Retro-bit has announced what they have next in their line of retro re-issues; Eliminate Down for the Genesis/Mega Drive. Pre-orders will run from today November 28, 2023 to January 2, 2024.
I know, Eliminate Down sounds like a weird medical term for a bowel movement, and it doesn’t help that you may not have heard of it before. It was only released on the Mega Drive in Japan and South Korea, and it’s believed that the production run only consisted of a few thousand units. It’s one of the few releases from developer Aprinet. It has never been released digitally, and actually snagging a cartridge from its first run will run you upwards of $500. Some sort of re-release is well overdue.
When it was released in 1993, Eliminate Down failed to really impress the Japanese press. It got rather lackluster reviews. However, more recent impressions from Western importers are a lot more favorable, and, for that matter, I think it’s a pretty excellent game, as well. If anything, it’s just not that original being a horizontal shoot-’em-up in space with a transforming ship. In quite a few ways, it reminds me of Gley Lancer, another game re-issued by Retro-Bit. There aren’t many bells and whistles, but it presents a laser-focused experience.
Retro-Bit’s release will feature a lenticular slip-cover, classic Genesis/Mega Drive clamshell case with reversible art, a manual, and it will be encased in a sparkly, transparent green shell that they refer to as “Emerald Nebula.” While I’m not usually a fan of transparent cartridges, I have some of their previous re-issues, and they go all the way with them. For the Valis and Gley Lancer cartridges, they even print the game’s name on the back of the circuit board. It’s a pretty deluxe way of enshrining obscure games.
Also of note, Retro-Bit snuck in a “secret code for those who feel the game is a bit too difficult” which can be found in the manual.
If you want to nab Eliminate Down, pre-orders will open today and run until January 2, 2024. They base how many they’ll produce on how many are pre-ordered. It will be available from Limited Run Games, Castlemania Games, and Rondo Products for North America, and will run you $59.99 USD.
