Konami’s back catalog of beloved IP has been much-discussed recently, what with relentless rumors of revivals of favorites like Silent Hill and Castlevania being the works. Ah, but Konami likes to zig when everyone wants them to zag, so recently at the Tokyo Game Show they remained mum on Silent Hill, but announced remasters of the first two Suikoden games.
Well, now Konami has announced a number of their other franchises are returning courtesy of various indie developers. This is all part of a contest that Konami kicked off back in 2021, which called on indies to submit pitches for various dormant IP. The winner is a Takumi Naramura, developer of the acclaimed retro action-adventures La-Mulana and La-Mulana 2. Narmura will be reviving The Maze of Galious, a somewhat obscure side-scrolling platformer-adventure released back in 1987. Most of the Western world didn’t get to play the game (although it did receive a European release on MSX computers), but it’s well-regarded in Japan and was a direct influence on the La-Mulana games according to Naramura…
“I was watching last year's TGS when this contest was announced, and I thought 'There's no way The Maze of Galious will be on the list.' But there it was! I hurriedly contacted my teammates to find out what we should do. I think most people saw that list and said 'Gradius, that's cool, Goemon, I like that,' so they might be disappointed that Galious was selected.”
In addition to The Maze of Galious, Konami has greenlit the revival of several more of their IP, including Star Soldier, Parodius, and TwinBee.
What are your thoughts? Happy to see some of Konami’s less-celebrated franchises getting a new chance to shine? What old Konami IP would you like to see return? Personally, I’m waiting for a new Sparkster and Sunset Riders.
