70’s-style Robot Anime Geppy-X has simply got to be the best kind of retro re-release.

    I’d never heard of this Japan-only PS1 scrolling shooter from 1999, but I had an absolute blast playing through its enhanced PS5 version, lovingly repackaged by Implicit Conversions – the studio behind PS Plus Premium’s emulated catalogue.

    As a shooter, it’s a mostly unremarkable affair, populated by a crude mixture of Super Nintendo sprites and garish polygonal models.

    But the entire package is elevated by its inclusion of over 8,000 video clips, all brilliantly remastered from preserved Betacam footage – or available in its original compressed format, if you prefer.

    Each level of the game is delivered like a full episode of an anime, complete with title card, credits, and even fake commercials – some promoting manga adaptations of the faux show, others licensed tie-ins, like shampoo. (“Don’t pour it in your eyes!”)

    There’s even a parody of Ashita no Joe at one point, as well as various other sports anime.

    The content itself is heavily inspired by the work of Go Nagai, specifically shows like UFO Robot Grendizer and Getter Robo. It even has its own theme songs, performed by legendary Japanese singers like Isao Sasaki, who of course starred on the soundtracks of the aforementioned.

    The gameplay is a bit sluggish: enemies don’t really feel like they’re taking much damage, and triggering the “about face” mechanic – which lets you turn around and attack from right-to-left as opposed to the usual left-to-right – feels quite slushy and unresponsive.

    But there are some nice ideas here, like multiple routes through the eight-stage campaign and unique boss fight animations triggered when you fulfil certain conditions.

    The package is really well assembled too, with some excellent CRT filters and even an in-game manual, which you can flick through like a classic PS1 booklet.

    I can’t really recommend this for its core gameplay – although it’s not a bad shooter by any stretch – but I would encourage you to try it if you’re a fan of old mecha anime or weird PS1 oddities.

    Like I said, I’d personally never heard of this game, but the outlandish cutscenes and earworm audio had me beaming from ear-to-ear.

    For me, this is what game preservation is all about: exposing a new audience to a cult classic, lovingly repackaged with the care and attention it deserves.