Retrogaming fans are living a moment of true fantasy with the recovery of all kinds of classics and games that have not been forgotten, but that we have not seen for a long time. The catalogs of current consoles continue to receive new compilations and tributes such as the one City Connection has announced in the form of Steam Hearts & Advanced Variable Geo Saturn Tribute.
Who would have imagined that the day would come when the Saturn versions of these two great games loved by thousands of players would return to action? Both are well remembered and left their mark on Sega’s Saturn because the content, although light compared to their original versions, maintained the essence as much as possible. As you surely already know, both games provided very high quality gameplay, but, in their original editions, they had quite marked adult content.
Shoot’m up and fighting
In City Connection offices they could not have thought of a better combination of genres. Because, while Steam Hearts is a high-level shoot’m up with a lot of fun, what we find in Advanced Variable Geo is a 2D fighting game full of powerful girls. The gameplay, in both cases, is of a high quality. In the case of Advanced V.G., the franchise had versions on all kinds of platforms and even starred in its own anime. However, as we said, in this case the versions that are being recovered are those that were released on Saturn.
What’s new?
Of course, the release of this compilation is not a simple port of what we saw on Saturn. Each of the games is going to have unique characteristics and, in general, both will include some features that were not available before. Thus, for example, playing both Steam Hearts and Advanced Variable Geo we will have the opportunity to conveniently save the game. In addition, a rewind function will also be available, which is in line with what we also usually find in many other classic games that are currently available.
In the case of Steam Hearts, the sexy shooter that was very popular, all the classic elements are maintained, such as its high level of game speed. In addition, we have a story mode available whose gameplay is embellished by a solid amount of visual cutscenes and full voices that make the development more impressive. Players who want to concentrate on shooting can do so in arcade mode, while there are also two other game modes available: Score Attack and Boss Slash Mode to compete for points or face off against bosses.
In this version, the option to modify the player’s stamina has also been incorporated and there will be a function that will allow the player to explore the objects that have disappeared after finishing a level. In addition, the developers make it clear that the sexy scenes have been maintained.
On the other hand, Advanced Variable Geo also has a normal mode to fight without more elements, a story mode with the addition of anime scenes and a VS mode to fight against a second player or against the computer. New in this version is a guide system that displays movement commands on the screen, which will be very useful for practicing or learning combat techniques. The game’s developers have also thought about those without experience and have introduced a button that allows you to automatically launch super moves.
The game will be released in Japan on May 29, 2025 on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, in both a regular and special edition. The special edition includes a CD with the soundtrack of both games, a Yumeiro Tsuushin booklet, and a commemorative box. In addition, all units of the first run will include a booklet with the character movements and controls of both games, possibly as an instruction manual. And, along with this, every major retailer in Japan will have some kind of pre-order incentive, such as a keychain and bromide cards on AmiAmi or a big sticker on Amazon.