Making something good is only half the work — the other half is making sure people can reach it.
Madō King Granzort was a children's robot anime that ran for forty-one Friday evenings in 1989 and 1990. Kids loved it. Hudson Soft made a game — faithful to the show, colorful, perfectly playable. Then they put it on the SuperGrafx, a console so obscure that only five to seven games were ever released for it. The SuperGrafx failed almost immediately, and Hudson knew that when they shipped this cartridge in April 1990. So a tie-in meant to reach every child who'd watched the show became one of the rarest PC Engine carts ever made — not because it was flawed, but because almost no one owned the hardware to run it. Sometimes what kills a thing isn't the quality. It's the distance between the thing and the people it was made for.
About this game
Mado King Granzort is a 1990 action for the pc engine, developed by Hudson Soft.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Madō King Granzort was released on April 6, 1990, shortly after the anime's final episode aired in March. The SuperGrafx had launched in December 1989 as NEC's attempt to extend the PC Engine's life, but it failed commercially within months — by the time Hudson published this tie-in, the platform's fate was already sealed. Only seven games total were released for the SuperGrafx, five of which were exclusives. The anime itself ran for 41 episodes on NTV and was produced by Sunrise.
Tricks & Tales
The SuperGrafx had a famously tiny library — only about five to seven games were ever made for it — and Madō King Granzort was the only original action game among them, making the cart unusually scarce. It's a tie-in to Sunrise's 1989–1990 anime, in which three boys pilot magic-powered robots on the moon — and the game lets you switch between all three Granzort mecha, each with different weapons and abilities.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The PC Engine (Japan) and TurboGrafx-16 (North America) share the same physical HuCard slot shape but are not compatible with each other's software. NEC deliberately reversed the data bus wiring between the two regions: data pin D0 on the PC Engine corresponds to D7 on the TurboGrafx-16, and so on through all eight lines. Beyond the hardware wiring difference, most North American HuCards contain region-checking code that detects a Japanese console and immediately crashes. Converters that electrically flip the data bus do exist and allow cross-region play. CD-ROM² discs themselves carry no region protection and play freely on both systems—however, the System Cards required to boot CD software are region-locked in the same way as HuCards, so a Japanese System Card cannot be used in a TurboGrafx-16 and vice versa.
Maintenance Tips
HuCard contacts are the most common maintenance point on the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16. The card's edge connector oxidizes over decades of storage, causing failure-to-read and graphical glitches. Cleaning with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab—gently wiping the gold contacts on the card itself—resolves most contact issues; stubborn oxidation responds to dedicated contact cleaners such as DeoxIT. Never blow into the card slot with your mouth, as moisture accelerates the very corrosion you are trying to remove. On systems equipped with the CD-ROM² or Super CD-ROM² add-on, the optical drive is subject to the same age-related laser and sled degradation seen in any CD system of that era; the laser assembly uses a KSS-220a-type unit on the Super CD-ROM² and replacement parts remain available.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Mado King Granzort copies regularly.
Will this run on a regular PC Engine or TurboGrafx-16?
No. It's a SuperGrafx-exclusive HuCard and requires a SuperGrafx console — a rare and expensive machine in its own right. Confirm you have (or are buying) the right hardware before the game.
Why is it so expensive for what looks like a simple game?
The price is about scarcity, not depth. The SuperGrafx sold poorly and very few cartridges were ever produced, so surviving copies command collector prices regardless of how the game plays.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Mado King Granzort
A short checklist for buying used PC Engine software wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
Japanese PC Engine HuCards and CDs are not compatible with the North American TurboGrafx-16 — the formats differ. Use a Japanese PC Engine system.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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HuCard or CD-ROM² — know which you're buying
PC Engine games come on HuCard chips or on CD-ROM². CD titles also require the right CD system and a working System Card.
Confirm the format in the listing, and for CDs check the disc surface and that saves are supported.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See the unit we have →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Mado King Granzort sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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