New release: Pier Solar HD

Hey guys! Remember Pier Solar HD? Developer WaterMelon Co. has finally released it, and has written to me with the details! (Actually, they released it on September 30th; I’m a little late in posting this. My bad.)

The new incarnation of Pier Solar is a 2D jRPG featuring a strange mix of chunky pixel art and smooth HD graphics. I say “new incarnation” because this game was first developed long, long ago, and given an initial release on the Sega Genesis–we’re talking way back in 2004, here. Wanting to rerelease the thing with some updated niceties, the developers took Pier Solar to Kickstarter and were promptly buried in all the money from the internet’s jRPG-hungry denizens throwing dollar bills through their screens.

So, what’s the game about? The narrative premise goes a bit like this: Hoston is a young botanist whose father has become mysteriously ill. On a quest to save him, Hoston meets new friends, learns that they have to save the world, and discovers the true meaning of Christmas. (Minus the last part.)

This is given some very minimal elaboration in the game’s release trailer:

I admit, something about the inconsistency of the game’s visual aesthetic makes me a bit uncomfortable, but I might feel differently once I get around to playing it. (Speaking of which: I’ll be playing Pier Solar and offering my impressions just as soon as I get the game to run properly on my computer.)

In the meantime, Pier Solar is available for $14.99 on Windows, Mac, Linux, Playstation 4, Playstation 3, and OUYA. The developers tell me that it will be available on the Playstation Vita in the near future, and it’s planned for eventual release on Xbox One, Wii U, and Dreamcast as well.