Finally, Eliminate Down Gets the Love It Deserves
The Sega Genesis presented what I like to call a golden era of “shmups.” That’s because it revolutionized the genre when no one else would, with a wide variety of releases from the Thunder Force games to the underrated Air Buster to the Japan-only Zero Wing (which, yes, I happily imported, because all your base, silly.)
Anyway, one game that was heavily overlooked and underappreciated at the time was Eliminate Down, which came out in 1993 under the team at Soft Vision.
At the time, it wasn’t given a chance on other markets because, well, by the time 1993 rolled around, developers were on to new format ideas. That said, the game did solid in Japan, and even got some small distribution in South Korea, thanks to Samsung.
Then it became a sought-after piece of legend. Cartridges on eBay were selling into the hundreds, and some even soared into the thousands if they were complete. And it made people wonder if they would ever see this game get a proper release. Good news, it is.
Retro-Bit, hot on the heels of releasing games like Gleylancer and other Sega Genesis re-releases, announced that it will bring out Eliminate Down in mid-2024, with a special edition that includes a colored green cartridge and other goodies. What’s more, it will be far more affordable, going for a mere $54.99 plus tax and shipping. It’s already available for pre-order at the link above, and will continue to be so through early January. (This includes North America, whew.)
This is absolutely splendid because I know a lot of us still collect games like this (forever physical!), and this is a key addition to any game library. Plus the shooter itself is very good, with wonderful music and a challenge that’s right up there with the other “shmups” that are on the market. Plus that cover art is really something, along with the font of the title.
You can check out the trailer below to get a better idea of what you’re in for. But, like Gleylancer and the other releases before it, I wouldn’t dare let this game pass you by. It’s just too damn good.
Hope you guys have a rad weekend! And thanks for visiting and following, as always.
