Switch just got the PC-9801 classic Marchen Veil II

D4 Enterprise released EGG Console Marchen Veil II PC-9801 on the Nintendo Switch today. The 1986 action RPG is available right now on the Japanese Switch eShop for 980 yen (roughly $6.13).

The game follows a lake prince who has been cursed and transformed into an ugly monster. To break the spell and return to his true form, he has to fight his way through a series of overhead action sequences using projectile magic. It is a direct sequel to the original Marchen Veil, picking up the narrative right where the first game left off. The sequel expands the combat mechanics with improved character movement and more complex enemy encounter designs.

The complete 1986 narrative

System Sacom originally developed the title for the NEC PC-9801. If you are not familiar with Japanese computing history, the PC-98 series was an absolute juggernaut. It sold over 18 million units and shaped the early landscape of Japanese RPGs and visual novels. The hardware had robust support for high-resolution Japanese text rendering, making it the default home for text-heavy adventures long before Windows took over the market.

The visual presentation is striking for a 1986 release. The PC-9801's graphical capabilities allowed System Sacom to draw detailed, moody character portraits during the story segments. When the game shifts to combat, the perspective pulls back to a top-down view similar to early Zelda titles, requiring players to dodge projectiles and navigate labyrinthine environments.

Marchen Veil II is notable because it blends these two distinct styles. Players watch visual novel-like story scenes that push the plot forward, followed by action segments where they actually play out the battles. The PC-9801 release is historically important because it contained the complete story. Other contemporary ports at the time often chopped off the second half of the narrative due to hardware limitations on weaker platforms.

System Sacom was founded in 1981 and eventually became famous for their "Novel Ware" series, which heavily influenced the modern visual novel genre. Developers were just throwing text and action together to see what stuck, and the results were often fascinating.

The studio eventually moved on to console games like Mansion of Hidden Souls and Lunacy for Sega platforms before bowing out of the game industry entirely in 1998. D4 Enterprise now owns their intellectual property catalog, which is how these re-releases are happening.

About the EGG Console Series

D4 Enterprise has been running Project EGG on personal computers since 2001, a service that has seen over 102 titles delisted from its extensive catalog. On PC, it operates as a massive subscription-based digital archive for Japanese microcomputer games. In late 2023, they finally started packaging these emulated titles as standalone purchases for modern consoles under the EGG Console series, bringing over heavy hitters like Xanadu, Thexder, and Relics.

The Switch wrapper includes modern conveniences like save states, an English "how-to-play" manual, and a gallery of original materials. The core game itself remains in Japanese. It is a straightforward way to play a piece of PC-9801 history without having to track down original floppy disks and a working CRT monitor.