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 feat?ures and uncens?ored 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 har??dware.

Assault Suits Valken comes in “deluxe�and “collectors�editions. Th??e collectors edition is the most basic with a cardboard keep case and instruc??tion 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 ext?ras. 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 c??artridge 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 examp??le. 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!�/p>

While in Retro-bit’s they say:

“I can’t increase the thrust of my ve-vernier�H-help me…�/p>

They're extreme??ly 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…�/p>

But Retro-bit phrases it:

�.. I watched my hot armor startin??g 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...�/p>

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 wit?h 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 ou??tstanding 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�/p>

The post Here’s a closer look at Retro-Bit’s Assault Suits Valken re-issue appeared first on Destructoid.

Retro-Bit has announced that the next in their line of retro reissues is Cybernator under the name that the Gods of Nomenclature intended: Assault Suit Valken.

Not only is Assault Suit Valken adopting the name of its original Japanese release, Retro-Bit is also going to the effort of retranslating it and restoring the content that was censored in the Western release. Back in March, Rainmaker Productions partnered with M2 to make a similar re-release happen on Switch as Assault Suit Valken: Declassified. However, this release won’t be using the same script. Also, as stated in the press release, they weren’t able to maintain the protagonist name entry function, so, as Retro-Bit puts it, “everyone gets to be Jake!�/p>

The new release will come in two flavors: the Deluxe Edition, which comes with an embossed slipcase and some extra swag for $79.99, and the Collector’s Cartridge, which just includes the game, a ??hardcover box, and an instruction manual for $59.99. Both will be limited production runs based on the number of preorders they rack up. Retro-Bit recently sent me a care box of some of their releases, and I can tell you that their reissues are pretty deluxe.

I’ve written about Assault Suit Valken more times and in more depth than I thought I ever would. It is a pretty excellent title, and one of the absolute best side-scrolling mech games to ever have been produced. Its North American release as Cybernator cut back a few features, such as character profiles, and censored the?? ending. These weren’t drastic changes by the standards at the time, but a lot of fans swear by the original version.

Pre-orders for the Assault Suit Valken reissue?? will be open from October 3rd to November 5th, 2023 on Castlemania Games and Limited Run Games. The finished produce is expected to ship Q1 of 2024.

The post Retro-B??it is reissuing Cybernator on SNES as Assault S??uit Valken appeared first on Destructoid.