Hataraku Chocobo does something so incredible when you turn it on I'm almost reluctant to talk about it, because when typed out it sounds as if I've resorted to pathetic "My uncle at Nintendo said..." level lies. You see, Squaresoft's game was exclusively designed for and released on Bandai's WonderSwan - the original monochrome WonderSwan, the … Continue reading Feathered friends in new frontiers
Should you happen to be someone eager to dive in to Youfu Makai's card battling action, leaving the manual and the rest of the box's content aside for later, you'll definitely come away from your brief time with the game confused and disappointed. The game will crash - garbled screen, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP music, and all - at the slightest … Continue reading Always check the packaging
The WonderSwan exclusive "Novel Theatre" game Terrors 2 offers users three unrelated but hopefully spooky stories to choose from once the standard-issue creepy laughter's died down on the title screen, with a shorter fourth, final, and equally disconnected tale unlocked after you've cleared them (and made sure you've saved too). This bonus piece isn't a … Continue reading Pocket-sized panics
The original Arc the Lad was something of an early success for the PlayStation, managing to sell hundreds of thousands of copies in Japan alone since its release in June 1995. Considering this was at a time when Sony's upstart console was still an import-only curiosity for the rest of the world and the game (as well … Continue reading One more one more go…
Bandai's WonderSwan family of handhelds played host to a diverse range of software over their Japan-only lifespan: From a million (quantity slightly inflated) Gundam games and other popular but often surprisingly good licensed fodder to Squaresoft's various middle fingers aimed Nintendo's way, Guilty Gear, elaborate add-ons capable of holding their weirdy own against even the infamous … Continue reading Running with scissors
The multitude of adventures that make up Akitoshi Kawazu's SaGa series tend to be titles I enjoy from a safe conceptual distance but struggle to actually play; including the focus of this blog post, Romancing SaGa. My hope was that coming back to it post-Baldur's Gate with a slightly better understanding of the best way … Continue reading A funny kind of freedom
The WonderSwan is perhaps best known as the widescreen portable home of excellent and enhanced ports of some of Squaresoft's most famous titles: Final Fantasy I, II, and IV as well as Romancing SaGa, Makai Toushi SaGa, and Front Mission all received a warm welcome on Bandai's handheld, and these remakes/ports are rightly well-regarded for the sheer effort … Continue reading Wild Card
You might be forgiven for thinking Guilty Gear Petit 2 looks more than a little familiar - a cute handheld version of a more serious-looking arcade fighter, you say? That's got Neo Geo Pocket written all over it, surely. Not this time! Guilty Gear Petit 2's 2001 release for the WonderSwan Color is entirely unrelated and just … Continue reading Guilty Gear Petit 2
I learned of this game's existence through an indie importer's catalogue (remember those?) that had been mailed to me (remember that?) and the potential sale hinged entirely on me being prepared to part with a whopping £50 after seeing｜BLUE WING BLITZ ｜SQUARESOFT｜printed within a soulless monochrome Excel table.Luckily for them I was always interested in … Continue reading Blue Wing Blitz
Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster 