earl Collector’s Edition Goes Live on Friday

Don’t adjust your dial-up modem! ToeJam and Earl are “Back in the Groove” in their newest title in almost 17 years. With plenty of funky music and smooth gameplay, the duo also comes with a limited Collector’s Edition thanks to the folks of Limited Run. Along with a physical copy of the game (PS4 or Switch) you also get:

– Themed packaging based on the game’s aesthetics
– Map puzzle board (with 25 possible maps)
– 6 enamel pins (ToeJam, Earl, Latisha, Lewanda, 2 mystery bond box earthlings)
– 10 pin stands for setting up your own level
– Environment cutout standees
– Cassette soundtrack + download code of the game
– A cool and funky 18×24 poster

There are up to 6 possible earthling pins with additional blind boxes sold separately.

And for $69.99 that is not a bad deal, considering the game will probably be $30 upon release. The pre-order goes live on Friday February 15, 2019, with Batch 1 @10am and Batch 2 @ 6pm EST. Considering the love and hype around the series, I have no doubt that this game will be a smash hit. But the orders will go quick, so be ready to boogie on over to the website when they go live! For more updates and info, check the Limited Run twitter and website. And congratulations Greg; here’s to you!!!

Tanglewood Review – A Retro Revival (SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, PC)

It’s not every day that we get a brand new game coming out for the SEGA Mega Drive but Tanglewood by Big Evil Corporation is just that. Joining a very exclusive club of games released long after the console was discontinued, we got to try out and review this new release for the iconic 16 bit console. Staying true to the limitations of 90s game development and being built from the ground up, is Tanglewood a game worthy of reviving your Mega Drive for one more spin, or is it better left in the cupboard, read on to find out!

Commodore 64 game Barbarian releasing to the Dreamcast and Genesis/Mega Drive

The classic 8-bit Commodore 64 Epyx game Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior, which was later ported to several systems including the BBC Micro and Atari ST, is set to receive a SEGA Dreamcast port. The upcoming port is being handled by Retro Games Ltd, who have acquired the Epyx catalog, so it’s official!

Given the game has seen so many ports, you’re probably wondering which one the Dreamcast is getting. The answer is all of them, as you will be able to switch between the various versions with the press of a button. There will also be a new Dreamcast version with enhanced visuals. The game is also heading to the NES, Atari Jaguar and Genesis/Mega Drive.

Expect a physical Dreamcast release later this year, and in the meantime you can keep up on the project by following the Epyx Facebook page.

[Source: The Dreamcast Junkyard]