This New Famicom Disk System Game Could Be A World's First

Ravi & Navi goes on sale today in Japan and uses 3D-printed disc parts

by Jack Yarwood Mon, 10:30am

A new game has just been released for the Nintendo Famicom Disk System add-on in Japan, as reported by the Japanese publication Gamespark. This is believed to be the first new commercial Famicom Disk System since 1992 and also the first to be released on a disk created with 3D-printed parts.

Nintendo first released the Famicom Disk System as a new peripheral for its incredibly popular Nintendo Famicom home console back in 1986. The add-on fitted onto the bottom of the former system and expanded on the original hardware with a range of improvements. This included introducing an additional sound channel courtesy of the 2C33 chip, as well as cheaper and more expansive memory storage via the use of proprietary floppy disks.

Ravi & Navi, meanwhile, is a top-down arcade action title from the homebrew developer HSA Entertainment. This is a doujin company that previously released the 3D title Ravi's Great Adventure on Windows computers back in 2017 and The Adventure of Ravi & Navi on Nintendo Switch in 2021, and that also published a Famicom and Game Boy spin-off late last year.

The new Famicom Disk System game is based on this previous Famicom title but will reportedly benefit from a couple of additional features including enhanced BGM and the ability to save your high scores.

It will go on sale starting today and will be sold at HSA Entertainment's official website, the Tokyo-based store Kaden No Ken-chan, and the video game retailer GameShop1983 in Sapporo.

Here's some footage of the game in action:

[source youtu.be, via gamespark.jp]

Hailing from Manchester, Jack has a particular fondness for point-and-click adventure games. In the past, he’s written about lost games from studios like Sony Manchester, Genepool Software, and DMA Design, and has made a habit of debunking video game rumours.

1
RetroGames
Mon, 10:45am

Well, the game itself doesn't look like it will set the world on fire, but this is very cool.

2
Sketcz
Mon, 2:58pm

LOL at them pixelating out Nintendo's name on the FDS unit of that video! Probably for copyright safety? But I couldn't help think of Japanese pornography and the fact they pixelate the naughty bits on that too.

3
jesse_dylan
Mon, 3:46pm

Now if someone could just 3D print me a Famicom disc system

4
Steel76
Mon, 4:46pm

Got excited there for a while, and then I saw the gameplay...
No thanks...

5
BulkSlash
Mon, 5:01pm

It's amusing that they've managed to engrave an A on the disk casing which is the correct shape to defeat the copy protection.

6
KingMike
Mon, 5:37pm

@BulkSlash The holes in the bottom of the disk, below the label, are the copy-protection-defeating method (an original disk had the word "NINTENDO" with certain parts of the lettering deeper).
Well, that and there was also some software-level protection to deter unlicensed third-party developers, along the lines of the Genesis TMSS and the Game Boy boot screen. But I'm sure some developers found some way around that, as there were a number of NSFW games released in its original lifespan. Either that or Nintendo didn't bother to sue them, which was they main thing about that sort of protection.

7
Chocoburger
Mon, 8:05pm

That's neat to see the first new FDS game in so long, but the sound effect while moving the rabbit is extremely grating and unnecessary.

8
Steel76
Mon, 10:30pm

@Chocoburger
They should have used music instead (especially since it has support for extra sound channel), and skip that annoying sound effect.

9
Bakamoichigei
Tue, 6:54am

World's first what? Unlicensed FDS games have been around for nigh-on 40 years. And 3D printing has been employed for years in the manufacture of new FDS disk cards from commercial Quick Disks.

10
Bakamoichigei
Tue, 3:58pm

@jesse_dylan Nobody's stoppin' you from owning a Famicom Disk System. They're under a hundred bucks complete-in-box. 🤷‍♂️

11
jesse_dylan
Tue, 4:49pm

@Bakamoichigei Assuming you get one with a drive belt that works and can get (and install) a replacement if not. They're not as solid and everlasting as the Famicom itself.