The Top Sega Saturn Stories of 2022

For a console released 28 years ago, it may surprise some that there continue to be new developments around the Sega Saturn. But that’s been in the case in 2022, a year filled with news about our favorite 32-bit console.

Here’s a look at Shiro’s biggest stories of the year.

10. Summer Games Done Quick features Saturn games

The twice-a-year charity speedrunning event Games Done Quick put a pair of Saturn games in the spotlight this June — Nights into Dreams and Bulk Slash. It also highlighted a modern port of a beloved Saturn FPS, PowerSlave: Exhumed. Saturn games don’t appear at GDQ often, making this past summer’s entries a rare treat.

Relevant Shiro story: Games Done Quick Features Nights, Bulk Slash, PowerSlave Exhumed

9. Saturn projects make waves at SAGE

The Sonic Amateur Games Expo is filled with fan-made Sonic games each year, but the 2022 iteration featured a pair of projects that run on Saturn hardware — Sonic Ringworlds, developed by several members of the Shiro and SegaXtreme community, and Voxel’s partial recreation of Sonic Xtreme. Amidst the PC- and Genesis-heavy offerings at SAGE, it was great to see a pair of Saturn homebrew games.

This year’s SAGE also featured a Saturn-related PC game, Over Jump Rally, an indie homage to the legendary arcade rally racing game from 1994, Sega Rally, recreated in Unreal Engine 5.

Relevant Shiro stories: Sonic Games for Saturn Featured at SAGE 2022
New Effort to Recreate Sonic Xtreme Revealed
VOXEL Drops New Trailer for Sonic X-Treme SAGE ’22
DEVELOPER INTERVIEW: Voxel on Sonic X-Treme SAGE ’22

8. Another year full of English translation patches

Fan-made translation efforts have ramped up in recent years, and 2022 was no exception. From long-running projects finally getting across the finish line (Grandia, Ninpen Manmaru, Phantasmagoria) to translations started and finished this year (Drift King ’97) to surprises unleashed without warning (Yumimi Remix, Ogre Battle) to ongoing projects announced in 2022 (GunGriffon II, Baroque, Ys, Terra Phantastica, Bomberman Fight, Stellar Assault SS) — not to mention the yearly update to Shining Force III — there have been a lot of people working to make Japanese-exclusive Saturn games more accessible to English-speaking audiences.

It may be a cop-out to lump all of these together as a trend rather than considering them individually for this year’s top 10 list, and for that I apologize. It’s just too hard to pick one that stands above the rest — any and all efforts to translate Japanese Saturn games should be celebrated, and we’ve been spoiled on those in 2022.

Relevant Shiro stories: Ninpen Manmaru on Saturn FINALLY Gets a Completed Translation!
Meduza Team Release Ogre Battle English Translation Patch
Yumimi Mix Remix Fan Translation Released!
Grandia Translation Patch Finalized
TOKYO HIGHWAY BATTLE ’97: SATURN ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Baroque Saturn English Fan Translation “Bastard Baroque” Gets Its First Look!
BULK SLASH TEAM ANNOUNCE NEW ENGLISH DUB: STELLAR ASSAULT SS
Possible English Translation for Terra Phantastica on the Horizon..?
Saturn Bomberman Fight!! Fan Translation Beta Released for Patreon Supporters
UPDATE: SHINING FORCE III – English Translation Patch v.24 RELEASED!

7. New audiences exposed to Saturn games as they come to modern platforms

2022 has seen more re-releases, recreations and ports of Saturn games for modern platforms than perhaps any other year. Night Dive Studios recreated the Saturn version of PowerSlave as the ultimate edition of the game, PowerSlave: Exhumed; Forever Entertainment followed up 2020’s Panzer Dragoon remake with a remake of The House of the Dead; Treasure brought Radiant Silvergun to the Switch, which is only the second time it’s come to a non-Saturn platform after 2011’s Xbox 360 port; Capcom released collections of the arcade versions of a lot of games that appeared on the Saturn, from Darkstalkers to Cyberbots to Super Puzzle Fighter; Shiravune surprised everyone with a PC remake of a dating sim that appeared on the Saturn, Dokyusei; and City Connection was hard at work all year releasing the original versions of Saturn games running in emulators, including Layer Section/Galactic Attack, Elevator Action Returns, Cleopatra Fortune and a Suchie-Pie collection.

If you need evidence that the Saturn is having a renaissance, look no further than the abundance of Saturn games that have hit the PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC this year.

Like the English translation patches above, it’s hard to pick just one of these modern releases as the biggest story among them — it’s easier to just name the whole trend as one big story — but if I had to choose, I’d say it was PowerSlave: Exhumed for the love and care that Night Dive put into recreating the Saturn version, which was unique when compared to its contemporary PS1 and PC versions, and taking it to the next level by adding the exclusive levels from the PS1 version. They made one of the Saturn’s greatest exclusives more accessible to modern audiences.

Relevant Shiro stories: PowerSlave: Exhumed Hits the Switch on February 10th!
Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute INPUT LAG REDUCED in New Patch + Port Announcements!!!
House of the Dead Remake Released on Switch
Classic Saturn Dating Sim Dōkyūsei Gets Remake on PC
Layer Section & Galactic Attack Launches with June Patch in the Works
Darkstalkers, Other Capcom Classics Return on Modern Platforms
Radiant Silvergun Releases on Nintendo Switch
Cleopatra Fortune S-Tribute Hits Modern Platforms
Elevator Action Returns S-Tribute Hits Modern Platforms
Suchie-Pai Saturn Tribute Collection Hits Japanese e-Shop and Retailers

6. NetLink tunneller revives Saturn online play

It’s been amazing to watch the Saturn’s online functionality get revived this year by fan efforts to make it easier to connect to each other using custom software called the tunneller. Chief developer SegaRPGFan has got the tunneller in a mature enough state that he entered it into this year’s SegaXtreme game competition, and the Shiro community even held a Virtua Fighter Remix tournament online over the summer!

Relevant Shiro stories: Saturn NetLink: Tunnels Its Way Online…
Getting Your SEGA Saturn Back Online…
Online SEGA Saturn Tournaments!
Touring Car Leaderboards Back Online

5. Emulators, both hardware and software, make strides

OK, one more entry on this top 10 list that’s more of a yearlong trend and less of an individual story. There are a lot of ways to play the Saturn besides putting retail discs into an original console, from emulators run on PCs to hardware emulation like the MiSTer to optical drive emulators installed in a Saturn. They all saw advancements in 2022, making it easier to play our favorite console’s games even as original hardware ages and increases in price on the secondhand market.

It’s a little easier to choose a top story in this trend, as I’d say the MiSTer’s Saturn core release, even though it’s in a work-in-progress alpha state, has been the biggest news. It had been in development for a while, and with more people buying MiSTers, the work that its developer SRG320 has done on it and continues to do on it has brought Saturn gaming to a lot more people.

Other big news in this category includes the Fenrir Duo releasing, the Satiator sorting out its biggest bugaboos, and a new version of Yaba Sanshiro supporting handheld PCs.

Relevant Shiro stories: Early Version of Saturn Core Releases for MiSTer
Satiator Fixes Issue With ‘Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter’ at Last
New Firmware for Fenrir Duo
Fork of Yaba Sanshiro Brings New Look, Gamepad UI Support for Handheld PCs

4. Kenji Tosaki offers insights into Sega peripherals he designed

Shiro members got an exciting opportunity to ask questions of Kenji Tosaki, who was Sega’s peripheral development manager in much of the ’90s, when he joined Shiro’s Facebook group this year. He was extremely gracious in talking about the Virtua Gun (aka Stunner), the 3D Control Pad, the Dreamcast’s VMU and even an unreleased virtual reality headset! Huge thanks to him for taking the time to give us a never-before-seen look at what went into designing some of Sega’s hardware.

Relevant Shiro story: Interview: Kenji Tosaki talks Saturn/Dreamcast Peripheral Design, Reveals “Virtua Visor”

3. Retro-bit announces new wireless analog controllers for Saturn

Retro-bit has released quite a few new, officially licensed controllers for the Genesis and Saturn — as well as Genesis- and Saturn-styled ones for PC and other platforms — in recent years, but none of them have included true analog compatibility with original Saturn games. That’s set to change next year, as the company surprised everyone at the Portland Retro Game Expo by announcing new wireless analog controllers for the Saturn. Ron, Rich and Andy from the company were extremely giving of their time when talking with Shiro about the new product, listening to feedback and allowing one of their three prototypes to be used on real consoles at Shiro’s own Saturn room at the convention.

I’d also like to piggyback onto this story to mention Shiro’s room at PRGE featuring the Saturn, with consoles set up for people to try classic games, fan homebrew and English translations, link cable gameplay and controllers like the Twin Stick, as well as browse a full collection of Saturn games, rare hardware and fun memorabilia. It was the first time the Saturn had been featured at the convention at such a scale, and I’m sure it left a lot of attendees with a new appreciation for our favorite console.

Relevant Shiro links: A Closer Look at Retro-Bit’s Wireless Analog Saturn Pads
SHIRO! Show LIVE AT PGRE 2022 – YouTube

2. Sega releases the Genesis Mini 2 and, through it, reveals Rieko Kodama’s death

This story wasn’t very Saturn-related to begin with — while the Genesis/Mega Drive Mini 2 was big news to Sega fans and worth covering on Shiro, its only real link to the Saturn was a half-completed port of the Saturn’s Puyo Puyo 3.

But it became more relevant to the Saturn once its credits revealed that longtime Sega producer and artist Rieko Kodama had died. Her work is probably best known through Master System RPG Phantasy Star’s art and the producing she did for Dreamcast RPG Skies of Arcadia, but she also had a hand in Saturn games like Magic Knight Rayearth and Deep Fear. An outpouring of grief for Kodama and a celebration of memories stemming from her work lasted for days on the Internet following Sega confirming her death. Her impact on Sega as a company as well as on its fans was deep and unforgettable.

Relevant Shiro stories: Rieko Kodama, famed Phantasy Star designer, has died
Mega Drive Mini 2: M2 and Sega’s Little Labour of Love
The Full Game List for Genesis Mini 2 Revealed! (Spoilers: No Snatcher or WD Games)
Sega Announces Mega Drive Mini 2 — and Why There’s No Saturn Mini

1. Sacred Pools’ prototypes see the light of day

The news story that rocked the community more than any other is probably the surprise release of prototypes of long-lost Saturn game Sacred Pools. It had been infamously advertised as an adult game being produced by Sega of America in 1996 before vanishing from the release schedule, never to be seen again — until 2022.

Although that wasn’t quite the truth, as eagle-eyed members of the community realized that the prototypes resembled a misnamed one called Rebellion that had floated around the Internet since 2004. Rebellion wasn’t in as completed a state as this year’s Sacred Pools releases from the preservationists at Gaming Alexandria, though, making the new prototypes an exciting discovery.

The community scrambled to play through Sacred Pools and discover its secrets, which were all the more mysterious considering there had not yet been a manual created for the game. It was fun to see something thought to be lost to time, a historical footnote in the annals of the Saturn made relevant again in 2022.

Relevant Shiro stories: Prototypes of ‘The Sacred Pools’ Released by Preservationists
Update: Sacred Pools Resembles Rebellion, a Nearly 20-Year-Old Prototype
‘Mac’ Version of Sacred Pools Is Actually a Newer Saturn Build
The Sacred POOLS: Saturn’s Lost & Forbidden Fruit…

Honorable mentions

As stated above, there’s been a lot of Saturn news in 2022. Shiro roughly averaged a post every other day this year! So let’s briefly mention some of the other stories that were considered for this list but didn’t quite make the cut:

Thanks for visiting Sega Saturn Shiro in 2022. Not only that, but thanks for watching on YouTube, listening to the podcasts, chatting on Discord and Facebook and Twitter, supporting on Patreon and reading the magazine, too. Everyone at Shiro tries hard to bring the community together and celebrate what the community is doing, but of course none of that is possible without … the community.

See you in 2023, yet another year when you must play Sega Saturn!