Super Turrican's uncut edition is getting a physical Super Famicom release

Japanese retro publisher Columbus Circle has released a new promotional video for its upcoming Super Famicom physical cartridge of Super Turrican & Director's Cut, ahead of the game's July 24 launch. The trailer shows off the dual-game contents and new packaging for the 7,980 yen release.

The cartridge was originally announced back in April, but this new footage gives a much clearer look at how the two versions run on original hardware. It is an unusual package. Instead of just reprinting the original game, Columbus Circle worked with developer Factor 5 to put both the 1993 original and the expanded Director's Cut on a single physical Super Famicom cartridge.

The 6 Mbit problem

To understand why the Director's Cut exists, you have to look at the economics of early 1990s cartridge manufacturing. Factor 5 originally built Super Turrican as a massive 6 Mbit game. The Turrican series debuted in 1990, created by Manfred Trenz for the Commodore 64 and Amiga. It stood out from contemporary console shooters by blending Metroid-style non-linear exploration with heavy run-and-gun firepower. The Super Nintendo entry was supposed to be the ultimate expression of that formula.

Publishers balked at the cost of the larger ROM chips. They forced Factor 5 to trim the game down to 4 Mbit right before release. The development team had to take a hatchet to their own work. They deleted an entire winter-themed stage, a high-speed train sequence, several enemy types, and a chunk of sound effects.

Worst of all, they had to cut several music tracks composed by Chris Huelsbeck.

Putting the pieces back together

Factor 5 eventually reformed under co-founder Julian Eggebrecht. In 2018, they finally finished the game they wanted to release in 1993. The Director's Cut restored the missing levels, the train sequence, the enemies, and the audio.

Until now, that restored version has bounced around in various digital formats. It debuted as pre-installed software on the Analogue Super Nt FPGA console, and later showed up in Strictly Limited Games collections and on the Evercade.

This Columbus Circle release is the first time the Director's Cut is getting a physical Super Famicom cartridge release in Japan. The new promotional video highlights the restored winter stage graphics and updated UI effects running alongside the original 1993 code. The release is officially licensed by Factor 5, though like all modern Columbus Circle products, it is an independent release not officially endorsed by Nintendo.

Art by a Treasure veteran

Columbus Circle did not just reuse the old European or American box art for this Japanese release. They commissioned brand new packaging artwork from Tetsuhiko 'Han' Kikuchi. If that name sounds familiar, Kikuchi is the former Konami and Treasure artist responsible for the visual style of Gunstar Heroes, Guardian Heroes, and Radiant Silvergun.

The physical package includes the cartridge, a printed manual, and the Kikuchi-illustrated box. Columbus Circle specializes in these kinds of aftermarket physical releases, having previously published reprints of games like Gimmick! and Clock Tower for the Japanese market.

Super Turrican & Director's Cut launches on July 24 for 7,980 yen. You will need an original Super Famicom or a compatible clone console to play it.