STRICTLY RETRO

Strictly Limited’s involvement in restoring a lost classic

■ As well as Nishizawa and members of the original team, Aquario’s restoration involved a number of key partners, not least emulation wizard M2 that was first given the recovered source files back in 2015. Another important partner is Strictly Limited Games, which isn’t just publishing and packaging the game for a proper physical release on both Switch and

PS4, but also had a hand in development. According to a Nintendo Life interview, co-founder Dennis Mendel said that they were entrusted with the code and got a working demo to present to original programmer Kurihara during Tokyo Game Show in 2019. The German company had also been responsible for salvaging and resurrecting the cancelled game Ultracore, a Mega Drive title originally developed by Digital Illusions (now DICE) back in 2020.

Strictly Limited is just one of a few specialist publishers like Limited Run Games that focus on bringing limited physical releases of games that you can own and hold in your hands, with a specific focus on niche but beloved retro titles. Naturally, these physical releases go all out, with Aquario launching with a Collector’s Edition, which includes a PCB retro box, a hardcover art book, an arcade flyer featuring control instructions and illustrations, and other physical goodies, while an Ultra Collector’s Edition includes figurines of the three main characters Huck Londo, Elle Moon and Gush. Of course, for those who are just interested in the game, publisher ININ is also ensuring the game is available digitally to as wide an audience as possible.