A long-lost PC-88 game has recently been rediscovered and preserved online, as revealed in a recent video by the YouTube channel Basement Brothers.
Zainsoft's Dios is a sidescrolling action platformer that was originally released across several Japanese computers in 1989 on floppy disk, including the Sharp X68000, MSX2, the PC-88, and the PC-98. However, those weren't the only versions marketed at the time, with Zainsoft also advertising a CD-ROM version to be released less than one year later for the PC-8801MC — a model of NEC's PC-88 line of computers that was compatible with the PC Engine CD-ROM² unit.
As Basement Brothers notes in the video, this would go on to be one of only two CD-ROM-based games released for the computer, with the other being the Japanese adventure game Mirrors. But it wasn't exactly confirmed whether or not this game had actually made it to market until PC-88 fans came across a Twitter post from a Japanese user who had a copy in their possession.
Recently, though, it appears that a Japanese computer enthusiast and preservationist named Krugman has successfully managed to obtain a copy of the elusive version and has archived it online for future generations, ensuring that more people can experience it for themselves.
We recommend watching Basement Brothers's video below for a detailed breakdown of the game, and the differences between the floppy disk and CD versions. You can also find more information on some of the obstacles that Krugman had to overcome to preserve the game here.