Two classic PC-88 games — Thexder and Relics — have arrived on the Nintendo Switch eShop, via D4 Enterprise and Project EGG.
In the past, the Tokyo-based publisher D4 Enterprise has reissued a number of classic games for old Japanese computers like the MSX, PC-88, and PC-98 on Windows via the Project EGG service. However, now it has started a new initiative called 'EGG Console' to bring as many of those titles as possible over to Switch. And the great news is that they also seem to be releasing on Western storefronts too.
Thexder was initially published in 1985 and is the work of the developer Game Arts. It was previously released for the PC-88, PC-8000, PC-98, Sharp X1, FM-7, NES, MSX, Sharp MZ-80B/2000/2500, Apple II/IIGS, DOS, Amiga, TRS 80-CoCo, and Macintosh.
It is an action-adventure game where players take control of a robot that can transform into a fighter ship in order to navigate obstacles in the environment and battle enemies. Here is an overview of the game from the Nintendo Switch eShop:
"This action-shooting game was released in 1985. The player takes control of the hyper dual-armor ""THEXDER,"" which can transform into both robot and fighter forms, and throws himself into the battle to destroy the magnetic field generator of the asteroid Nediam. The game is played in side-view and consists of 16 stages (plus 16 back stages).In the battle against the enemy, you can use either the robot form, which has a tracking laser but inferior mobility, or the fighter form, which can only attack in the direction you are going but has superior mobility, depending on the situation.Barriers are also available, but if they are used too often, they will run out of energy, so they should be used only when the situation calls for it! You should use them only when you need them.The game is based on the life system with no save function, so you only have one shot each time you play! The difficulty level of the game is high, so if you are good at it, please give it a try."
Bothtec's Relics, on the other hand, was originally released in 1986 and was available for the PC-88, PC-98, MSX, Sharp X1, FM-7, Sharp MZ-80B/2000/2500, and Sharp X68000.
Players take control of a wandering spirit that can possess defeated enemies to unlock various new attacks and powers. There are multiple routes and endings to find as well as music from the Japanese pop band Crystal King. Here is a rather cryptic description of the game's story taken from the Nintendo Switch eShop:
"Two great consciousnesses. I don't know when in the world they existed, but there were two consciousnesses. Perhaps they existed long before the universe existed. These two consciousnesses have been quarreling and clashing with each other. Which is right and which is wrong? Which is light and which is shadow? There was no meaning in such questions. There are just two consciousnesses that are fighting each other. When these two consciousnesses collide, various substances are born, and various things are destroyed. Even light came into existence through the collision of these two consciousnesses. Perhaps this universe was also created by these two consciousnesses. And the two consciousnesses have always been in conflict. This struggle will continue forever. It is like a tremor for the evolution of the universe.
"This is an action-adventure game released by Bothtec in 1986. The main character is drifting as a spirit in the ruins that suddenly appear from under the sea. There is no explanation as to why he has become a spirit or what he has to do, but by exploring the ruins, the situation becomes dimly apparent."
Both games cost £5.39 and are available to buy now from the Nintendo Switch eShop. More Project EGG releases are expected in the future, and we'll do our best to cover them as they arrive.