As the video game industry moves towards an all-digital future, a handful of companies have begun to specialise in physical video game distribution. It's got to the point where even the smallest digital titles are now being released in physical form.
The 1985 8-bit stealth action-adventure game Saboteur! - a 200MB title released on the eShop at the start of this month - will be receiving a physical release. That's not all, though. The sequel Saboteur II: Avenging Angel will also receive a separate physical edition for Switch. This particular game isn't even available on the eShop yet. Here's the tweet confirming the ninja-themed releases:
As noted in the tweet above, the physical versions of these games will be released in both North America and Europe at some point during quarter one or two of 2019. Both of the covers in these screenshots are drafts, so don't get too attached as the final box art could easily change.
If you would like to find out more about the first game, be sure to check out our review. Like the original title, the sequel was also published by Durell Software and released on multiple platforms including the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64. In this 1987 release, players take control of the sister of the ninja from the first game. The game itself is apparently one of the very first in the action-adventure genre to ever feature a female protagonist.
Would you be interested in picking up either or both of these games in physical form? Are you glad to see the sequel is also making the Switch? Tell us below.
[source gonintendo.com]
Comments 22
Any self respecting Speccy port should cost £2.99 or £9.99 for the cardboard box premium edition.
Seriously though, could they not have bundled both games with the physical edition? I assume this will cost £30 like most physical indie releases, or £60 if you want the sequel.Seems a bit steep for a 35 year old game.
@JoeyJoey95 don't you mean 9.99$ max.
@JoeyJoey95 Erm...what kind of line???
@JoeyJoey95 Hehe timing! I don't know mate. I'm actually warm and fuzzy at the prospect of seeing this on the shelves again.
If they had remade these games this could of been really cool. Porting the pretty terrible although good at the time original versions is an absolute joke and cash grab. Who are these aimed at even? it's not like this game was even that big back in the day. Most people bought it because of the Ninja craze in the 80's and the fact that they stole the artwork from the cover of Sho Kosugis 'Revenge of the Ninja'
Why is it that Amstrad is never mentioned in Articles about games from Speccy / C64 era ? 😢
@Gerald because the CPC always was the best 8bit computer by far and everyone was/is frightened, it could get world domination
(Just made mine even better last week with a Gotek USB-Floppy-Emulator)
btw. I played Saboteur 2 at my CPC those days, but was not very good at this game. But I loved the music, one of my top 5 songs of 8bit games. Rob Hubbard is one of the best!
I might pick 'em up if they're cheap, as I have an affection for Ninjas...but since I was an Apple-II kid (had the Bulgarian clone - "Pravetz-8"), I don't have any nostalgia for either titles.
@OorWullie - do you think the ports will have authentic Spectrum loading times, complete with flashing boarder?
@OorWullie agree. I’ll continue to live in hope that my Vega+ may arrive one day..l
For a second i thought it was The Saboteur from PS3, now that would be welcoming, not this rubbish (And I grew up in the Spectrum era).
Yeah I don’t mind this. Like others I wish they had put both on the same cartridge.
How about the cassette tape version?
@JoeyJoey95 I am also trying to be optimistic even if blindly.
@JoeyJoey95 Yep, childhood game at my mates house. I mean, I can appreciate some folk after a certain generation won't have an affinity to games that aren't even using sprites! But come on, don't start drawing lines about what can and can't be released. One person's trash is another person's treasure.
@JoeyJoey95 I get you. I'm not convinced you are right. But I get you.
@vanYth you are right, when games were built specifically for the System, they were a cut above the other 8 bit home computer, Oceans versions of Chase HQ, Op. Wolf, Robocop were fantastic.
But most of my favourite games were the £1.99 Mastertronic Games (to mention a few I can remember; Soul of a Robot, Finders Keepers, Speed King, Caves of Doom)
@Gerald Well, I was a little ironic, I know every system has its strenghts. But as you mentioned, there are games showing what really was possible at the CPC, but there also are so many loveless ports, especially the many speccy ports because of their similar hardware, which may be great at the Spectrum, but are slower at the CPC and additionally often uglier than on the C64.
I also loved some of that Mastertronic games, and they where cheap enough for a pupil.
You should take a look at some of the newest games released the last few years. For example the winner of this years CPCRetroDev competition „Operation Alexandra“ is really great! And I hope the port of „Pinball Dreams“ will be finished soon, the playable demo is phenomenal.
Speaking of Retro games, Phantasy Star (Sega Ages) has just appeared on the eShop for 13 December - WTF Sega, Ages... no sh*t. At this rate VR will release in 2020
@vanYth I’ll take a look, thanks for the info
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