Retro-Bit has announced that the next in their line of retro reproductions/reissues/special editions is 1995’s Majyūō (sometimes translated as Majuu Ou). Previously only released in Japan on the Super Famicom, Retro-Bit will be localizing the game for the first time in an official capacity.
It’s being localized as Majyūō – King of Demons, which feels pretty appropriate. This is perhaps Retro-Bit’s raddest deep cut yet. You play as Abel, who is trying to save his daughter from demons. He starts off as this regular-looking dude with a pistol but gets transformed into different demon things when you pick a crystal up off of a boss.
It’s so awesome, but it’s hard to describe why. It uses this charmingly low-detail art style with surprisingly high-detail animations. It might just be because I really like SNES horror games, and Majyūō kind of gives off Demon’s Crest vibes. It’s a bit on the short side, however. Nothing too egregious for the platform, but you could probably beat it over a weekend rental.
The original Super Famicom version sells for a pretty high price on the collector’s market, but it got a 2017 reproduction which also was exclusive to Japan. Retro-Bit will be producing the cartridges with what looks like a transparent black shell with a red PCB underneath. They call the color scheme “Demonic Heart,” which is pretty great in its own right. It comes with a magnetic cartridge box, manual, and an embossed slipcover.
Retro-Bit is doing a full translation of Majyūō – King of Demons for this release being done by their team. That’s important since there’s an in-game story and dialog, which wasn’t all that common in action games at the time. Aiming to keep with the tone of the Japanese text, Retro-Bit warns that there will be cussing.
Full disclosure: Retro-Bit has been sending me their releases, and I typically cover them in my column. I love their selection of obscure games, but I give bonus points when a company goes the distance by localizing a previously Japan exclusive. The quality of their products is great as well, going for a more lavish feel than an official release rather than trying to just replicate the product as it originally was. They show a certain reverence to these niche little titles with good attention to detail. I feel a certain kinship.
Majyūō – King of Demons will be available for preorder on February 6, 2024, on SNES via Castlemania Games, Rondo Products, and Limited Run Games for $59.99. Preorders will run until March 12, 2024. It’s planned to then ship in Q3 2024
