New dreamcast games 2014

Despite succumbing to the hype of Sony's PS2, a lacklustre advertising budget, management blunders and a lack of big-name publishers (EA and Squaresoft notably), the Dreamcast still receives new releases to this very day.

Sega officially ended production of its final console in March of 2001 having only sold just over 9 million units. So why then, are second-hand consoles so saught after? And why would any developer bother with the platform in 2016?

The Dreamcast Just Won't Die

For many, the Dreamcast is one of the most fondly-remembered consoles of all time. Sega's box of online-connected tricks was years before its time, blending the promise of online console gaming with the magic of Sega's catalogue of arcade hits. The hardware was solid, and though it couldn't hold a candle to Sony's beefier PS2, the Dreamcast made up for it in terms of software. Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Shenmue, Chu Chu Rocket, PowerStone, Virtua Tennis — I could go on for days.

As the result of a short-lived but high-quality catalogue, the console developed a small but fiercely loyal community of fans before Sega pulled the plug. Many of those fans still rally behind the platform today. It's the last physical remnant of Sega's role as a hardware manufacturer, and nothing speeds up the nostalgia process like the tragic fall from grace of a company responsible for the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog.

One observation is that Sega didn't do enough to entice the casual gamer, instead focusing on Sega fanatics and so-called "hardcore" gamers. In this regard, you've got a healthy (by retro hardware standards) community of gamers who aren't quite ready to admit that the Dreamcast is dead yet. These are the kind of people who actually buy new Dreamcast releases 15 years after the last console was produced.

From a development point of view, the Dreamcast offers few barriers in terms of first-party interference. There are no licensing fees to pay, and thanks to a security hole discovered in 2000 that took advantage of Sega's MIL-CD format to bypass region and boot checks, the Dreamcast can in fact run region-free games that are self-bootable. This is arguably the main reason the Dreamcast homebrew scene has flourished, as it removes the reliance on a boot disc to bypass manufacturer restrictions.

Releasing your game on such an old system is undeniably a talking point. For small indie studios looking to boost interest around their games, a Dreamcast release will pretty much always be covered by blogs like Kotaku and Destructoid. Release costs are negligible in terms of manufacturing, as games can be released on regular CD-ROM rather than proprietary GD-ROMs or cartridges.

Who Releases Dreamcast Games?

There are a handful of publishers and developers (who mostly focus on classic systems) still supporting the platform. The field is split mostly down the middle between original Dreamcast releases, and developers releasing their games on various platforms, both old and new.

Bleemcast! — The Original Homebrew

No article about the rise of Dreamcast homebrew is complete without talking about the release that started it all. In the late 90s, a commercial PlayStation emulator called Bleem! popped up, allowing PC gamers to play PSX games on their computers with varying degrees of success. This did not please Sony, who took the company to court (which eventually forced them out of business) but not before the emulator saw a limited release on the Dreamcast.

Developers hoped that Bleemcast! could be used to run hundreds of PSX games on the Dreamcast, and intended to support around 100 games per disc to be sold as packs. There was even talk of a Bleemcast! controller being released (in addition to a conversion cable for existing Sony PlayStation controllers) as Sega's controller lacked L1 and R1 bumper buttons — but that never happened either.

In 2001, Bleemcast! finally released their emulator with support for three games — Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid and Tekken 3 — all of which ran at the upscaled resolution of 640x480, with added bilinear filtering and antialiasing. The Bleemcast! team's biggest achievement turned out to be a MIL-CD exploit that bypasses region locks and boot-checks. In essence, this gave the independent homebrew community the ability to produce commercial Dreamcast releases without having to go through Sega or use the system's proprietary GD-ROMs.

GOAT Store Publishing

Short for Games of All Types, GOAT Store Publishing (GSP) is the publishing arm of retro gaming retailers GOAT Store. Despite selling products for all sorts of system in their retail shop, GSP has only published Dreamcast titles to date.

In 2003 the company published Feet of Fury, a rhythm-action game that uses controllers, the Dreamcast keyboard, or dance mats (of course). The game is fairly barebones and focuses on simple versus gameplay, but is notable for being the first commercially-released homebrew title that wasn't an emulator.

The company followed it up with three releases in 2005: Inhabitants, a tile-clearing arcade puzzler for up to three people; Maqiupai, mahjong for the Dreamcast; and Cool Herders, a slightly odd multiplayer sheep-herding game that features both a multiplayer and single player campaign (the latter of which is set in New Zealand).

Their latest release is another puzzler in the form of IRiDES: Master of Blocks — think Tetris, except now you've got to match colors too. GSP currently have three upcoming titles: SLaVE, a first-person shooter described by developers as “what happens if Robotron 2084 and DOOM got together and had an illegitimate lovechild”; Hypertension: Harmony of Darkness, a “90s-inspired" first person shooter that’s long overdue; and another FPS called Scourge.

Hucast Games

An independent publisher based in Hannover, Germany that specialises in creating new games for older consoles. After numerous successes the company has branched out and now offers games on Steam among other platforms.

One of the most iconic commercial independent Dreamcast releases was DUX, released in 2009 (later refreshed as DUX 1.5 in 2013). It's a colorful side-scrolling shooter that seems right at home on Sega's console, and has since been re-released as Redux: Dark Matters on Steam. Hucast followed it up with a vertical-scrolling shooter in 2015 called Ghost Blade, notable for its vibrant 480p graphics which sought to push the Dreamcast to its absolute limit.

The company released two more games in 2015: a point-and-click adventure game called Elansar and Philia, which has full support for Sega's mouse accessory; and Alice's Mom's Rescue, a pixel-art 2D platformer with over 25 stages that's currently enjoying an 8/10 rating on Steam.

Hucast have officially announced Redux 2, so expect more flying/shooting/arcade action from them in the future.

NG.DEV.TEAM

Also based in Germany, NG.DEV.TEAM formed in 2001 with the aim of making 2D arcade-style games. The NG in their name stands for Neo Geo, and their Dreamcast releases consist of ports of existing games designed for SNK hardware.

Despite being published by RedSpotGames, the company's first Dreamcast release Last Hope was eventually patched up, and self-published in the form of Last Hope Pink Bullets. Last Hope is an arcade-style side-scrolling shoot 'em up that originally appeared on the Neo Geo in 2006. Reviewers noted that some enemy bullets were indistinguishable from in-game explosions, so the game was re-released in 2009 as Last Hope Pink Bullets with — you guessed it — pink bullets instead.

NG.DEV.TEAM followed this up with another Neo Geo shoot 'em up port called Fast Striker in 2010, which placed an emphasis on scoring rather than just survival. The game differs from Last Hope in that it relies more on reflexes and less on memorizing levels and bullet patterns. Continuing the arcade theme, run 'n gun shooter Gunlord was ported in 2012, a side-scroller that takes place within the same universe as Last Hope. It was well-received and sparked an Indiegogo campaign to bring the title to 3DS and Wii U, but the game never made it.

In 2014 the company released NEO XYX, a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up in the style of 19XX which received 8/10 review from Destructoid. The company has since released side-scrolling shooter RAZION for Neo Geo in 2014, and is currently working on another run 'n gun title called Kraut Buster (yes really) due for release in 2016, so it's possible both will see Dreamcast ports at some point.

RedSpotGames [No Longer Available]

Germany really loves the Dreamcast! RedSpotGames is another German publisher established with Dreamcast releases in mind, though the company has since branched out to more modern platforms. It's not clear as to whether they're still trading as they haven't updated their website since 2013 after shipping and pre-order blunders surrounding their last release.

The company's first Dreamcast release was a port of GP2X handheld title Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles. As the name may suggest, it's a puzzler that combines elements of both strategy and action, and it's also now free to download for Windows. This was swiftly followed up in 2009 with Rush Rush Rally Racing, an entertaining top-down racer in the style of Micro Machines. The game featured a frantic split-screen multiplayer experience, and after a positive reception from the classic gaming crowd it eventually saw a release on the Wii via WiiWare in 2012.

RedSpotGames' last release for the Dreamcast was Sturmwind, a game that began development in 1997 (shortly before the Dreamcast's release). It's another shoot 'em up, but it received particular praise for its use of a hybrid 2D/3D engine to provide a visual experience that's surprisingly crisp considering the age of the platform. To date it's an entirely original Dreamcast release.

Watermelon Co. (no longer available)

Established in 2004, Watermelon Co. currently only have one Dreamcast release, and that's only a port. Pier Solar and the Great Architects began life in 2004 as an original Genesis (or Mega Drive) JRPG, and finally saw a "HD" Dreamcast release last year. The game is already out on the Wii U, PS3 and PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

The publisher is currently overseeing development of Elysian Shadows, a so-called "next gen 2D RPG" which was funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign. The game should release on Dreamcast in 2016 alongside Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS versions.

The Rest

Dubbed the "rarest Dreamcast game ever" by SegaRetro, Frog Feast is a ridiculously simple game that saw release on the Dreamcast in 2007. There are also versions available for the Philips CD-i, Sega Mega Drive (Genesis), Mega CD and System C2 — but good luck finding them.

In 2015 Fruit'Y was released by developers Retroguru for the Dreamcast, alongside a ton of other obscure systems like Amiga OS 4, NetBSD, and as an unsigned PSP game. It's a puzzler in which you have to recreate fruit-based patterns, and you can download a version of your choice for free, or pay a few Euros for a physical copy.

The first Dreamcast release of 2016 was Leona's Tricky Adventures from KTX. It's a quaint adventure-puzzler which is similar to Fruit'Y in its pattern-based approach. You can also pick it up on Windows, with other platforms to follow.

There are even more Dreamcast games currently in development, among them: Age of the Beast, AMEBA [Broken URL Removed], Reblobed, Saviour and Alice Dreams Tournament.

Long Live The Dreamcast

As the Dreamcast ages, it seems that more and more games are released for it. The indie gaming scene is more crowded than ever before, so it makes sense that we'll see more developers making attempts to break the mold. If you want to follow the Dreamcast homebrew and indie scene, check out forums like Dreamcast-Scene and Dreamcast-Talk, and subscribe to r/Dreamcast on Reddit.

If you're looking to pick up an old Dreamcast yourself, eBay is probably your best bet though you may be lucky and find one in a thrift store or similar second-hand retailer. If you just want to play your old Dreamcast favorites, download an emulator for your PC.

To buy some of these indie games you'll need to check Play-Asia, GOAT Store or try buying direct from the publishers themselves.

Do you still have a working Sega Dreamcast?

Image credit: Sega Dreamcast (Evan-Amos)

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Wikipedia list article

Many games have been independently developed for the Dreamcast by independent developers. Most of these games were commercially released long after the end of the console's official life span in North America where production was ceased by end of 2001, although Sega of America still offered support and had some games scheduled for release (but was the division at Sega who released the fewest titles after 2002, pretty much limited to NFL 2K2 and other games in the 2K genre) and so games kept being released for quite some time still after first announcing the move to 3rd party development, unlike 1st party titles of other regions like Puyo Puyo Fever being released in 2004 in Japan and a select few more in Europe, seeing as the Dreamcast was launched approximately 1.5 years later in Europe compared to Japan and 13 months later than North America, thus the last region the console was released on 20 October 2000. Meanwhile, in Japan, the console was released in November 1998, lasting with official support and console sales as well as hardware peripherals and games both developed and published by studios at Sega of Japan, from 1998 through 2007, almost giving the 6th generation console 10 years of official support in the region.

In comparison, the Xbox 360 had already been launched when Sega still was publishing games for the Dreamcast (and other platforms) in Japan.

However, most of the time, the online Sega Direct store was the only place to find new consoles which had been produced recently, often with special color variations such as Black and other limited edition collector items, and after the last official released title published by Sega of Japan, Karous (2007) hit store shelves, indie developers poured the console with commercially available games from all over the world, often with very tight time frames between each release generally, making the console in some ways, matter again well into the 7th generation of consoles.

Consequently, these games are unlicensed by Sega, although completely legal if created with a development environment which is not licensed by Sega as the games are not published by Sega, which always is mentioned during the license boot screen if they are, but which can be modified in the disc's IP. BIN to state that the software is NOT. All of these independent releases makes Dreamcast's titles that is still receiving 9 new game titles by 2020 already announced, thus making it more common than most release schedules since 2001 in at least North America.^{[clarification needed][1][2]}

IGN reopened their Dreamcast section in 2006^{[3][circular reference]} as Sega was publishing games like Under Defeat in 2005.

The Dreamcast's unlicensed games are produced and printed on regular compact discs (CD) using the Mil-CD format created in-house by Sega, which is just a normal CD unlike its native games format, the GD-ROM, aimed at karaoke and interactive content on regular CDs in general. Unlike the GD-ROMs though, which can hold up to 1.2GB of data, a CD-ROM can hold around 50% of that, and it would not be legal to develop games on a proprietary storage medium without permission or a license, and so to release independent titles for the Dreamcast legally, even selling them at retailers,^[4][5] which is what differs most Dreamcast releases of today with 'homebrew' by definition, as the Dreamcast does not require modifications of any sort^[6] as opposed to consoles requiring mod chips or other user-made modifications using a proprietary piece of software and or hardware like the original Xbox and its sequel, the Xbox 360, and that the Dreamcast titles state during the boot-up of the game that it is not published nor licensed by Sega, which all modern releases for the Dreamcast as of 2020 since 2004 has been doing to be able to sell them at retailers. Josh Prod among a few of the most serious and active studios, publishing exceptionally many high-quality titles after buying the right to have them ported, often by the studio owning those right also developing or porting them, which will boot on any Dreamcast, only some consoles manufactured between up until 2007 where Sega removed the MIL-CD support from the BIOS; console manufacturing in Japan was restarted to meet demand although no official numbers exist, probably in limited or few print runs but either way was selling new consoles and hardware through all of 2007. However, removing the MIL-CD compatible code in the BIOS, which since has been dumped and is of version 1.022; the last one to have been found so far, prevents owners of these consoles from playing games released on CD-Roms. While the last officially Sega published game, titled Karous, was released on the 3rd of March in 2007, which also has seen an unofficially translated version (ie actual 'homebrew') was made and released online in 2019, while a lot more titles were consistently released in Japan up until that point. Trigger Heart Exelica was one of them, along with Under Defeat (2005), Puyo Puyo Fever (2004) to name a few. However, those owning a console with the latest BIOS version, does not have the ability to out of the box, but have to replace their GD-ROM drive with an optical drive emulator, solder in a new or additional BIOS ROM chip to have the ability to boot up a game released on CD-ROM, like the Arcade Racing Legend^[7] by Josh Prod which was released in 2020 after a Kickstarter campaign.

Releasing games on half the size of the native format, however, can be a problem, depending on the game. Copies of games from GDs through Dreamshell to an SD-card or through the official broadband adapter, subsequently burnt to a blank CD, will results, or rather, can result in having to remove content which is often the case to make them fit on standard CDs, which depending on region can even be a felony. Thus making the independently released titles for Dreamcast which can be bought at most retailers, different from homebrew in that a completely stock console, will most likely boot the game, as with Gameshark, Action Replay, CodeBreaker and Bleemcast to name a few. The Japanese consoles not supporting MIL-CD will often tell you (in Japanese) on one side of the outer box.

The reason for releasing games on CDs instead of the native format is mostly because the GD-ROM format is no longer marketed by Sega, thus difficult to get a hold of, nor did it ever have a commercially available blank counterpart and would have made independent titles such those published by IP owner and publishing studio known as JoshProd^[8] which is by far the company with most independent titles released so far[1].

Another reason is that there is actual copy protection in place which has yet to be defeated without using the rare 'System Disc 2' – a disc by Sega for developers that unlocks the protection, making it possible to boot games burnt on GD-R discs, the blank GD-ROM equivalent to blank CD-R discs.

Games are mostly released in standard CD or DVD jewel cases, or more recently, styled as a retail Dreamcast case depending on region (where Japan had what may look like a DVD case). The regional style of the cases is a purely cosmetic option, because all independent titles released on CD-ROM are region-free as Mil-CDs in general cannot be region locked, while GD-Rom-based games indeed are, requiring one of many commercially released boot discs like the GameShark, CodeBreaker and others, which enable all regions to boot. Problems may arise when using this method because of PAL games on games where no option of 60 Hz is available in most of all PAL games released, being the first console to support PAL60 video output^{[9][circular reference]} but which is implemented on a per-game basis as the Dreamcast itself does not contain an operating system, thus making games from regions other than PAL, which always run at 60 Hz, making the game not run at its intended full speed and may feature horizontal borders around the screen. The PS2 is notorious for not having many 60 Hz games in PAL regions.^{[10][circular reference]}

Most of the games currently in development and most of the many recently released, have all been developed using the open source and free SDK known as KallistiOS, or an equally legal alternative, providing about the same functionality as Sega's own SDK developers have claimed, stating the Dreamcast is very developer friendly,^[11] however, some claim good performance is easier to achieve in 3D with the officially SEGA SDK, although illegal without a license to even USE, let alone sell the games at retailers later, which makes it something directly illegal and may end in serious consequences, while also hindering a person If they should need support, as it is forbidden by law naturally few people use it when legal, free alternatives are available.

SEGA of Japan, regarding its much longer lasting audience and fanbase with a majorly prolonged time frame of enjoyment from their console as it lasted 6-9 years longer with new titles very regularly, while seeing a surge in popularity compared to earlier, saw the biggest majority of game releases as of after 2017 – the same year most of the online functions of the console was bought back Thanks to projects like the now finished project known as DCSERV but also the rather large community as a whole, inventing new methods of utilizing the modem to connect to the newly reverse engineered SegaNet replacement.^[12][13]way back to almost the beginning of the releases started coming, are almost exclusively of the English-only spoken type, making it hard for the Eastern audience. This also goes the other way, the difference being Japan saw far more officially Licensed releases.

However, Sega has recently teamed up with Retro-bit, to create Wireless controllers and more importantly, new controllers, for the Sega Dreamcast, the Sega Saturn and the Genesis kr Mega Drive, showcased at CES 2018.

All regions also prolonged the availability of the massively popular online pioneering game on a console, Sonic Team'sPhantasy Star Online, free of charge up until 2008, simply because fans demanded it, originally being closed in 2004.

The indie games are various – some have Genesis-style 16-bit graphics, whereas others look more like Dreamcast-era games. However, the SDKs allowed to use are not as optimized for the hardware as their Sega licensed counterparts. The 16-bit games usually have also been released as homebrew for the Neo Geo AES console, and others may also have had releases for PC, mobile, or as downloadable indie titles for newer consoles, like Flashback for both Nintendo Switch and Sega Dreamcast. The first commercial unlicensed games in 2001 were three emulated and enhanced PlayStation games developed by Bleemcast!.

But even before then, there were non-GD-ROM-based discs around in the form of CodeBreaker, GameShark, Action Replay CDX and the VCD player, which never was licensed either.

Unlike homebrew communities for other consoles, the Dreamcast development scene is organized in development teams, such as the now-defunct RedSpotGames.^[14] or HUCAST Games, most notably is perhaps Josh Prod^[15] but recently there became yet another one, RetroSurgeGames.^[16]

There has recently been an increasing number of games being developed, since Sega of Japan officially ended production of Dreamcast consoles, albeit limited to Japan, by the end of year 2007, posting a fiscal profit of 1748 million ¥,^{[17][circular reference]} and that was mostly because of "Consumer business".^[18]

And as of 2007, Dreamcast is still a popular and highly regarded console among many fans due to its impressive library of both mainstream and more offbeat titles, some claiming Sega was at its peak during the era, others claiming Sega did everything right but did not want to be in the hardware business, or at least not having the funds required to keep fighting the competition for much longer. It is, however, starting to gain a cult following, as the system is becoming harder to find. In fact, although Dreamcast was officially discontinued in January 2001, Sega continued to produce the console for a short time afterward due to rising demand in Japan, especially among collectors and hardcore fans.

In 2007, the same year Sega officially published the last official game for the Dreamcast, titled Karous; released in the spring, made a profit from Consumer hardware products, with a profit margin of over 1000 million Japanese Yen¥^[17]the PS2 – which on the contrary, needs modifications to run indie games or unlicensed code, which means making software for the PS2 actual homebrew, correct, while with the Dreamcast – does not require anything to be done to boot released games, thus making the phrase homebrew, incorrect according to dictionaries as well as the underlying meaning of the word, implying at least somewhat the implication of illegal activities.^[6][14]

So the restart of console and hardware production although at very limited runs^[11]at least made profit at one point, that is, in the year of 2007, when Sega made over 1000 million ¥ in profit^[19][14] and has now partnered with Retro-bit to create new wireless controllers as well as new, cabled ones, already in store shelves as of March 2020, while its whole library of online games brought back thanks to the Dcserv-project probably also had an impact, as few other consoles have had the same happen.^[20][21][22]

Nevertheless, the games for Dreamcast in store shelves as of today and the years after 2007–2008 – 2020 are far from 'homebrew' and what has been released since 2007 are nothing more or less than indie productions from smaller sized studios for other platforms and are often multi-platform releases by serious companies.^[23]

While in North America, production ended already by the year 2001, shipments of consoles to Europe however, continued well into 2003 and even 2004. Nearly half of the list of more than 60 titles are games released since 2015.^[19] 2017 had the highest number of new Dreamcast releases since 2004 in Japan.^[24]

List[edit]

Released titles[edit]

Announced titles[edit]

Abandoned projects[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

The year 2021 is set to be the biggest - by some way - year for indie releases in the systems history though. There is a quite staggering number of titles on their way - more than 30 by some counts - and a fairly large number of those will be in our hands sooner, rather than later. Whilst most of you will have already backed the titles you've seen, there's a good chance some may have slipped you by, or maybe you've just not been aware of the tremendous indie barrage about to assault the console. Fear not, for we're hopefully going to set that straight today.

Before we list all the indie titles on their way, we want to make a couple of observations. This list only includes titles that are set for a physical release. That will preclude some of the homebrew software being developed, and of course won't touch on any ports being developed. We're also not going to include anything which is *only* based on rumours. As you can imagine, we have heard several of these! Furthermore, expect some *big* announcements of titles in the coming months - we can't say anything about them at the moment (we're such teases), but this article will be updated as new titles are announced!

On with the list!

Alice Sisters

Published by JoshProd - set for release early 2021

The first of numerous JoshProd titles in this list, Alice Sisters is a follow up to previous indie platformer Alice's Mom's Rescue, a quite charming little game from prolific previous indie developer Orion. Like the original, this appears to be a 2D platformer, but with the interesting addition of co-op mechanics. Each player guides one of the sisters (or a single player can switch between them) through a promised 28 stages, each using different abilities to combat the games puzzles. 4 game modes are also promised, and screenshots show a charming, colourful world, very much in the style of Orion's previous titles.

A DC release was hinted at in the summer of 2019, but little was revealed for this cross-platform release (a Steam and Mega Drive/Genesis release are also on the cards), but the trailer dropped by JoshProd in February 2021 has the game running and looking as charmingly fun as I hoped it would. I'm looking forward to this one, a proven developer, a genre we've not seen much of, and an intriguing co-op mode which could be very enjoyable indeed.

You can pre-order the PAL version here, the US version here and the Japanese version here.

You can also download the PC version of the game from Orion's itch.io page here.

Andro Dunos 

Published by JoshProd - set for release September 2021

Whilst Pixelheart / JoshProd made a big deal about the release of a brand new sequel, going as far as presenting a special event on Youtube for it's launch, the pending release of the original Andro Dunos went a little under the radar. It's perhaps not surprising though that this early 90's horizontal shooter is making it's way to the Dreamcast. It'd been rumoured for months, the acquisition of Visco's library by the publishers made it an obvious choice, and for many DC players, they've been enjoying the game via emulation for some time anyway. A decent, colourful example of the genre, it's become a minor cult favourite with some fans, and certainly won't be out of place in the plentiful supply of indie shooters the system is home too. There are possibly a few issues regarding how the emulation (presuming it will be played via emulation, like other Neo Geo ports from JoshProd) will work, and it's own sequel is now taking much of the attention away from this release, but it's a welcome addition to the library.

You can pre-order the PAL version here, the US version here and the Japanese version here.

Andro Dunos II

Published by JoshProd - set for release September 2021

JoshProd's continued independent output is staggering. As well as bringing us 6 new games and a compilation in 2021 as part of the 5th wave of releases, they also announced this – a sequel to Visco's popular horizontal shooter Andro Dunos (which is also set for a Dreamcast release), developed by Japanese indie developers Picorinne Soft (who also developed previous indie title Battle Crust). Announced in a YouTube launch spectacle, this multi-platform release is possibly the publishers most impressive 2D title to date, and comes off the announcement that they've now acquired the full rights to the Visco library. Whilst this means old Visco titles will no doubt also be on their way, this is somewhat different – a brand new title. Boasting impressive detailed sprite work, a killer soundtrack by Allister Brimble, and the usual high quality production and artwork that JoshProd are known for, it's sure to make an impression. The game is set to follow JoshProd's usual packaging format – PAL case, reversible US and Japanese CD case, as well as a limited edition 'Space Songs' version with OST.

You can pre-order the standard PAL version here, the US version here and the Japanese version here. The Space Songs editions can be pre-ordered here (PAL), here (Japanese) and here (US).

Astro Port Collector

Published by JoshProd - set for release early 2021

As part of their 5th wave of releases, JoshProd announced an Astro Port Collector release, including 4 Astro Port titles - Satazius Next and Wolflame, both also seeing standalone releases, alongside 2 titles that are only available, it seems, as part of this collection - Gigantic Army and Zangeki Warp. 

The contents of this set is listed as being a 4-fold digipack DVD case, so it'll certainly look different than other JoshProd releases. Of course, the most intriguing element are the two titles only available in this set, so let's take a little look at these (for information about Satazius Next and Wolflame, see their entries in this list).

Gigantic Army is a side scrolling platform shooter, a gentle homage to the genre's 90's glories, and a game which was released originally on the PC a decade ago, before seeing a standalone release on the Switch in 2019. It's original release saw a decent response, and fans of of this type of game will certainly get something out of it. There's detailed 2D sprites in a style I've come to expect of these Astro port games, and lots of gratuitous violence with some striking bosses, all making for quite the exciting prospect.

Zangeki Warp is a more recent Astro Port title, coming out in 2015, and another Horizontal shooter from the developers. The original version of this article depicted it as a game very much in the style of R-Type or Gradius - but it's now clear that's doing the game a disservice. The game's title points towards the use of a 'Warp', which appears to allow you to warp across the screen, leaving destruction in your path when you do. Video footage of the very impressive, screen filling enemies being taken down by a warp slice, exploding in a shower of blood and guts, is one of the more impressive things I've seen from any DC indie title. With this unique style, great visuals and a solid performance in the frame rate department, this looks to be another very exciting prospect for the console. 

At the moment, neither of these titles is set for a standalone release, although JoshProd have hinted that may be a possibility in the future. Both of the games exclusive to this set are amongst the most exciting, and technically impressive, games of this wave of releases, but at the moment they are only obtainable as part of the collection - which at €99,90 is not the most affordable of options. Saying that, it places each title at just €25, which is good value, but we'd of loved the option of individual releases for those who don't want every title. 

After now seeing both Zangeki Warp and Gigantic Army running, the Astro Port collector package, limited as it is to 2,000 copies, seems like it may very well be a decent value collection of games - including some of the most exciting new indie game prospects for the Dreamcast.

You can pre-order this collection (there's only the one version) here. 

Elysian Shadows

Published by Watermelon (previously announced to be the case, unclear what the publication status would be now) - unknown release date

This multi-platform RPG will be familiar to anyone with more than a passing interest in the Dreamcast indie scene, and despite some serious delays, it's still one of the more anticipated future releases. Through the 'Adventures in Game Development' series, a successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2014 and some widespread press coverage, Elysian Shadows gathered some considerable hype, and technically, the game looks mightily impressive. 2D and 3D RPG elements, dynamic audio, fancy physics and graphical effects, weather, VMU mini games – the list of features goes on. 

Sadly, those aforementioned delays seem to continue, and with periods of silence from the once talkative developers, the current release date for the game seems to be in limbo. If it does get a release – as unlikely as that now seems - it could still end up being one of the hottest indie releases for the console, but patience is starting to wane by the Dreamcast faithful now.  

We've covered the game numerous times over the years, including here with a developer interview from Tom. 

Flight of the Amazon Queen

Published by Retro Surge Games - possible 2021 release?

Initially released in 1995, Flight of the Amazon Queen was a point and click adventure game released in the golden age of the genre, and one that received a fairly positive reaction at the time. Retro Surge games, the new Dreamcast indie publisher, announced that this 25^th anniversary edition was due in 2020. Presumably containing much of the extras that the 20^th anniversary edition for mobile devices added, it would be another classic title added to the 'official' indie catalogue. Of course, seeing as the original version was made available for free some years ago, and works well in ScummVM, many DC owners may have already experienced it – but any opportunity to buy an authorised version is always good (especially when done right). 

Although things have gone a little quiet, and the game didn't materialise for it's late 2020 scheduled release date (with only vague hints appearing since - although the delay can be somewhat excused by the global pandemic that swept the world), Retro Surge's website now shows a Spring 2021 release and 'pre orders opening soon'. Hopefully we won't have to wait long for this one, as the point and click genre is a under-represented one on the console, and ScummVM has shown that many games work extremely well on the platform. 

Retro Surge games website (where hopefully pre-orders will be going live soon) can be found here.

Ghoul Grind: Night of the Necromancer

Published by Woog Worx - due October 2021

The 2021 indie scene seems to have a fair few NES games making their way onto the Dreamcast - we had the excellent Flea! last year, with it's sequel Tapeworm Disco Puzzle due later in 2021, as well as Reknum: Fantasy of Dreams on it's way - and that trend seems to be continuing with the upcoming release of Ghoul Grind: Night of the Necromancer. Currently in the last few days of it's Kickstarter campaign, this auto scrolling, action platforming, horror themed title has smashed it's own funding goals, so it's NES cartridge release is all set, and fantastically (for us Dreamcast devotees at least) their stretch goal has also been met, which means a physical release for us as well! 

Fans of 8-bit horror aesthetics are sure to be delighted with the cute halloween inspired graphics, and the game looks to be a fun addition to the library. At the moment the DC version is only available when backing a NES cartridge teir, but the developers have stated they may sell them individually at a later date. Not everyone is going to be super excited by an 8-bit title on the DC, and certainly it doesn't match some of the technical feats of other in development indie titles, but gameplay is the real litmus test for any game, and this looks like a fun one. 

The games Kickstarter campaign page can be found here, but it ends mere hours after this article goes live. Woog Worx have a website available here too, and a demo of the NES game can be downloaded here. 

Intrepid Izzy

Published by Senile Team - 2021 release

There's 2 reasons why you should be excited for this successfully funded Kickstarter game. First, it's blend of 2D platforming adventure with 16-bit beat em up style action, seems to be the perfect retro-themed mix, and looks absolutely gorgeous in the screenshots (and demo) that have been released. Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, it's being developed by Senile Team. Few indie developers have a track record as strong as this Dutch team, what with the highly praised Rush Rush Rally and always popular Beats of Rage engine, so for a change, this is one work in progress where there's absolutely no doubting the end quality. It looks and sounds fantastic, so there's no reason it shouldn't play fantastic too. 

Whilst it's been delayed a fair bit, the PC version is already out (and has been well received) and the Dreamcast version is progressing rapidly, with a recent update from the team (no one can fault Senile Team's superb regular updates) announcing that mastering of discs could be happening very soon indeed. Not long to wait for this one, and we think it's going to be a rather special one when it arrives.

We've covered this one at the yard many times before, such as this preview some years ago from Tom. The game has a website here and the original Kickstarter campaign page can be found here. 

Midsummer

Published by Duranik - unknown release date

Little is known about Duranik's next DC project, aside from a brief video released in 2019, showing a game with strong Shinobi vibes. Not only is this ninja theme intriguing, the visuals in the video were better even than Sturmwind – Duranik's first, much heralded, Dreamcast release. Despite scant information, an 'it's done when it's done' philosophy, and crowd funding being ruled out by the developers, Midsummer remains one of the most hotly anticipated titles in development, being made by a developer who have already proved their ability. It may still be some way off though. 

No news on any sort of pre-order as of yet, but Duranik's website can be found here. 

Mortadelo y Filemón: El sulfato atómico

Published by Erbe games - due for a late 2021 release

A port of a 1998 PC point and click adventure title, itself based on a 1969 comic for the Mort and Phil characters, Mortadelo y Filemón: El sulfato atómico is the second Spanish adventure title Kickstarted by Erbe software. With a very small target, which was met quickly, it's certainly got more attention than their earlier release (Dráscula, the review of which can be found here) – but I remain unconvinced as to whether this one will be produced any better than Dráscula was. The lack of quality on the packaging, and emulation, fronts for their first release makes it a questionable 'legitimate indie release', but we could be surprised. Notable also for entirely being in Spanish, with the higher level of attention this one has received through the kickstarter, we may be surprised with a high qualiy project yet, and who knows, possibly even an English language version?

We covered the launch of the campaign here, and you can go and support the ongoing funding campaign here.  

Okinawa Rush

Published by JoshProd - unknown release date (possibly 2022?)

Rich in Japanese mythology and martial arts lore, this is 16-bit style loving, bad guy beating, side scrolling heaven. Fans of 90's style platforming-beat em up action will be delighted by this high quality indie release, featuring some finely detailed artwork – but if it'll ever come to the Dreamcast now, we're not sure. The developers certainly expressed an interest (and it's listed on the games website), and with JoshProd now on board for publishing it seems likely – at least, once the current gen releases are done. It was teased as part of the third wave of JoshProd Dreamcast releases (on the original graphics advertising the forthcoming titles), but was mysteriously notable for it's absence in the final set. 

We have to assume that this will make it's way over to the Dreamcast at some point, but this may still be some time away. 

The game has a website here, and is well worth a visit to support the game, whether or not we ever receive a Dreamcast version.

Reknum Souls & Ploid

Published by Nape games - due for a late 2021 release

This cute retro styled 2D platform-adventure passed me by when it's campaign was live on Kickstarter. A multi-system release, it promises an old school, anime-style title with inspiration from classics such as Mega Man and Zelda. The Dreamcast release is a port of the NES version (there are actually 3 different versions – Mega Drive, Switch and NES, each with different titles, which did cause some confusion as to whether the DC was receiving 'Fantasy of Dreams' or 'Souls' (the NES release), but Nape games confirmed in an update on Kickstarter that it would be the latter), and whilst it's retro charm may be lost on some, I'm quite happy to see titles like this come to the system. 

Better still, it looks as though another NES platformer from Nape Games, Ploid, that saw a Kickstarter in 2020 as well, is also getting a physical release as a Dreamcast port – although at the moment it seems you can only get that when buying Reknum. Still - two new Dreamcast games is nothing to be sniffed at, and both are sure to be graciously received by those that enjoy 8-bit aesthetics and gameplay.

You can check out the games Kickstarter page here and you can possibly still purchase the Dreamcast versions of the games here.

Rocketron

Published by JoshProd - due for an early 2021 release

A return to the Astro Port library, a back catalogue that has already delivered us Armed Seven, and which much of the 5th wave of JoshProd releases seems to be made up from, Rocketron is a little different, in that it's a relatively new title (releasing on Steam in 2020) and it's not quite the traditional shooter type game that Astro Port are more famous for. Bearing a few similarities with Bangai-O, this is a side scrolling action shooter where you control your cybernetic humanoid through several stages, face off against screen size bosses and get to play with quite the arsenal of weapons. 

You can pre-order the PAL version here, the US version here and the Japanese version here.

Satazius Next

Published by JoshProd - due for an early 2021 release

Satazius Next is an intriguing game for many reasons. First released on Steam back in 2011, Satazius built up a small but rather strong fan-base, its horizontal shooting action recalling the Gradius series, and receiving a very positive response. This 'Next' version promised a completely reworked game, and found it's way onto Pixelheart's Shmup collections for both Switch and the Wii U - again, receiving a good response from reviewers. Solid shooting action, colourful graphics and a well designed weapons upgrading system all sound very good indeed. 

To be fair, the game is available with two other titles on the Switch for a lower price, with the PC version selling for under £5. We've never been shy about bemoaning the high cost of indie titles, and it's difficult to ignore it here, but it is hard not to be impressed by a well received modern generation console title coming to the Dreamcast. Other 5th wave releases from JoshProd are perhaps more exciting, but this looks to be another solid entry into the indie shooter library. 

You can pre-order the PAL version here, the US version here and the Japanese version here.

Shadow Gangs

Published by JKM Corp. - possibly due for a 2021/2022 release

Another game which has seen a successful launch on modern generation platforms, Shadow Gangs takes a healthy level of inspiration from Shinobi in it's pursuit of retro styled, 2D beat em up platforming. Boasting some lovingly detailed, colourful visuals, a thumping soundtrack and all the shuriken throwing action you'd expect, it's also quite possibly heading the way of Sega's 128-bit console. Although originally not scheduled for a release on the console, it seems the developer has warmed to the idea of releasing it on the platform, and it's still, tentatively, scheduled to come our way at some point. At the present time, the current generation seems to be the priority, not surprisingly, and Dreamcast footage seems to be absent, but the fact that a Dreamcast port is still being talked about bodes well.

There's been a long running thread on the always informative Dreamcast-talk forums here, which discusses much about the game and the developers plans.

Slave

Published by Goat Store - release date unknown, but potentially 2021

Announced some years ago to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Dreamcast, Slave is another indie product with a tumultuous history that has suffered long, long delays. Now more likely to be a tie in with the 25th anniversary, Jay Townsend and Isotope softworks retro- futuristic themed FPS, which wowed with it's early videos, could still be a defining moment. It looks unique, throwing a ton of action the way of the player, and is much as a homage to early arcade play as it is to the FPS genre. 

Updates have been a bit thin on the ground the few years, other than the occasional announcement of a 'bug' or 'issue', which has irked some due to the game 'being nearly finished' for some time. GOAT store, however, are still saying that the game will emerge - one day - and if it does, as unlikely as that may now seem, it's still got the potential to turn some heads. We have been waiting an awfully long time though.

We've covered the game numerous times on the DCJY (here, here, and here as well) and if the game does ever emerge, GOAT store would be the place to go - you can find them here. 

Summoning Signals

Published by Retro Surge Games - possible 2021 release

From some of the same team that was working on Reaperi Cycle, Summoning Signals is a title that matches some of that games 'oddness' – primarily through it not being your usual sort of DC indie title, but also due to a, presumably intentional, air of mystery around the game. Not much is known about it, despite no less than 2 demos already, but with inspiration from games such as L.O.L., E.G.G and Seaman, you can probably envisage that this won't be your average release. 

A point and click interface, cool looking 'photogrammetry' style and an abstract, mystery / sci-fi theme, it's looking rather special. A release had been listed for late 2020 from Retro Surge Games, but this seems to have pushed back to late 2021 at the moment.

We've covered the demo on the Junkyard here. The game's website is here. 

Super Nutmeg

Possibly published by DragonBox - possible 2021 release

Retroguru are known for various homebrew projects on multiple platforms, including on the Dreamcast. Super Nutmeg, an update to a browser game, is their latest project, with a DC version currently sat at version 0.8. They've a history of occasionally releasing games in a physical format, and back in 2018 they did say DragonBox publishers would be dealing with a physical release of this title, so there's a chance we may see this colourful little platformer with a killer chiptune soundtrack, and classic old school mechanics, make its way onto a pressed disc in the future. 

You can download the Dreamcast CDI image of the current version here.

Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser

Published by JoshProd - due for an early 2021 release

Another Astro Port title announced as part of the 5th wave of JoshProd releases, Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser is a now 13 year old title, first seeing life on the PC back in 2007, and the oldest Astro Port game yet to see it's way to the DC (a year older than Armed Seven). Taking a massive dose of inspiration from 70's Japanese animation, it's a brightly coloured, horizontal shooter for fans of the sort of so-cheesy-it's-good, massive combining robots style of Saturday morning cartoons. It met with a generally positive response upon release, and for it's 2015 Steam release, although hardcore shooting fans do point out the rather naive nature of the game. 

The game is set to release with 3 gloriously different cover art variations, and with JoshProd's usual high quality production values. Whilst it probably won't quite reach the levels of past DC indie hits such as Sturmwind, it's certainly a nice little addition to the library, and footage of the game shows it running without any issues.

You can pre-order the PAL version here, the US version here and the Japanese version here.

Tapeworm Disco Puzzle

Published by Lowtek games - set for a late 2021 release

A spin off/sequel to Flea!, Tapeworm Disco Puzzle stars a nightclub owning tapeworm in an 8-bit puzzle game, inspired by titles such as Snake. And if that's not just one of the finest descriptions of a game ever, I don't know what is. Successfully Kickstarted, it'll appear on the Dreamcast by the end of 2021, and if it's half as charming as it's predecessor (the lovely 8-bit Flea!, which I covered here), it'll be a welcome addition. 

8 bit visuals, simple gameplay with clever puzzles, and cute characters abound. A demo is already up on the games itch.io site, and it's rather entertaining! One to look out for.

The games Kickstarter campaign page can be found here, and you can play the demo in your browser here. You can't purchase the game yet, but if it's anything like Flea!, you'll be able to buy from Lowtek Games Etsy page here when finalised. Grab yourself a copy of Flea whilst you're there!

The Textorcist

Published by Gamefairy - set for an April 2021 release

Sometimes an Indie game comes along that we weren't expecting, and it's fair to say The Textorcist was one of those. Originally released on Steam back in a pre-pandemic world of 2019, Tom summed up the game in his article on it's release perfectly - a top down RPG, bullet hell shmup and typing tutor ala Typing of the Dead, all rolled into one demonic whole. If that description alone doesn't warrant an instant buy, I don't know what will.

It's PC release was received positively, and the game will see you take the role of Ray Bibbia as he faces off against all manners of evil, a bible in hand and the odd Latin prayer thrown in for maximum blashphemous effect. Typing of the Dead is one of my all time favourite titles, and as a big horror nerd as well, The Textorcist seems tailor made for me, although for those without a Dreamcast keyboard, use of the controller is also possible. The trailer for the game looks superb, boasting great, detailed visuals, and as a concept it's certainly the most intriguing we've seen in the DC indie scene so far. 

There are two versions available on Gamefairy - the limited edition is limited to 666 (nice) copies, and comes with a sleeve and OST (you can find this here). There's also a standard version available for a little less (here). You can read Tom's article on the game here. 

Tough Guy

Published by JoshProd - set for release early in 2021

Although most of the next wave of JoshProd releases appear to be of the shooting variety, Panda Entertainment's Tough Guy is most certainly not. If it's not a game you're familiar with, you're forgiven - originally coming out in 1995 on PC, it's a fighting game which... let's be generous and say 'respectfully takes inspiration from'... Street Fighter II, developed and released by Panda Entertainment, a Taiwanese developer that is also known for Sango Fighter, a Chinese Three Kingdoms fighter, released on PC's and the Super A'can. If you know Street Fighter, you know what awaits you in this title - a globe spanning cast of fighters, interesting worldwide stages and some combo-based fighting action. It has a couple of unique features - most prominently the ability to regenerate your fighters health - and does what it sets out to do without much fuss. An updated version of the title was released for PC, for free, in fact, in 2019 by Super Fighter Team, who bought the rights to the developers back catalogue, and you can download it here to give it a try. 

The last indie fighter - or more correctly, JoshProd's release of the 90's Visco fighter Breakers - was criticised by many, but was enjoyable enough, and we hope the same can be said of Tough Guy. The game appears to run quite well in the 2021 trailer, but as always with fighters, even small drops in performance will be a potential problem. 

You can pre-order the PAL version here, the US version here and the Japanese version here.

Unnamed JoshProd product

Published by JoshProd - possible 2021 release?

In early February 2021, JoshProd dropped a teaser trailer of their upcoming games for 2021. 8 of these were known, and are covered in this article – 2, however, were new to me. The first is this as of yet untitled beat em up, seemingly in the style of Streets of Rage, which boasted some neat animation and colourful, detailed 2D sprites. The main character appears to be Tia Langray, a character from the previously ported Breakers (and it's sequel, Breakers Revenge), but unlike that game's Neo Geo origins, this appears to be a brand new title. It's possibly in co-development with a Saturn version (JoshProd hinted that the character would appear in a Saturn title), but regardless, it's a pretty exciting development, a genre that we'd gratefully receive, and looks to be a pretty stylish game as well. Hopefully, this will be a late 2021 hit.

Verdict Guilty

Published by JoshProd - set for a possible 2021 release

The second game teased in the JoshProd 2021 games trailer, after the above title, was this completely unexpected port of a 2016 2d fighter from Retro Army (who also developed Super Trench Attack, a game ported by JoshProd to the Switch). Set in Neo Seoul, the city has become overrun with terrorists and criminals, and it's up to various branches of law enforcement to deal with them. Boasting some neat 2D artwork, an intriguing mix of characters, and the promise of 'gun based fights', this has the potential to be a rather intriguing addition to the library. No news as of yet on this release, and with JoshProd now having a very hefty amount of titles presumably on their way to us, we're not sure exactly when this will appear. 

Wolflame

Published by JoshProd - due for release early 2021

The final game of the next wave of JoshProd titles is another Astro Port title - Wolflame. This vertical shooter, familiar to anyone who has ever played a Toaplan title, it a bullet drenched blast-fest which has received a very positive response on Steam since it's release. It also made it's way onto the Switch shooter collection from Pixelheart, so it's again really quite impressive that it sees it's way onto the Dreamcast. Whilst we're not lacking in quality horizontal shmups, it's also not a genre that we'd turn our nose up at. Footage of the game running shows a considerably increased performance than an earlier version we played, which is fantastic news.

Whilst other options to play this title may be cheaper, we've no problem paying a premium for a strong entry in this genre, and if Wolflame can produce the goods, we'll be very happy indeed.

You can pre-order the PAL version here, the US version here and the Japanese version here.

The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that the above list of games doesn't account for the '30 upcoming indie titles' that we've been talking about on social media. There's two reasons for that. First, there's titles we can't yet discuss, some of which have been rumoured about a lot, and others not so much. We're not going to break any confidentiality by talking about them here - suffice to say, there's at least 5 more to add to the above that should be announced within the next few months. You can come back and call us liars if that doesn't turn out to be true - but we're pretty satisfied that it will be.

There's also several games that are, at the moment at least, in various stages of 'development hell'. It's a grand way of saying 'on the back burner' in many cases, or simply that the developers have gone quiet recently, but whilst all of these could possibly see a release one day, at the moment, that's possibly quite unlikely. 

40 Winks

40 Winks appeared on Kickstarter in 2018, and was successfully funded for a N64 release. Originally appearing on the PS1, it was a mildly entertaining, colourful 3D platformer, and clearly the prospect of a new N64 cartridge making an appearance (many years after it was originally canned) gathered some serious support, as the title breezed through it's original funding goals. The interesting thing for Dreamcast owners, is that Piko Interactive included a stretch goal for a DC version, one which would use the FMV from the PS1 title and the N64's Co-op mode. Sadly, the stretch goal wasn't met, but there's been murmurings about a potential DC funding project in the future, and with Piko having some pedigree when it comes to releasing retro releases, the possibility of playing this on Sega's machine can't be dismissed. 

The game's original Kickstarter campaign can be found here, and we looked at the title in an article some time ago, here. 

Ameba

The team at Retro Sumus announced this 'western visual novel' some years ago, but it seems to have been put somewhat on the back burner whilst work continued with Xenocider. The prospect of playing an entry in the ubiquitous genre on the DC, without having to use a translation guide to do so, is very appealing, and it's detective-noir feel has some similarities to the Missing Parts series. Sadly, as mentioned, Retro Sumus have seemingly paused work on the game indefinitely, but with Xenocider now released, there's always a possibility we'll still get to see this at some point in the future.

We covered the announcement of this one some years ago (here).

Hypertension: Harmony of Darkness

Seemingly in development forever, Hypertension is another indie release that seems to have stalled in progress quite significantly in recent years. It's promise of bringing a classic FPS experience to the DC, with healthy inspiration from the likes of Blood and Duke Nukem 3D, and with plenty of blood, gore and violence, is still an appetising prospect. Videos of in game footage have come and gone, and things have been worryingly quiet at times. New shots emerged in mid 2018, but it's all gone quiet since, leading to most now believing this is a dead project. I'm ever an optimist though, and if it does ever get a release, and fulfils even half of it's promise, it'll be met with an enthusiastic response.

We've looked at developments on the game several times, including here - back in 2009! 

Reaperi Cycle

This intriguing isometric RPG-puzzle game saw a short demo ('The Hideout demo') released in 2020, which was very enjoyable. Running on an impressive engine, it was a rather cerebral experience that certainly made me, for one, want to see what else was in store. Unfortunately, the project is now on hiatus as some of the team are working on Summoning Signals, another indie development, but it would be a crying shame if we didn't see what else this has to offer in the future. 

We've covered the demo of the game here. 

Tanglewood

After an incredibly successful release of the game on the Mega Drive, and appearing on an Evercade cart alongside another acclaimed DC indie Xeno Crisis, the prospect that we may finally get a port of this Disney inspired platformer is high. Whilst it missed it's original DC stretch target on Kickstarter by just over £100, the games creator was always open to one day seeing this make the leap – and as far as I know, that's still a possibility. The beautiful 16-bit animation and charming inhabitants of the world would be a welcome addition, although nothing has been announced still.

We've covered the game a few times before (here, for instance!)

Tristam Island

It's slightly unfair lumping Tristam Island in with games that possibly won't get a release, as this is a fully working title, available to purchase for download right now from here. A classic style text adventure, this sees you as a survivor of a plane crash, having to explore the many mysteries of the island you wash up on. I'm a big fan of text adventures, and whilst I won't spoil too much (as a review of this game is on the way), this is a rather good example from Hugo Labrande. There is possible talk of a physical version for the game, although there's little information about it, and with a multi-platform approach to the game, how much of a priority a physical DC version would have, I'm not sure. Worth keeping an eye on though. 

And it doesn't end there. We have the incredible Simulant engine in development by Luke Benstead (read about that here), which promises some amazing things in future. We have Rizzo Island in development (follow along with the progress on that here), and several other projects at various stages of early work.

All in all, we have a huge amount to look forward to on the Dreamcast in the next couple of years, and these titles may just be the tip of the iceberg. We will of course continue following and reporting on every new release for the console, here at the Junkyard, and we're excited to see what lies ahead!

Did we miss something? Get something horribly wrong? Are you now screaming at the screen in a fit of rage that we said something inaccurate? Leave us a comment if so, and don't forget to follow us on social media. Oh, and probably best to calm down too - it's only video games, right?

There seems to be a string of recent stories, where new stocks of Dreamcast games and accessories are appearing out of nowhere. Last month, we reported on a video game boutique uncovering a lost shipment of Dreamcast controllers in their warehouse.

Today, Dreamcast Junkyard reported more awesome news for fans of SEGA’s final console. In their latest tweet, they report video game producer Josh Prod and European publisher PixelHeart are selling brand new and sealed PAL copies of MSR tomorrow (Friday).

We’re curious what other games they’ll have in store. Let us know what you think in the comments below!

ESRB / ELSPA /
CERO rating