Project EGG, D4 Enterprises' decades-old digital distribution platform for vintage games, is making its first big, direct push onto consoles with EGG Console, a series of standalone reissues set to hit the Japanese Switch eShop from next week—they're starting with the PC-8801 version of Bothtec's Relics, a side-scrolling action/adventure game fondly remembered for its body-swapping gimmick, mysterious setting and the multiple hidden personality values that change based on the player's actions and will ultimately determine the game's ending, ie the only part of the game that offers any real exposition on, like, anything that's happening. (It's also remembered for being a game that would show up early in the life of a ton of Japanese microcomputers, and D4E has knowingly kept that tradition alive by releasing Relics as part of the opening salvo of most of their initiatives.)
This is out today, and EGG's finally speaking more concretely about their plans for EGG Console: they're planning to stick with PC-8801 reissues in the short term, covering both their own substantial catalogue as well as games from current EGG participants, with the next step being to branch into MSX and PC-9801, as well as ideally attract more new licensees to participate.
They've also shared a selection of the PC-88 games already in the pipe, sorted by publisher/IP owner:
Game Arts: Thexder, Silpheed
Nihon Falcom: Xanadu, Ys, etc
Kure Software Koubou: Argo, etc
Artdink A-Ressha de Ikou, etc
Microcabin: Harry Fox, etc
Riverhillsoft: Toudou Ryuunosuke Tantei Nikki: Kohakuiro no Yuigon, etc
Humming Bird Soft/Group SNE: Laplace no Ma
Fortune: Riglas
other (EGG-owned IP): Hydlide, etc
(For reference, D4E/EGG's own catalogue include most or all of the former libraries of T&E Soft, Bothtec, Carry Soft, Winkysoft, Xtalsoft, Cosmic Computer and System Sacom, plus most of Compile's non-Puyo Puyo, non-Aleste library and a lot of other odds and ends, which might still include Data East's Robocop games, of all the DECO games to single out.)
Relics showed up on the global eShops today, $6.49 / €5.59 / £5.39—it's specifically listed as EGGCONSOLE, so keep that in mind when you go searching for this stuff because you can't count on Nintendo's search turning it up if you're not exact:
EDIT: as is often the case, it's not on the Canadian eShop due to, presumably, a misunderstanding about how much French localisation is required for a CA release—all one needs to do is translate the store page/listing into French (and it doesn't even have to be legible, really) but a lot of smaller devs, and particularly Japanese ones at that, tend to misinterpret this requirement as "your game needs a French loc" and so they just skip Canada altogether, often forever. If you want the game on the CA eShop, find their socials/email and let 'em know directly.
