A shooter that kept talking to you mid-fight — and meant it.
Most shoot-'em-ups of 1992 trusted you to read the story between stages, then forgot you the moment the bullets started. Compile, building this CD-ROM² game for Naxat Soft, did the opposite: pilots and enemies trade lines mid-battle, voiced, in portrait boxes that briefly freeze the chaos so a person can speak. It began life as a sequel to MUSHA — the team simply wanted to follow Greg Erwin, the pilot shot down in that game's intro — and grew into something stranger: a war you fly through and overhear at the same time. You sit in the dark with the controller and slowly realize the machine isn't just shooting back. It's confiding.
About this game
Spriggan Mark 2: Re-Terraform Project is a 1992 horizontally scrolling shooter for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM². Developed by Compile and published by Naxat Soft, the game began as a sequel to MUSHA before evolving into its own story. Players pilot customizable mecha in a war over a Martian colony, with voiced dialogue and character interactions happening mid-battle — a showcase of what CD-ROM technology could bring to the shoot-'em-up genre.
The Story Behind
Spriggan Mark 2 was produced over ten months by Yuichi Toyama, who served as planner, programmer, and scenario writer. The project began at the request of Compile's Masamitsu Niitani, who asked the team to make a sequel to MUSHA starring Greg Erwin — the pilot shot down in that game's intro. Midway through development, a staffer noted the game had drifted from the original Spriggan, so the team tied all three games together through shared Martian imagery. It was first released in Japan on May 1, 1992, and didn't reach Western audiences officially until the PC Engine Mini in 2020.
Tricks & Tales
The game started development as a sequel to MUSHA, with the team asked to star Greg Erwin — the pilot shot down in MUSHA's intro — then tied back to both MUSHA and Spriggan through shared Martian imagery. You can turn the voice acting off. The story dialogue pauses the action constantly during stages, so the option exists to let you speed through the text instead of listening. It is a horizontally scrolling shooter built for the Super CD-ROM², with a customizable mecha and heavy use of CD voice and cutscenes — a showcase of what the CD format could add to the genre.
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 Spriggan Mark 2: Re-Terraform Project copies regularly.
Was this ever released outside Japan on the original hardware?
No. It was a Japan-only PC Engine Super CD-ROM² title. Its first official Western appearance came decades later via the Wii Virtual Console and the PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 Mini. An original disc will be a Japanese copy.
Do I need the CD-ROM add-on to play it?
Yes. It runs on the Super CD-ROM² format, so you need a PC Engine with the Super CD-ROM² system (or a Duo/compatible CD unit) — a bare HuCard console won't load it.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Spriggan Mark 2: Re-Terraform Project
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.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Spriggan Mark 2: Re-Terraform Project 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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