41 years later, NES’s First-Ever JRPG Switch 2 and PS5

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41 years later, NES’s First-Ever JRPG Switch 2 and PS5

If you consider yourself a true connoisseur of video game history, you probably know that the roots of the Japanese RPG genre are directly linked to nostalgia. The Famicom again NES seasons. For the longest time, whenever someone asked what started the console JRPG craze, the default answer from most gamers would immediately be Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy.

However, history has a funny way of hiding some treasures under layers of invisibility! Out of the blue, a huge piece of gaming history has just been discovered, as the true, technological pioneer of the NES role-playing genre officially arrives on modern platforms – marking its official release for the first time outside of Japan after an incredible 41-year wait.

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41 years later NES FirstEver JRPG Will Switch 2 and PS5 2

The game in question is a forgotten JRPG Battles of Bokosukadeveloped by Kōji Sumii again ASCII Entertainment. While the topic on technology started out incredibly strange Cijera X-1 computer back in 1983, nobody really had that hardware (even back then).

It wasn’t until its release on the Famicom in 1985 that it really cemented its legendary status, finally getting a brief nod Nintendo Wii Virtual Console back in 2008.

But for the rest of these past releases, Western players have been left completely in the dark. Now, thankfully, developer Hamster Corporation, the company that currently owns the distribution rights to bring these classic versions to modern systems, is finally stepping in to correct this historical oversight.

In a cute and adorable trailer, the company has just announced that Bokosuka Wars is now officially available on the PlayStation Store PlayStation 5 and Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2 – sadly, leaving the PS4 and the real revolution behind. But if you own any of the two lucky platforms selected, and want to immerse yourself in this historical curiosity, you will only need to pay a low fee of $7.99.

This new release is a direct port of the original Famicom version instead of a flash, remake or remaster. However, Hamster has included some welcome modern features to make the gaming loop more appealing to a modern audience. For example, the package comes equipped with customizable button layouts, quick-fire settings, optional CRT screen filters, multiple save regions, and (thankfully) an important undo function to save you from those unforgiving hard times of the 1980s.

Bokosuka Wars is now officially available on PlayStation Store for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2.

In case you are not familiar with Bokosuka battles, let me help you! In this retro title, you are tasked with a brutal march to restore peace to your country, which has been completely destroyed by a brutal dictator. You control King Suren alongside his loyal soldiers, but there is a small problem: the tyrant’s dark magic has turned your entire army into trees and rocks (literally), making your quest more difficult and time-consuming than you originally thought.

That’s pretty much all you need to know about this classic, trust me! If you have a deep sense of nostalgia for the early 8-bit era of gaming like I do, this should be played from a pure preservation perspective. Personally, I’m very excited to see how modern players react to it, and it’s always incredibly reassuring to see publishers rescue these lost relics from region selection.