Japanese publisher City Connection has announced it will be bringing Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute to the Nintendo Switch eShop and multiple other platforms on 28th April. It follows on from a rating earlier this year in February.
Layer Section is a 1995 home console port of the Taito arcade shoot 'em up RayForce. The updated game on Switch combines the home console Sega Saturn version with the international release (known as Galactic Attack). It includes music enhancements, quality of life features like rewind and slow functions, along with quick save. Adding to this is a new online ranking mode and the ability to change difficulty settings.
This game will be followed by even more Saturn Tribute X Taito releases:
- Puzzle Bobble 2X and Puzzle Bobble 3
- Elevator Action Returns
- Metal Black
- Cleopatra FortuneAbout S-Tribute Series - Reprints of classics produced and developed by City Connection with the Zebra Engine during the Saturn era.
A trial version download of Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute is also available for the Nintendo Switch in Japan.
Will you be keeping an eye on this upcoming release? How about any of the other games on the above list? Tell us down in the comments.
[source twitter.com, via gematsu.com]
Comments 76
Omg! Elevator Action Returns??? I have wanted to play this since the late 90’s, and this saves me the small fortune I was almost willing to pay for the Taito handheld!
You can’t hear it but I am screaming at the top of my lungs like a rabid fangirl.
I just lost my god damn mind over Layer Section and Metal Black!!
NINJA APPROVED!!!
I’d never played Layer Section/Galactic Attack before today. I’ll definitely be grabbing the full version when it gets released.
Puzz Bobb always has my attention
Hopefully they come to North America!
Wow this is tremendous news. I know very little about Saturn titles so I’m very happy to try them out.
Want them all. FACTS!
So every one of these games will come with a free Sega Saturn emulator just like Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute? Cool hope they updated the emulator this time, Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute had so much input lag during its release date so I hope these improve from that.
Anything to do with Puzzle Bobble and I'll buy it. I used to play Puzzle Bobble at the local Pub during my lunch break at school. I was addicted to it that so often I was late going back to my afternoon lessons I had to sneak back to class, I never got caught once.
Never heard of Elevator Action Returns, but I'm already an Elevator Action fan, so I'm all kinds of intrigued.
i mean you know i wont complain about puzzle bobble. maybe someday bubble symphony will be on switch too
This is pretty cool.
Very nice! I love me some Saturn, glad to see that console getting some attention lately.
Puzzle Bobble! Guaranteed sales from me there.
@Specter_of-the_OLED agreed, emulation latency is key. If these have the same input lag as their previous Saturn emulated titles these will be unplayable.
Ps. Really hoping for low lag levels on Layer Section. The Saturn version is one of my all time fave shooters.
Just connect the Bubble Bobble to my veins.
Elevator Action Return is phenomenal
Take note SEGA! Still hoping we'll get some latter day Sega Ages (Saturn/Dreamcast) games at some point.
@HamatoYoshi Is it a puzzle game or more a shoot and run type of game like Contra? I watched some clips to try to understand and it looks interesting with really nice music!
I would download the original on Switch but not paying £6.29 for a game from 1983, sorry, lol... might emulate at some point
I need this in my life.
Please companies, please bring back more saturn games. Stop leaving them in the dust of time. Just because something wasn't successful in the US doesn't mean it didn't have amazing games.
Pleasing to see the saturn getting some love for once, shame Sega doesn't show it any love.
@BanjoPickles If you're looking for Elevator Action Returns, it's free on Ant Stream Arcade and it has global leaderboards and challenges. They also have regular old Elevator Action and tons of other classics as well.
Still waiting for Sega to get on that Panzer Dragoon Saga remake already. Surely it would be a hit, right?
The SEGA Saturn is my favourite SEGA console. This is music to my ears.
Saturn getting some love.
Well
I
Never
I did not expect to read this news today!
Elevator Action Returns!! Fantastic game. Day one.
@BanjoPickles
It’s really really good. I played it only a couple of years ago and it holds up really well.
If they receive western releases than yes I’m definitely interested. But I’m not holding my breath.
@BloodNinja Was just thinking the same thing! Can I second your ninja approval?
Can I just say, how ace it is that Taito are back
@FragRed I think all of City Connection's games have come West, including Cotton Saturn Tribute.
@BanjoPickles It's an awesome game, I used to play it a lot on the Saturn and it's also available on Taito Legends Volume 2 for the PlayStation 2. Very cool to see it coming to the Switch!
@WaveBoy Unfortunately Astal and Clockwork Knight were both developed by Sega who seem to have zero interest in re-releasing anything from their Saturn or Dreamcast backlog. Would be really awesome to see those games get ported to Switch though!
Great news! I picked up Elevator Action Returns for my Saturn many years ago in Japan and really liked it at the time. It’ll be nice to have easy access to it again.
Arcade versions of a few of these are on the Egret II Mini, which I preordered and am patiently waiting for, so my excitement is dulled a bit. But more classics from the past on Switch is always awesome.
Weird factoid: the Puzzle Bobble 3 release means this will be the first appearance of Sonic Blast Man on the Switch, and his first appearance on a Nintendo console in 30 years.
Edit: 28 years. Sorry, @X68000
@bubicus sonic blast man II was released in 1994, 28 years ago.
Sorry for being pedantic!
It's always wonderful to have more Saturn games available!!!
Elevator Action Returns, now there is a game that would be good to play without the insane prices of a real Saturn copy.
Cleopatra's Fortune, though. I'd guess there's probably a reason the PlayStation version is probably dirt cheap (several years ago bought a sealed copy on amazon for a dollar).
Puzzle Bobble 2X... so Monsuta (the first opponent) has such a cheesy theme song that, was it only the US NeoGeo version which deemed it too saccharine and removed?
This is great! Hope this means we might see some more Touhou games on Switch too!
While I’m glad these rare games are ported…but man I hope city connection learnt their lesson and made some major tweaks to the engine after the stank that was cotton/guardian force S-Tribute, I feel so bad for success corp after that
More Puzzle Bobble guarantees me a sale.
@GrailUK The Saturn was the nuts. Probably one of my all time faves. Best 2D console with an amazing controller. Never ever got on with Playstation controllers.
City Connection? Passsss
A welcome bolt out of the blue this
@WiltonRoots Yeah, I never really liked the Playstation pad myself either. I get for most these days it was probably their first controller and what they are used to...so we can't hold it against them too much hahah
@OorWullie Awesome to hear. Assuming emulation has improved I really want to buy Elevator Action Returns.
Hey Taito. Still waiting on a new Bust-A-Move for Switch with online play…
maybe even a FTP Bust-A-Move 99 competitive online concept could work well! It’s tyme!
… Wun can only hope.
Will this be Japan only or perhaps one day a North American release? I want me some Elevator Action Returns!!!
@PessitheMystic Yes!!
@GrailUK I think because I always preferred to play in the overhanded piano key method I never got on with controllers that forced you to use your thumbs. I never played arcade games using my thumbs ever. Apart from Battle Zone. And Defender. 😀
I do like a tribute
……”play the best song in the world, or I’ll eat you soul”
Finally!this is awesome! Now it’s time Sega does the same thing with some Sega Saturn classics.
Cleopatra Fortune?!, Great, I have been waiting this game; I hope that it's sequel also arrive in any moment in the future.
Port these and take my money.
Glad to see taito giving us their actual good arcade games instead of whatever the h@ll that ININ collection was. Now here’s hoping they don’t suffer from the input lag the cotton ones had:/
Are they coming to the states? I'm curious.
@Nintendo_Thumb
Thanks for the tip! I have always wanted to play it! I actually play OG Elevator Action on my Switch somewhat regularly.
@nightopia
I remember reading about it in Gamepro, wayyyyy back! I can’t believe I’ve never played it!
@electrolite77
It’s a day one for me!
Mmmm easy money for doing little to no work porting 20+ year old games.
The Sega Saturn is hands down the most underrated console in the hobby's history. Some of the very greatest RPGs and SRPGs like Shining Force III, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and Dragon Force, great Arcade ports like Daytona USA, Sega Rally Championship, and Virtua Fighter 2, a slew of fantastic original titles like Clockwork Knight 1 and 2, Bug!, Burning Rangers, Nights: Into Dreams, 3 Dirty Dwarves, and Panzer Dragoon 1 and 2, amazing shmups like Radiant Silvergun and ThunderForce V, and probably the best WWII-era turn-based strategy title that ever came West: Iron Storm.
Oh yes, there's a compilation's worth of deserving games and then some if Sega would ever just make it (or let someone else do so). And I would grab any and all of these games DAY ONE if they were brought back.
Pleeeease come to Nolan America. I am super hyped if these make the jump.
Elevator Action Returns is a fantastic game. Keep an eye out for that one.
As a big Sega Saturn fan I'm excited to see more of its games come to modern platforms, a really good lineup of games here too
AAHGHGAGGHHHHH I want all of these, even the ones I never played. I love my Switch, but nothing will ever replace the Saturn that replaced my heart all those years ago (which makes it hard to pump blood and whatnot). But more than anything, Galactic Layer Attack Section will be a day-1 purchase for me.
@BanjoPickles Just get a saturn.
It's fantastic to see these games coming out, but if the port is going to be as dreadful as the first round there, is absolutely no point.
Its good to see Saturn games gets modern ports.
Since City Connection is working with Square Enix (they own Taito), I hope they eventually get around to other console games they own the rights to. Like Magical Chase for the PC-Engine/Turbografx-16 and Little Samson for the Famicom/NES.
Okay, I've played some of the demo and LOVE the fact that you can switch the language to English (thereby instantly making a purchase from the Japanese eShop viable if necessary). That said, I admit to being a little confused; selecting either Layer Section or Galactic Attack results in seemingly the exact same game coming up onscreen, with the same weapons, enemy patterns, music, etc.. Are these two distinct games or actually two different iterations of the same one?
Thanks in advance to anyone who can explain this situation to me. Aside from this it looks like a solid shooter.
How is Saturn emulation these days?
@YANDMAN
I actually have a Saturn, but the game isn’t cheap.
@BanjoPickles six quid on etsy
Freaking finally first Layer Section and now Elevator Action Returns.
I cannot express the joy.
@YANDMAN For a Japanese copy he would need a modded Saturn.
@completo88 Nah, just get an action replay cart.
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