Update [Tue 16th Jan, 2024 15:25 GMT]: A new trailer for The Legend Of Steel Empire shows how the updated version of the game compares to the Genesis and GBA versions. You can view it above.
Original Story [Thu 14th Dec, 2023 15:10 GMT]: Hot-B's Steel Empire (known in Japan as Koutetsu Teikoku) is one of those games which has gained a seriously passionate cult following over the decades.
Originally released on the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis in 1992, its steampunk setting takes a large amount of inspiration from the movie Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and it stood out at the time of release for the fact that it wasn't your typical 'space ships and aliens' storyline. It even got a Western release, thanks to Acclaim's Flying Edge sub-label.
Fast forward to 2004, and the game was released on the Game Boy Advance. It would then be updated for the Nintendo 3DS, along with improved visuals and autostereoscopic 3D, before being released on Steam.
You can see how the previous versions compare in this video below:
ININ Games has now revealed that Steel Empire is getting yet another update, entitled The Legend of Steel Empire. "The HD remaster is based on the PC game from a few years back but features some important additions," says the PR."All graphics have been improved in high definition, the controls have been reworked, and there is a levelling system... A Remaster - Restored with Love!"
The Legend of Steel Empire will be available both digitally and as a boxed release in January 2024 and is coming to Nintendo Switch initially, but is also expected to arrive on PlayStation 4 at a later date.
Alongside this, ININ has also confirmed that it will be releasing the original version of Steel Empire alongside another Hot-B title, Over Horizon – a NES game which was exclusive to Japan and Europe back in the day. This double pack will be download only, and is expected to arrive in early 2024 for Nintendo Switch, and later on for PlayStation 4.