Cannon Dancer - Osman — affectionately dubbed "the unofficial sequel to Strider" — will finally be playable on consoles from 13th April 2023 with both a physical and digital launch.
After its original eShop release date slipped from both January and March to April (spotted by gosokkyu, via Time Extension), ININ Games has confirmed that we won't have to wait any longer. The 13th April is the day you'll be able to sit down with game designer Kouichi 'Isuke' Yotsui and artist Utata Kiyoshi's popular arcade title from the '90s.

This isn't just a straight port of the classic, however. ININ Games has included several enhancements to the action-packed pixel art platformer. Here's a rundown of the game:
Almost 30 years after its release on arcade, ININ Games teamed up with two key members of the original development team to finally bring the game to modern home consoles: the game designer Kouichi Yotsui (also known as “Isuke” and famous for his work on “Strider”) and the artist Utata Kiyoshi. ININ’s development team worked on bringing you the best iteration you’ve ever seen, adding features and enhancements that weren’t available in the original Arcade game. This new, faithfully ported version of Cannon Dancer can be played with in-game English language, or the original Japanese, with both being playable in standard & challenge mode.
Of the many subtle enhancements, the main ones are:
- Save States
- Rewind Feature
- Controller Vibration
- Customizable Controls
- Graphic Filters & Shaders
- Double Jump
- Invincible Jump
- Invincible Slide
- Invincible Attack
- Auto Attack [Speed 1 – 5]
- Extra Credits
You'll be able to grab the physical version of the game from Strictly Limited's website when it drops on 13th April. We're excited to finally get a chance to play this much-loved gem from the '90s.
Will you be running for Cannon Dancer - Osman next week? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 19
I have yet to play it, but Strictly limited games have allready sent me my physical version, and their store says the have the standard editions in stock
I have a physical of this one too. Not had chance to play it yet though, unfortunately
Seeing this makes me wonder why Strider (2014) hasn't made its way to the Switch yet?
yeesh it looks cool but $30 seems a bit much.
Glad to see that I'm not the only one that got their physical copy early. I think this might be the first time Strictly Limited beat the digital release date.
@Magician Yeah, that always seemed like an obvious port to me. I think it would have sold pretty well on Switch.
That said, for me personally, it was a game that looked and controlled quite nicely, but I found the game a bit average overall. It just didn't grab me like I hoped.
@cylemmulo My thoughts exactly! I was thinking $10-15 tops, but this might have to go on the wishlist until there's a sale...
Got mine awhile back on physical ! Briefly played and liked it so far! But will give it my full attention once I’ve finished octopath 2
I have physical copies of Cannon Dancer and DRAINUS on the way from SLG. I'm looking forward to adding them to the collection, even if backlog overload will probably prevent me from giving them the playtime they deserve.
I'm neck deep into DREDGE this week.
I like strider so yes, I'll get this 😃
hello everyone
I can see the inspiration in the gameplay. Looks like a real tempting purchase
Sorry but these extra features do not justify this price
I like the extra features they have in this game. Rewind and save states are pretty standard updates when porting old games, but old arcade games can be brutal enough that rewind would get pretty tedious. Giving people invincibility options lets you experience the whole game without interrupting the flow.
I always found the original Strider game to be a bit awkward to play, but once you get used to it it ain’t so bad. I willing to give this game a try.
Oh boy, cannot wait not to play this...
Nice! Need this
Like a few other commenters, I already received my physical copy several weeks ago. It seems strange that it would be released at retail first, then get a much-later digital date. Maybe something to do with ratings from ESRB / PEGI / CERO? My copy doesn't have a ratings symbol on it at all...
I'd never heard of this, but I adored Strider (and what a magnificent Mega Drive port it received), so will be snapping this up snappily.
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