Both Wolf Team Classics will be released on the SEGA Mega Drive in Europe for the First Time Ever!
POMONA, CA [June 27, 2023] – Two Wolf Team classics are returning to the SEGA Genesis® and making their Mega Drive debut with the release of El Viento and Sol-Deace, in an exclusive one-time run of a limited edition collector’s cartridges currently available for pre-order from Retro-Bit® Publishing, a publishing imprint of Retro-Bit®. Pre-orders will go on sale starting June 27th and run through July 30th, priced at $54.99 in North America and €69.99 in Europe.
First released in the United States and Japan in 1991, El Viento marks the first chapter in Wolf Team’s Earnest Evans trilogy. Set in 1928, this side-scrolling action game stars a sorceress from the mountains of Peru named Annet Myer, who comes to New York City in an effort to stop an evil cult from using the newly-constructed Empire State Building as a sacrificial shrine to summon the demon Hastur. Using the element of air to her advantage, Annet battles through speakeasies, sewers, factories, and the mob-filled city streets in one of the most explosive games to come out of the 1990s.
One year later, in 1992, Renovation published Sol-Deace, a story based in the third millennium, when mankind created an ultra-advanced artificial intelligence supercomputer in an effort to unite society. But when the GCS-WT computer turns on the humans and attempts to suppress mankind, scientist Edwin Deace jumps in his revolutionary twin-seat fighter spacecraft, Sol-Deace, and saves Earth from its A.I. dictator.
Both games were praised by critics at the time for their innovative takes on popular genres. El Viento’s mix of cinematic narrative and fast-paced action led Mega Play: The #1 All-Sega Video Game Magazine to say, “Killer explosions and awesome graphics set this action cart above the rest.” When they reviewed Sol-Deace in 1992, Electronic Gaming Monthly noted: “From great graphics to fast-moving action to a wide array of weapon enhancements, this is every blaster fan’s dream come true.” Both El Viento and Sol-Deace were given high marks from GamePro, Computer & Video Games, and Mean Machine Sega magazines.
These upcoming physical releases from Retro-Bit Publishing will not only bring the critically-acclaimed action game and shooter back to the Sega Genesis for the first time in thirty years but will also mark the first time either El Viento or Sol-Deace has been released in cartridge format on the Sega Mega Drive in Europe.
The limited-edition packages will include a Dark Matter Sol-Deace cartridge and Rosa Intensa El Viento cartridge, a fully-colored instruction manual, a slipcover, and a certificate of authenticity. Both games will also come with a reversible cartridge inlay sleeve, offering a choice between the American and Japanese box designs. In addition to this, Sol-Deace will come with a double-sided poster.
“El Viento and Sol-Deace are two great examples of Wolf Team at the top of their game, giving genre fans a whole lot more than they bargained for,” explains Richard Igros, Director of Marketing at Retro-Bit Publishing. “El Viento is the perfect blend of action and cinematic storytelling, while Sol-Deace has all the right ingredients -- inventive level designs, unique power-ups, crazy bosses, catchy tunes, and, of course, the kind of edge-of-your-seat excitement that only a great shooter can provide. Best of all, this will finally give European gamers a chance to own two 16-bit classics they missed out on three decades ago.”
These El Viento and Sol-Deace pre-order campaigns come just weeks after Retro-Bit Publishing announced the Hammerin’ Harry: Concrete Collection, featuring two of Harry’s Nintendo Entertainment System adventures. Previous releases include limited-edition reproductions of Gaiares, Mega Man: The Wily Wars, Gley Lancer, and a Valis Collection box set.
Pre-orders for El Viento and Sol-Deace are available now for Genesis and Mega Drive, individually, for a one-time production run and will end on July 30th for $54.99 in North America and €69,99 in Europe. Visit the Retro-Bit website for all participating retailers. North American pre-orders can be placed through Limited Run Games and Castlemania Games, while European pre-orders will be available at NedGame, Spel & Sant, Retro Cables, and Arcade Dreams, with more retailers announced later this week.
A portion of the proceeds generated by Retro-Bit's Sol Deace and El Viento re-release will be donated to the Video Game History Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and teaching the history of video games.
More information about El Viento can be found at: https://retro-bit.com/el-viento
More information about Sol-Deace can be found at https://retro-bit.com/sol-deace
Press Kit for El Viento can be found HERE
Press Kit for Sol-Deace can be found HERE
©Edia Co., Ltd.
About Retro-Bit
A leader in the retro-gaming community for more than a decade, Retro-Bit® brings new life to classic video game consoles with exciting accessories, controllers, and games. From the Atari 2600® to the PlayStation 4® and almost everything in between, Retro-Bit offers the best new ways to play classic games. Retro-Bit can be found online at retro-bit.com, Facebook (@Retrobitgaming) and Twitter (@RetroBitGaming).
About Video Game History Foundation
The Video Game History Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and teaching the history of video games. The organization was founded in 2017 by historian, journalist, and game developer Frank Cifaldi.
© Edia Co., Ltd.