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Ah, the smell of gunpowder in the air. We’re talking gunpowder in the most metaphorical sense, with the cannons and guns being these classic, 16-bit mini consoles. There’s the upcoming Sega Mega Drive / Genesis Mini, then the Capcom Home Arcade, and lastly Konami’s TurboGrafx-16 Mini, all of which are gearing up for war.
First announced at E3 2019, the throwback system is the last of the trifecta to welcome the retro renaissance, with a newly-announced March 19, 2020 launch date. It will include about 50 titles that range from popular fan favourites to Japanese exclusives, and is set to arrive in three versions. Where the US is privy to the original TurboGrafx design above, Japan will receive the PC Engine-modelled build, while Europe’s iteration borrows the revised style of CoreGrafx.
Konami has confirmed that the sale of its TurboGrafx-16 Mini will be made exclusively on Amazon, with pre-orders going live on July 15, 2019 – just in time for Amazon Prime Day deals. A price has yet to be announced for the US model, though the Japanese version will retail at 10,500 yen.
Despite the differences in build design, all three systems are tailored to boast a similar game library, which totals up to 24 localised titles and 26 Japanese ones.
The full game list for the TurboGrafx-16 Mini is as follows:
American Titles
- Air Zonk
- Alien Crush
- Blazing Lazers
- Bomberman ‘93
- Bonk’s Revenge
- Cadash
- Chew-Man-Fu
- Dungeon Explorer
- J.J. & Jeff
- Lords Of Thunder
- Military Madness (Nectaris)
- Moto Roader
- Neutopia
- Neutopia II
- New Adventure Island
- Ninja Spirit
- Parasol Stars
- Power Golf
- Psychosis
- R-Type
- Soldier Blade
- Space Harrier
- Victory Run
- Ys Book I&II
Japanese PC Engine Games
- Akumajō Dracula X Chi No Rondo (Castlevania: Rondo Of Blood)
- Aldynes (SuperGrafx game)
- Appare! Gateball
- Bomberman ‘94
- Bomberman Panic Bomber
- Chō Aniki
- Daimakaimura (Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts – SuperGrafx game)
- Dungeon Explorer
- Fantasy Zone
- Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire
- Gradius (Nemesis)
- Gradius II – Gofer No Yabō (Nemesis II)
- Jaseiken Necromancer
- Nectaris (Military Madness)
- Neutopia
- Neutopia II
- Ninja Ryūkenden (Ninja Gaiden)
- PC-Genjin (Bonk)
- Salamander
- Snatcher
- Star Parodier (Fantasy Star Soldier)
- Super Darius
- Super Momotarō Dentetsu II
- Super Star Soldier
- The Kung Fu (China Warrior)
- Ys I&II
Now, that’s one whole list of games to look forward to. Sure, there’s a little overlap between the two line-ups, but the inclusion of CD-ROM titles and extremely rare members should make for a rich, apt retro gaming experience.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
