So I thought Life on Earth was the direct sequel; is this a new entry in the series, or just a rerelease of Life on Mars with upgraded sound?
Yeah, as confusing as
"Shinobi - Revenge of Shinobi - Shinobi Part 2: The Cyber Shinobi - Shadow Dancer - Shinobi III" title naming but it's a whole new game, so it's a
sequel (though still unclear the protagonist will be same one or changed, probably a new one).
Their 2 previous games actually already use this added sound chip so that's just information that they're using it again now.