We’ll be working on a review for Gimmick! Special Edition, so I got in touch with Bitwave Games to talk a bit about it. Come check it out!
PS4Blog: Good afternoon! Thank you for joining us today. How’s everything on your end?
Good afternoon! It’s great! Thanks for having me.
PS4B: Gimmick! Special Edition is out now on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. Could you please tell our readers a bit about the game and its history?
It is, and Steam and Xbox as well! We’re thrilled that this gem is finally accessible to so many people. Gimmick! is a 2D platformer by SUNSOFT from the late NES era. It was only released in Scandinavia and Japan and is, therefore, one of the rarest NES games and is highly sought after and expensive.
In Gimmick!, you play as the cute green youkai Yumetaro. One day, you’re gifted to a young girl as a toy and instantly become her favorite. The other toys get jealous of you and kidnap the girl to the land of Gimmick. Your quest is to chase them down, one by one, and save the girl.
Gimmick! is known for its difficulty and the fantastic soundtrack that came to life on the Famicom thanks to SUNSOFT’s special 5B chip. And not to forget: The advanced physics-based gameplay!
PS4B: How long did it take to work on the port for this beloved NES 2D platformer?
We’ve been working closely with developer City Connection for about a year. The development itself started earlier than that.
PS4B: What’s different between the original NES release for Gimmick! – a.k.a. Mr. Gimmick! – and the version we can now play on consoles?
It’s a re-release made for the modern era. As mentioned, Gimmick! is really difficult, and to make it more accessible, City Connection has implemented a range of enhancements, for example, quick save and quick load, as well as rewind. That’s not all, though, as the game also ships with a Speedrun Mode, online rankings, a gallery with manuals, and scanned-in cartridges. And as icing on the cake… achievements!
PS4B: Now that Gimmick! Special Edition is available for all to enjoy, what project are you currently working on?
We’re also working on bringing Toaplan’s shoot ’em up catalog to PC. Four games – Zero Wing, Out Zone, Truxton, and Twin Cobra – are already out, and there’s more to come.
PS4B: And now it’s time for us to end this one. Would you like to add anything else?
I hope that as many people as possible give Gimmick! Special Edition a shot. We need more retro releases on modern consoles as gaming is a part of human cultural history. Bitwave is a part of that mission, and if you want to follow us on our journey, make sure to keep an eye on our social media accounts. It’s @bitwavegames on all platforms.
