1996 Sega Saturn Game Now Available on Nintendo Switch for $2.39
A 1996 Sega Saturn console exclusive game is now available on Nintendo Switch for $2.39. There is no native Nintendo Switch 2 version, but the Nintendo Switch version is playable on the current Nintendo Switch console via backward compatibility. This price is only available until November 5, and it is only available on the Nintendo eShop. In fact, the game itself is only available digitally on the Nintendo eShop. Meanwhile, after November 5, the 70% discount that makes this cheap nostalgia possible will expire.
In addition to a $50 Nintendo Switch exclusive game being available for $2, Nintendo Switch users can now grab Tengai for just $0.39 more. For those who do not recognize this name, it is a horizontally scrolling shoot ’em up released in 1986 for the Sega Saturn and in arcades as well. It was developed by Japanese developer Psikyo, a studio that is no longer with us, having gone belly up in 2002. For 18 years, the game was a Sega Saturn exclusive, but then it came to PS2 in 2004. Then in 2018 it came to Nintendo Switch. Then in 2020 the PC, and finally in 2022, it came to PS4 and Xbox One.
As you may know, the game was never released outside of Japan originally, but when it came to Nintendo Switch and other modern platforms, it finally got a Western release. To this end, the game is available on the United States version of the Nintendo eShop, with American English support.
A Forgotten Sega Saturn Game
While not entirely lost to time, Tengai is a game that has been forgotten through time, largely because it was never very well known to begin with. Not only was it limited to Japan, but it wasn’t particularly popular in Japan either. What many don’t know about the game is that it’s actually a sequel to Sengoku Ace, though it also serves as a standalone experience.
As for the game itself, it follows the story of a great commander and ruler who loses his mind, forms a mysterious army, and takes several royal women of neighboring countries to his palace by force as hostages, with the goal of using their souls to create “an ultimate creature” that could destroy the world with fire if not stopped. You have to stop him.
Those who decide to check out this Sega Saturn classic will find it’s not a very long game, which is not uncommon for arcade games. To this end, it can be beaten in 30 minutes, though side content brings it closer to 90 minutes. Meanwhile, completionists will need 5-6 hours with the old-school game. Does it hold up in 2026? It’s certainly playable, but unless you have nostalgia for it, or at least nostalgia for this type of game in this specific era, it’s a hard revisit.