Ys-ing Into the Turbografx 16 Mini

I've had a week to play around on the finally-shipped Turbografx 16 Mini console, a tight little unit larger than similar mini consoles from Nintendo and Sega. As promised, it came with one controller, a back cover, and a lineup of classic Turbografx 16 and PC Engine titles.

The PC Engine is the Japanese name for the console, and as such all of its titles are in Japanese.  On some games it doesn't matter, as the player can just jump in and play. In fact, the vast majority of games that make up the PC Engine lineup are amazing bullethell shooters, schmups, or what have yous where the screen is full of bullets and I die quickly. It's never been my genre, but damn this console is a treasure trove of the golden age of them.

It is very regrettable that there wasn't a localization effort for these titles, though. I've always been curious about Snatcher, which is on here, but unplayable for me in Japanese.  Adventure games in the lineup like Jaseiken Necromancer and The Legend of Valkyrie would have been worth exploring as well.

Also annoying is that some of the titles exist twice on the console, in both libraries. So, let's talk about the Turbografx 16 side of the library. With these mini consoles you take what you can get with the lineup and there is no way that every game one personally wants or fondly remembers will be on there. That being said, there are definitely some essentials on here (Military Madness, Splatterhouse, Neutopia, Ninja Spirit, Dungeon Explorer, Chew Man Fu, JJ & Jeff, Bonk's Revenge), 2 CD ROM games I never got to experience (Ys Book 1 & 2, Lords of Thunder), 2 Working Designs classics (Cadash and Parasol Stars), and some middle of the road stuff (Moto Roader, Power Golf), and a few more shooters that are not on the PC Engine side.

Missing on the TG16 side are Bonk's Adventure, Devil's Crush, The Legendary Axe, TV Sports Football, and the system pack-in game Keith Courage in the Alpha Zones.  I would even put Bonk 3 on that list for completness. Regrets aside, this mini console is perfect for my limited retrogaming needs, and the main draw for me is getting to play Ys Book 1 & 2 after a three-decade wait. I'm at the second major boss in that game already, and still enjoying its gorgeous art and amazing music along with its quirky combat. 

It is absolutely great to have this beloved old friend back in the roster, albeit with its limitations. I would recommend it to any retrogamer who needs a fix of this classic era but does not have the desire to go all in on building a full Turbografx16 collection.