We’re stoked to announce a true concealed jewel in the precious stone department of video games. Together with our good friends at Mebius and original dev Starfish SD, we’re pleased to let you know that Snow Battle Princess Sayuki will finally be available as physical forever-copies on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch! Pretty neat!
Instead of scrapping the whole game when facing licensing issues, developer Starfish took their hard work and transformed the Pocky & Rocky exterior and narrative into Snow Battle Princess Sayuki. Combining the cuteness of Cute ’em Ups and the intense action of isometric fast-paced scrolling shooters, the game turned out to be a true fan-favorite within a small but passionate following. Being previously known as both Heavenly Guardian and Legend of Sayuki in the West, the current iteration will be a SLG worldwide physical first (and exclusive).
Taking place in a typical Japanese story-setting, you mantle the role as adorable Snow Princess Sayuki in her quest to save her love interest (whom she happens to be quite obsessed about). The poor guy has seemingly gotten really ill from a terrible curse and it’s now up to you to find the ingredients to create a cure and save the day, fighting yokai monsters as you go! Helping out in single player mode firing ice-projectiles at your enemies, you’ll have your trusty snow-bunny Toto at your side.
Playing the game in 2-player couch co-op mode will change the story quite a bit. Player 2 will take on the role as Sayuki’s sister Koyuki, and the narrative turns into a score competition, blasting the very same enemies to bits but now under the premise to settle which one of the siblings is the most beautiful of the two. Such an extremely intriguing plot!
What was to become Snow Battle Princess Sayuki stands as a perfect example of a game getting axed due to a company undergoing an acquisition by another company, something that is far from unheard of in the world of video games. It indicates something really special that Snow Battle Princess Sayuki prevailed as a finished game on the other side of things, although the game had quite the odds stacked against it ever happening. The pedigree obviously makes this release even far more interesting and thus, we would like to highlight both the story behind the game and the actual gameplay experience that – when all was said ‘n done – materialized as a complete adventure… and what an adventure it is!
As always, our Strictly Limited editions feature sequential numbering, an individual number for each and every copy! The Strictly Limited Nintendo Switch edition is limited to 2,500 copies, while the equally awesome PS4 edition is set at 1,000 copies – both priced at neat 29.99€.
Priced at 49.99€, the ultimate fan package that is Snow Battle Princess Sayuki – Special Limited Edition will be set at 1,500 Nintendo Switch copies, while the PS4 edition will be limited to 500 copies.
This Collector’s Edition will contain the following additional items:
- Special Lim.Ed. Box
- Game Card/Disc (NSW/PS4)
- Original CD Soundtrack
- Toto Bunny Plushie
- Reversible Poster
- Mini Art Cards
- Mochi Bunny Recipe
- Sprite Sticker Sheet
Todd Friedman is heavily involved in the retro gaming community and has co-promoted the Video Game Summit in Chicago, IL for the past 16 years. He also has published 2 books and written for various different gaming magazines including Old School Gamer.
