I’ve written about Assault Suits Valken so many times now. More than I ever thought I would. When I played it under the name Cybernator as a kid, I didn’t think one day I’d be spouting novels about its stompy robots. But here I am with Retro-Bit’s re-issue of the title.
In fact, normally when Retro-Bit sends me one of their reissues, I write a whole, in-depth article talking about the game, but I don’t know how I’d do it a third time. I’ve told you it’s great – twice – and those articles are still available.
However, as a quick refresher, Assault Suits Valken (sort of sequel to Assault Suits Leynos or Target Earth) was localized by Konami in 1993 as Cybernator. Beyond giving a terrible name to an awesome game, they also censored part of it, cut some minor features (largely, the character portraits), and didn’t do the best job of translating it.
Last year, Rainmaker Productions re-translated and re-released it as Assault Suits Valken: Declassified. It’s a solid but kind of expensive port to modern consoles, but at least it restored all the features and uncensored the ending.
Now, Retro-bit has not only re-translated it (separately from Rainmaker’s version) but has reproduced it as a sort of special edition SNES cart. So, now you can play a more faithful version on the original hardware.
Assault Suits Valken comes in “deluxe” and “collectors” editions. The collectors edition is the most basic with a cardboard keep case and instruction manual. The cartridge itself is “Bronze Shielded,” which is a coppery metallic finish.
I was provided the deluxe edition, which has the same gear as the collectors edition but with an “Aurum Armor Gold” cartridge and a second case with a bunch of extras. It comes with a pretty neat translucent stand that looks like a diagram of the ASS-117A Valken armor, a coin, and a “Soundbytes” keychain that makes some of the power-up noises from the game. I could do without the knick-knacks, but the standee is kind of neat.
The quality is the same as Retro-bit’s previous releases, which is to say: pretty awesome. Rather than go for the appearance of an authentic product, Retro-bit aims to make them more like special editions, which is a great way to go about it. While the keep case is cardboard, it’s less like packaging and more like a hardcover book. It has a magnetic closure that makes it feel really solid. The cartridge has the same look, feel, and fit as an official cartridge. The color and big, expressive label with embossed features help make it feel a bit more deluxe.
I’m not a huge fan of either choice of cartridge color, but I’m happy they aren’t grey.
It’s hard to really comment on the translation because I’m used to reading it one way, and any change from that is weird. It’s also going to be a matter of preference. Retro-bit’s release does not use the same translated script as Rainmaker Productions/M2’s. I found it better in some ways, but worse in others. The fourth mission is a good example. When one of the enemy pilots reports that they’re unable to halt their re-entry trajectory, in the Rainmaker version they say:
“My ve-vernier is broken! He-Help me!”
While in Retro-bit’s they say:
“I can’t increase the thrust of my ve-vernier… H-help me…”
They’re extremely similar and communicate the same thing (though, I’m not sure why neither capitalized “Vernier”). However, I think the Retro-bit version is slightly more natural than saying the expensive military hardware you’re piloting is “broken.” On the other hand, at the beginning of that same mission, the text crawl reads for Rainmaker:
“… all I can do is watch on the monitors as my external armor begins to glow red…”
But Retro-bit phrases it:
“… I watched my hot armor starting to burn on the monitors.”
Here, I prefer Rainmaker’s version of the phrase because it paints the scene better. But neither compares with Konami’s version in Cybernator:
“The long ten seconds to death begins now…”
There really is no perfect translation.
One thing that is lost in Retro-bit’s version is the ability to name your pilot. This was in both Cybernator and Assault Suits Valken Declassified, but not in the Retro-bit re-release. They say this is because it would have caused issues with the displayed text. This means that you’re going to have to play with the protagonist’s default name “Jake.” It’s not a dealbreaker, but that does kind of suck.
Otherwise, it’s a more faithful version of Assault Suits Valken. If you haven’t played it, know that it’s a pretty stellar 16-bit sidescroller that feels like a precursor to something like Steel Battalion. In the future, war still sucks, but at least we have big robots. Limited continues make it extremely difficult to see the end, but the outstanding music, detailed art, and intricate controls make it all worth playing.
An original copy of Cybernator has steadily risen in price over the last decade to the point where Retro-bit’s re-issue is a great value in comparison. It might not be as tantalizing as when they tackle a much harder to find title, but it’s not a bad value if you like to play on the original hardware like I do.
I got my copy early, and the initial preorders from Limited Run Games have ended. However, you’ll still be able to pick up both versions of Assault Suits Valken from retailers later in May.
It’s nice to see Assault Suits Valken get the respect that it deserves. While it’s not the absolute most obscure game in the SNES library, it’s not as well-recognized as it should be. It’s an absolute masterclass title that belongs on the podium with the generation’s best. It should be encased in actual gold, but I suppose gold-colored plastic is close enough. For now…
