Cotton16Bit Tribute is a perfect example of a recent influx of collection-style projects attempting to market as tributes for arcade classics from many years ago, whether it’s primarily for archival purposes, or to capture the success that these games of old had previously relished in.
This specific release comes from ININ Games, a Japanese publishing studio that has been specialising in publishing these retro releases. They’ve been a great and positive influence in the gaming industry, reminding us of these timeless classics, and helping to bridge the gap between Japanese and Western gaming markets.
Cotton16Bit Tribute will feature two standalone games of the same series: Cotton 100%, and Panorama Cotton. They’re classic arcade-style shooters that follow the story of the main protagonist, Nata de Cotton, who is a cute witch with an insatiable and crippling Willow candy addiction. In Cotton 100%, you’ll set out to complete two missions (differentiated by the two games) of equal importance: saving the world from eternal darkness and stopping an unknown evil entity from burning Cotton’s Willow candies. As per the status quo of these types of releases, you’ll be granted an authentically pixelated experience, complete with its own 2-disk soundtrack straight from the 90s.
You’ll be able to enjoy the full extent of Cotton 16Bit Tribute on both the Switch and PlayStation 4 when it releases worldwide. It’s just around the corner and will land on October 28!
One correction: ININ Games is a German company, really just the retail publishing/distributing arm of Strictly Limited Games. The German owners are Japanese-retro fans, so they are always uncovering and offering some great old games from Japan on modern systems, in partnership with Japanese IP owners.
It should be noted that these two Cotton re-releases have been available worldwide digitally, as two separate game releases, since Oct 2021 (on Switch & Playstation). They are also available in physical versions (as two separate games, Cotton 100% and Panorama Cotton) from Strictly Limited. The Switch versions are sold out, but PS4 versions still available on the SL website. Each one is $35, so buying them together in this Japanese retail “Tribute” release is definitely a less expensive option.
Yep, thanks for that catch and clarification!