A Sega Mega Drive game thought to have been lost to the ether is getting a physical cartridge release in 2027. It's another great win for game preservation, but also gives Western gamers a chance to play a game that never released outside of Japan. Better dust off your Mega Drive or Genesis and get practicing with the controller, as it's set to arrive early on in 2027 from Limited Run Games. and Retro-Bit.
The game is called Twinkle Tale, and it encapsulates all of those game elements from the Genesis era into one game. We're talking fantasy gameplay with run-and-gun action and a healthy dose of dungeon crawling. It's like if you put Gunstar Heroes and Golden Axe in a bag and shook them about a bit.
A SEGA Genesis classic is finally making its way to a new audience! Twinkle Tale is receiving its first official release outside of Japan, and we're excited to bring it to the US alongside Retro-Bit. Plus, we're giving this release a little something extra with an exclusive Dragon Fire cartridge color. 🔥 Pre-orders open tomorrow, November 10, at 12 PM ET!
— Limited Run Games (@LimitedRunGames) November 9, 2026
So what makes this game so special? Why is everyone so excited? Well, you take a magician called Saria on an adventure through Alpherion in a bid to save the land and its inhabitants from an evil wizard. It's your classic magic battle, complete with resurrected dark lords and an underdog story where your character comes into their own before defeating the final boss.
The game cartridge will be region-free, so it doesn't matter where you live in the world. It's been localised by Nathan Deren and translated by Jeff Nussbaum for Western audiences, and comes with a full-colour instruction manual as well as a numbered slipcover.
Pre-orders go live today at 12 noon Eastern Time/5 pm GMT and run till Sunday 20th December, 2026, AT 11:59 PM Eastern Time/21st December 4:59 AM GMT, with the game costing $59.99/£60.00. As for the early 2027 release, that could be 2028, knowing Limited Run Games, but I'm hoping the release date is at least in Q2 2027, as this game looks right up my street.
