Sunsoft is Back! Well Sunsoft never went anywhere, they are still around. But they did release a compilation of three retro titles from the 80s, Ripple Island, Wings of Madoola and Firework Thrower Kantaro’s 53 Stations of the Tokaido. These games have never been released stateside, being only in Japan. Honestly, these games should have stayed there. I’m going to go over these games in turn.
Sunsoft is Back! Ripple Island
Sunsoft is Back! Ripple Island is a point and click adventure game, where you stumble around and do various things on various screens. Its alright for an 80s point and click and honestly the best of the three IMO. That’s not saying much, as the game either tells you the solution, or tells you nothing at all. Like how am I supposed to know I have to go in the left door in the village, give a strawberry(not a fruit) to the sister on the right. Then I get a scroll from the man in the house a screen over, then give it to the racoon to wash it. The scroll will then allow me to go north to get the girl in the tree to follow me. And yes, that’s an actual sequence. Play it if that sounds interesting.
Wings of Madoola
Next in Sunsoft is Back! is WIngs of Madoola a very primitive Zelda 2. In it you walk forward, get hit by enemies, and hopefully collect enough random trinkets to get to the end of the level to repeat it. Its not completely terrible, just incredibly old school in design. This game is unforgiving as health restoring is very hard to come by. Some other reviewers said this was great, I don’t think so. It’s ok, but nothing worth running out for.
Sunsoft is Back! Firework Thrower Kantaro’s 53 Stations of the Tokaido
Finally in Sunsoft is Back! we have Firework Thrower Kantaro’s 53 Stations of the Tokaido. This game is primitive. Just look at those graphics. You walk forward and attack enemies by throwing a bomb in a very rigid arc. This makes things ten times harder than things need to be, especially when you get to certain enemies. It’s the easiest to pick up and understand, but that is not saying much.
Conclusion
Sunsoft Is Back! is very well made collection of three primitive Sunsoft games from the 80s that stayed in Japan. As I said before, they should have stayed there. None of the games are must plays. They are relics of another age entirely and its questionable if you need to play then at all. This gets a YMMV with a six back-end score. Play it if you must.
Overall: Sunsoft is Back! is a collection of three 80s games that have stayed in Japan until now. Honestly, they should have probably stayed there.
Verdict: YMMV
| Release Date | 9/6/24 |
| Cost | $9.99 |
| Publisher | Red Art Games |
| ESRB Rating | E10+ |
P.S. Try Those Games and Those Games 2!
Game received for free from the publisher!
