Few video game composers have had such a long lasting effect on the hearts, minds – and ears – of gamers as Yuzo Koshiro has, and now we’ve heard word that he’s working on a new Sega Genesis game!
Yes, a brand new Sega Genesis game!
Even more impressive is that much of Koshiro’s best loved, most fondly remembered work is from the 16-bit era, when the limitations of then-contemporary technology made it much more difficult to create soundtracks that would age gracefully.
Excitingly, Koshiro has just announced that he’s currently working on a soundtrack for a new Sega Genesis/Mega Drive shoot ’em up!
Introducing Yuzo Koshiro
Seeing as you’re reading this article on Retro Dodo, it’s almost a given that you’ll be aware of Koshiro’s work, even if you didn’t necessarily know him by name.
Some of Koshiro’s most famous soundtracks include the phenomenal techno tracks for the Streets of Rage games, the underrated dance music-style soundtrack for SNES title Super Adventure Island and the music for Genesis/Mega Drive action RPG Beyond Oasis (also known as The Story of Thor).
Though Beyond Oasis would be Koshiro’s Genesis soundtrack swansong (until now at least), he’s remained active in the realm of video game soundtrack composition – providing music for games as diverse as the Super Smash Bros series, Kid Icarus: Uprising and the Etrian Odyssey titles.
Naturally, Koshiro also contributed to the soundtrack for the belated 2020 sequel, Streets of Rage 4. You’ll find a few of the games Koshiro has composed for on our best beat ’em up games list!
What Is The New Sega Genesis Game Yuzo Koshiro Is Composing The Soundtrack For?
Koshiro posted a few tantalising glimpses of the game he’s working on, via his Twitter page – seemingly not anticipating the huge reaction this would cause.
A horizontally scrolling shoot ’em up, little in the way of details have been revealed by Koshiro (he admits in one tweet on the thread that the game isn’t currently named, stating, ‘We’ll have to think of a temporary project name for this one by the way.’).
He does allude to the fact that it’s not likely to be a bullet hell game, instead saying that they’re looking to, “…make this a fun game to shoot with a new system, fascinating graphics, characters, and a [sic] soundtrack.”
Do We Know Anything About The Soundtrack Yet?
Unfortunately nothing beyond some technical details have been stated regarding the soundtrack, but Koshiro’s drip fed information regarding this has been incredibly interesting.
He states that the soundtrack is utilising the Genesis/Mega Drive’s native YM2612 sound chip, which means that it’ll sound exactly like a game from the late 80s/early 90s.
How Will This New Sega Genesis Game Be Released?
Again, this isn’t certain, but Koshiro does mention that “We are considering various ideas to release it, including selling physical carts.”
Of course, in recent years, new games for old consoles have become fairly commonplace – with games released for countless old machines on original cartridge and disc formats.
Games on NES, SNES, Genesis and Mega Drive cartridges have been numerous – and there’s even been several Dreamcast games that have seen the light of day over the last few years too.
Is Koshiro Involved In More Than Just The Music For This New Sega Genesis Game?
Yes! Intriguingly, Koshiro also stated that, with this upcoming shoot ’em up, he’s involved in designing the game as well – which is first time he’s had a hand in Game Design since 1994’s Beyond Oasis (which you can also find on our best Sega Genesis RPGs list!).
It’s an exciting time to be a fan of Sega’s 16-bit wonder machine; who would have thought that would be the case, more than thirty years after it was originally released?
Of course, Retro Dodo will be keeping a close, keen eye on Koshiro’s 16-bit shoot ’em up project and we’ll share more details as soon as they come to light!
