Exclusive: The Game Paradise: CruisinMix Special coming to Switch this fall

Dispatch Games and City Connection are bringing parody-themed shoot ’em up The Game Paradise: CruisinMix Special to Switch both physically and digitally this fall in North America and Europe, Gematsu can exclusively reveal.

“We are extremely pleased to bring such a beloved title to the west,” said Dispatch Games founder Brian Schorr in a press release. “The Game Paradise: CruisinMix Special adds yet another great shmup to our ever growing library of shooters.”

The Game Paradise: CruisinMix Special will be available in both standard and limited editions. Here are the details:

Standard Edition ($39.99)

• A copy of The Game Paradise: CruisinMix Special for Switch
• Downloadable content from previously-released versions included on the cart (Clarice, Homura Banto, Voice Pack, and Tatsujin)

Limited Edition ($99.99) – City Dispatch Online Store-exclusive

• A copy of The Game Paradise: CruisinMix Special for Switch
• Downloadable content from previously-released versions included on the cart (Clarice, Homura Banto, Voice Pack, and Tatsujin)
• Memorial Works art book
• Vinyl album and CD soundtrack set
• 21 reproduction Jaleco game flyers
• Custom Collectable Coin – Jaleco / Clarice Bomber

The Game Paradise: CrusinMix Special is currently available digitally for PlayStation 4 and PC. Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

The Game Paradise: CruisinMix Special is an enhanced port of Jaleco’s classic 90s vertically scrolling shooting game, mixing cute characters, a game world parodying a wide range of gaming tropes and history, tight controls, refined mechanics and eggplants?! CruisinMix features both the console original and the exclusive Arcade Mode + in a retro game fan’s dream combination.

Story

The self-proclaimed “Super Duper Genius Smart Guy” Yamada has a plan to take over the gaming world; the obvious first step being to take control of all the arcade cabinets at the “You & Me Kamiyoga” arcade in Kamiyoga, Tokyo! But part-time arcade employee Yui Ito is ready to take him on! Determined to put an end to this cunning plot before the arcade opens, she hastily hacks together all the used arcade circuit boards she has lying around and calls upon all the main characters to take down this evil genius!

Gameplay

Choose from six ships, each with their own unique weapon system and bomb, and take the fight to the deranged Genius Yamada and his game-world spawned minions in multiple action and laughter-packed stages. With a cast coming straight from Jaleco’s back-catalog and stages based around themes such as JRPGs, Japanese arcades and crane games there’s never a dull moment. And don’t forget the eggplants! In addition to the Classic console game modes, there’s also Arcade Mode+ (a refined arcade port with more characters via downloadable content) and HD Data Mode (hi-resolution game flyers straight from Jaleco’s archives)!

Key Features

• Arcade Mode+ features:
  • Normal (six stages, multiple difficulties, and practice mode)
  • Time Attack (play against the clock for a high score)
  • Seven characters, six unique ships and more via DLC
  • Two display modes (vertical stretch and dot-by-dot)
  • Multiple soundtrack and voice types
  • HD Data Mode: high-resolution game flyers and information on Jaleco’s games
  • Leaderboards and achievements
• Classic Mode features:
  • Arcade
    • Six stages of straight-laced shooting with two-player co-op
    • One Time Attack stage
    • Vertical display mode
  • Arrange
    • Eight stages with fully-voiced intermissions
    • Fully voiced opening and ending movies and several songs
    • Time attack with two stages and a practice stage

History

Following its popularity in arcades upon its 1995 release, The Game Paradise hit the home console market in 1997. Featuring classic Jaleco characters alongside original ones all voiced by a number of popular voice actors and actresses; it was a character-based shoot ‘em up that was well ahead of its time! Well-known manga artist Tatsuya Souma provided character designs, there were fully-voiced skits, four original songs, and animated sequences too! And all while making other shooting games jealous of how well it pulled off its game mechanics! It managed to be a character-centric game without succumbing to any of the cut corners that usually come with such a title.