Piko Interactive is preparing to give 8 Eyes another opportunity to find an audience, with plans to bring the 1988 NES action-adventure game to several classic Nintendo and Sega platforms in enhanced form.
The publisher has announced 8 Eyes: 16-Bit Reborn and Legacy Collection, a crowdfunding project that aims to bring the game to the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance. These versions are expected to feature upgraded graphics and improved sound, offering a new take on Thinking Rabbit’s original adventure rather than simply making the existing NES release available on more hardware.
The project will also include a special NES commemorative edition, alongside a collectible vinyl soundtrack featuring music from original composer Kenzou Kumei. The soundtrack will include newly recomposed arrangements, giving fans another reason to take notice of the project beyond its proposed 16-bit versions.
Piko Interactive has also identified several additional platforms as potential stretch goals for the campaign, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Neo Geo. However, these are not confirmed releases at this stage, with their inclusion dependent on the crowdfunding campaign’s progress.
Originally released in 1988, 8 Eyes is an action-adventure platformer that drew comparisons to Konami’s Castlevania series. Players take control of Orin, a swordsman tasked with recovering eight powerful jewels, while also making use of his falcon companion, Cutrus, to attack enemies and overcome obstacles. Its combination of side-scrolling combat and companion-based gameplay helped give the NES release its own identity, even if it never quite reached the same heights as its more famous inspiration.
Piko Interactive previously brought 8 Eyes to PC through Steam in 2019 before including it in Piko Interactive Collection 1 for Evercade in 2020. This latest initiative represents a considerably more ambitious attempt to revisit the game, particularly with the prospect of versions designed around the capabilities of 16-bit hardware.
There is currently no confirmed launch date for the Kickstarter campaign, although Piko Interactive has indicated that it is coming soon. Interested players can visit the campaign page and register to receive a notification when crowdfunding officially begins.
Whether these new editions can improve upon the original game’s shortcomings remains to be seen, but the prospect of seeing 8 Eyes reimagined for the SNES, Genesis, and Game Boy Advance is certainly an unusual addition to the growing number of retro gaming revival projects.