The Switch port of classic Sega Saturn shmup Radiant Silvergun is set for physical release via prolific physical game publisher Limited Run Games.
Limited Run announced the physical version today, with preorders opening this Friday and running through Nov. 13.
After that, the fine print says the game isn’t likely to ship until up to six months later — or up to nine months later for the non-standard editions. And that’s probably an optimistic estimate, given Limited Run’s propensity for delays, so buyers will need to stay patient before getting to hold the game in their hands.
This is the first time Radiant Silvergun’s ever been released physically in the West for any console. Its decade-old Xbox 360 port never made the jump from Microsoft’s digital storefront, and the 1998 Saturn release was a Japan exclusive.
In addition to a standalone copy of Radiant Silvergun for US$39.99, there is a $64.99 option with a slipcover and SteelBook as well as a $124.99 collector’s edition that features extra goodies like a soundtrack CD, pin set, keychain and diorama. It also comes with an empty longbox that vaguely resembles a U.S. Saturn game case.
New patch fixes audio bugs
Limited Run’s announcement wasn’t the only news on Radiant Silvergun today, as the game’s publisher, Live Wire, released a patch for the digital version that’s likely to be included on the eventual physical cartridge.
The patch fixes audio bugs that have been known since the game’s Sept. 13 launch — specifically, the music would fade out instead of looping at one point, and some of the sound effects’ volume was unbalanced.
According to a post on Live Wire’s blog, the patch also increases the number of players displayed on the online ranking table from 100 to 10,000, and it increases the number of friends displayed on the online ranking table from 100 to 301.
The blog also mentions that the publisher is “conducting investigations sequentially regarding reports received from various [social media] and inquiries. We will inform you of this response policy and the target implementation as soon as the examination is completed.” So it seems more patches are planned.
Radiant Silvergun’s original developer, Treasure, also acknowledged the patch today on Twitter.
The tweet translates roughly to:
#Switch The “#Radiant Silvergun” patch has been delivered.
・BGM loop ・SE volume adjustment (continued adjustment)
・Adjustment of ranking displayI’m really sorry about the BGM loop.
https://live-wire-cstg.blogspot.comIn addition, the total ranking has been released on the HP!
— Treasure
treasure-inc.co.jp/ranking2.html
The end of their tweet links to a new webpage from which the Xbox 360 and Switch versions of Radiant Silvergun’s high score rankings can be seen.
The Switch port appears to be derived from the Xbox 360 one. Both versions feature English subtitles that didn’t appear in the original arcade and Saturn game’s Japanese dialogue. They also both feature a mode to use scoring rules from Ikaruga, Treasure’s most famous shmup that was originally developed for arcades in 2001 and ported to the Sega Dreamcast a year later.
As Shiro reported, Live Wire pulled Radiant Silvergun from the North American eShop just hours after its launch until restoring it Sept. 20 on account of an incorrect ESRB rating — it had been rated E for everyone and was adjusted to match the Xbox 360 release’s T for teen rating.
There’s no word yet on whether Treasure and Live Wire will release Radiant Silvergun on more platforms besides the Switch, although they did acknowledge the demand for a PC version.
Danthrax is a contributor to the Shiro Media Group, writing stories for the website when Saturn news breaks. While he was a Sega Genesis kid in the ’90s, he didn’t get a Saturn until 2018. It didn’t take him long to fall in love with the console’s library as well as the fan translation and homebrew scene. He contributed heavily to the Bulk Slash and Stellar Assault SS fan localizations, and has helped as an editor on several other Saturn and Dreamcast fan projects such as Cotton 2, Rainbow Cotton and Sakura Wars Columns 2.
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