UPDATE: Natsume Inc. have just sent us a press release (via email) confirming the game’s release date, and that it will be coming to the west.
Under the western working title of Pocky & Rocky 2021, the press release states this is the “third installment in the original shrine maiden shooting series.”
“We are very excited to be working together with NatsumeAtari and its Tengo Project team to bring the latest chapter of the series to the West!” explains Natsume Inc. President and CEO Hiro Maekawa.
“Pocky & Rocky 2021 is a sequel that will be released more than two decades after the release of the original title for SNES. We hope that Pocky & Rocky 2021 will not only cater to fans who used to play the game, but also to new players!”
Toshiyasu Miyabe, a Tengo Project programmer, also stated his delight with working on the game.
“It is a joy to continue Pocky and Rocky’s adventures over twenty-five years later with the same development team. We are excited to be developing Pocky & Rocky 2021 to reach a new generation of gamers and reconnect with players who are already familiar with the bold pair, Pocky and Rocky, and their fun adventures. Stay tuned in the coming months as we reveal more about the mystery that awaits!”
NatsumeAtari will be exhibiting the game at the Tokyo Game Show 2020.
Pocky & Rocky 2021 launches worldwide 2021.
Original Story:
Developer Tengo Project have announced retro top-down shooter Pocky & Rocky: Black Cloak Mystery (translation: Google Translate [adjusted]).
The original Pocky & Rocky launched in late 1992 in Japan for the SNES (1993 in the west); a top-down shooter where a shrine maiden and a tanuki to help purge the curse of the insanity that has swept over the Nopino Goblins. It would lead to a sequel in 1994, and a Game Boy Advance game in 2002.
Tengo Project had previously teased an announcement for this week, the developer having worked on other retro revivals The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors, and Wild Guns Reloaded.
As explained by the developer on Twitter (1, 2), the game is a sequel to the first game. This is despite the game starting in the same shrine, and first game’s Japanese title being Mysterious Ghost World: The Riddle of the Black Mantle (translation: Wikipedia, adjusted).
The game attempts to keep its 16-bit aesthetics, but with improved graphical and sound features. Neither platforms nor a release date were mentioned at this time.
You can find the announcement trailer and screenshots (via Twitter [1, 2]) below.
Pocky & Rocky: Black Cloak Mystery is coming soon to Japan.
This is Niche Imports. In this column, we regularly cover games that haven’t been announced for western audiences yet. Please leave feedback and let us know if there’s something you want us to cover!
