Legendary videogame composer, Yuzo Koshiro, posted a video on X yesterday showing new footage of Earthion. His studio, Ancient, are working on the game and he is composing the soundtrack personally.
The fascinating thing about this game is that it is being developed for the Sega Megadrive, the system that is home to his finest work. Koshiro confirmed that everything we see and hear in the video is running on original hardware.
He also announced that Earthion will launch on modern systems, as well as the physical Megadrive version that Limited Run Games will be publishing. A release date of late 2024 is pencilled in but 2025 seems more likely.
Koshiro stressed that the music in the video shouldn't be seen as the definitive soundtrack for Earthion. He went on to say that he is experimenting with MAmidiMEmo, a music creation application, in the hunt for a fresh shmup music style.
The content of the video is very much a work in progress but it already looks and sounds incredible. The highlights for me are the many layers of parallax scrolling clouds and when the ship undocks from its carrier, skirts the foreground, then spirals off into the background. It goes without saying that the music track is a banger.
Earthion looks like it is pushing the Megadrive to its absolute limits and that's because it is. Also on X, Koshiro added "We're still in the process of determining the exact amount of memory the cart will use. But one thing's for sure - it'll definitely surpass anything that was feasible back in the 90s".
How big can a Megadrive cart go? An interesting question that I am not qualified to answer. Pier Solar is the largest Megadrive cartridge released so far at 64 Mb (8MB) and Earthion will presumably be much larger than that.
By utilising a huge cartridge size and modern technology, this title could push the system way beyond its intended limits.
I am excited to see the results and also to see if Earthion could lead to a renaissance in 16-bit game production.
With modern gaming heading to an all-digital, always online future, more and more people are growing disillusioned with it all and returning to the the warm bosom of retro gaming.
What if other videogame icons were to return to their roots and create new Megadrive and Super Nintendo titles?
Might AAA developers who have been let go in all the recent cuts, turn their focus towards retro?
Imagine the possibilities. With modern tech powering the cartridges, our beloved 16-bit systems could reach new heights.
New games with modern conveniences and design sensibilities crafted by top-level developers? Yes please.
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