In a time when so many of the games I grew up on seem to be getting current-gen console love, it amazes me that we still have yet to see an Act Raiser reboot from Square-Enix. The game is a masterpiece; knitting together competent gameplay mechanics through multiple genres over a story filled with religious allegory – layered under a stellar soundtrack. This 1990’s SNES ‘side-scrolling-action-platformer meets god-game with a splash of shmup’ not only holds up today; it begs the question, “Why haven’t we seen a next-gen attempt at this classic?”
I have searched the internet far and wide for answers, and have come up empty handed. Quintet–the Japanese developer behind the Act Raiser series–has not worked on a title in years; in fact, their last known release was a co-development on Planet Laika seen only in Japan on the Playstation back in 1999. Enix, who originally published this gem, has since merged with Squaresoft and left the ghost of Act Raiser behind them. Although Square-Enix released a mobile port of Act Raiser in 2004, it was a shameful project that omitted much of what made the original so entertaining by relying solely on the side-scrolling action platforming.
If only my words could reach the ears of all who helped make Act Raiser possible (along with the echoes of the heart-beats of the series’ many fans), maybe we’d one day control our arrow firing cherub in vibrant HD. Until then, I can only wonder if we aren’t seeing things through the eyes of Square-Enix, where a small band of cult followers adore a game that could never survive in a market filled with recycled ideas and cash-in development. It’s painful to see unworthy reboots on GameStop shelves taking the place of obscure classics of yesterday. These shots in the dark only impede us from getting the games we want by luckily falling into a pole-position governed by sellability.
