«Previous post | Next post»

Press release:
Stuttgart, October 7, 2021.
Strictly Limited Games (a Germany-based video game publisher), Opera House (a Japan-based video game company), and FamilySoft (a Japan-based retro video game company), are today very happy to announce that retro side-scrolling beat-em-up game “Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth” is getting a physical cartridge release to the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis! (pre-orders are open right now via Strictly Limited Games).

Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth was originally developed by Fill-In-Cafe and released by Family Soft in January 1994 for X68000, then ported to FM TOWNS, PC Engine, PlayStation and more.

The Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis version was being developed at the same time as the first X68000 version, but was discontinued due to various issues. It was only in 2018 that Opera House took over the development of this version under supervision of the original team, and completed it in the autumn of 2020, 26 years after its inception.

A limited number of copies was sold very successfully in Japan and now, Strictly Limited Games is bringing this physical retro cartridge release exclusively to the West, available for pre-order starting on October 10th, 2021at 12 AM (midnight) CEST.

The year is 2142 and a war is waging in Artemis City. In the last moments of the war, a warship is discovered containing hundreds of mecha, called SlaveGears, which are seized by the military. Two of those mechas, Hound Dog and Rising Dog, are put into experimental use by the police.

As Rising Dog goes rogue under the control of the evil warship Omega, which jams the military networks of Artemis City, Hound Dog is deployed to save the City and stop Rising Dog.

Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth presents a number of unique and unusual ideas in an authentic retro experience for Genesis/Mega Drive owners. Gameplay mechanics resemble a mix between traditional Beat ’em Up and 2D fighting games, so the player, taking control of a SlaveGear mecha Hound Dog, has to think about their next move thoroughly to advance through the 6 Stages, each with an individual boss fight at the end.

In addition to the single-player campaign, the game also includes a versus mode where two human opponents face each other with the mecha of their choice in one-on-one matches until the fighter who manages to deplete the health bar of the opponent before the timer runs out wins the bout. A single human player can also fight against a computer-controlled opponent as well.

Get yourself an awesome Limited Edition or Collector’s Edition for pre-order at the Strictly Limited Games Shop.

Strictly Limited Games are releasing a physical Limited Edition and Collector’s Edition of Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth, with a compatible cartridge for Sega Mega Drive & Sega Genesis.

Pre-orders will kick off on Sunday the 10th of October at 12 AM (midnight) CEST.

The Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth Limited Edition is available for €49.99 and limited to 1,700 copies.

LE Content:

Sega Genesis or Sega Mega Drive compatible cartridge + box

Game manual

The Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth Collector’s Edition is available for €79.99 and limited to 1,000 copies.

CE Content:

X68000 Collector’s Box

Sega Genesis or Sega Mega Drive compatible cartridge + box

Game manual

Acrylic standee

Shikishi inspired artwork

6 character cards

Original soundtrack

Replica telephone card

Live concert DVD

About Strictly Limited Games
Strictly Limited Games is a German publisher based near Stuttgart, specialized in releasing a curated selection of digital download-only games in exclusive collectible physical editions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch.

The company was founded in 2017 by Dennis Mendel, a former scholar for game studies and advisor at Fraunhofer Institute, and Benedict Braitsch. Both passionate collectors with a combined collection of over 7.000 digital and physical games for all console generations, their intention is to form an opposite pole to the current trend of digital-only releases. All collectors’ editions are available exclusively at Strictly Limited Games online store www.strictlylimitedgames.com

About OPERA HOUSE
Established 1995 in Tokyo’s Nerima ward.

They focus on PC games and video software, producing and selling different kinds of merchandise, book and magazine design, editing and publishing of original works, but even more of licensed works.

Since about 10 years ago, they have expanded into the mobile and smartphone game market.

In 2014, they started multiple projects based on games and trademarks by FamilySoft, and in 2019 the redevelopment of the Mega Drive version of Mad Stalker began. It was released exclusively in Japan in the Autumn of 2020.

About FamilySoft:

Established 1987 in Tokyo’s Nerima ward. They handle a variety of projects, like games for PC and home console, book and magazine design, editing and publishing.

At the same time as the company’s establishment, they released the MSX2 games “Keiji daidageki-shachou reichou yuukai jiken (Detective Geki Daida- The case of the director’s abducted daughter)” and “Kidou senshi gandamu-MS fiirudio (Mobile Suit Gundam- MS Field)”.

Since then, they were responsible for various games for the Super Dimension Fortress Macross series and the Armored Trooper Votoms series and of other anime works.

In 1994, they released “Mad Stalker” for the X68000 and “Asuka 120%” for the FM Towns, the start of their long-lasting series.

They didn’t limit themselves to the PC market, but also expanded onto the PC Engine and the PlayStation.

Although the Mega Drive version of “Mad Stalker” was in development at that time, because the ROM was so big and the production costs skyrocketed, development was halted.

This project was inherited by Opera House and completed in 2020.

Jonas “O.J” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround