Classic PS1 shoot ’em up Sonic Wings Special is getting re-released on PS5 and Switch 2 this week
It’s the latest game in Hamster’s Console Archives series of retro releases
PlayStation shoot ’em up Sonic Wings Special is making a return on modern consoles this week.
The game is the latest entry in the Console Archives series, which was launched by retro specialist Hamster Corporation last month and will see a steady stream of classic, rare or unusual console games being re-released.
Sonic Wings Special was released on PS1 and Saturn in 1996, before being ported to arcades. The game combines the features introduced in the three Sonic Wings games (known in the West as Aero Fighters), and gives players 26 fighter ships to choose from.
While the game contains 17 stages, a single playthrough takes in nine stages, with the path differing depending on a combination of random choice and a branching stage selection system.
Although the game was only released in Japan on the Saturn, the PS1 version saw a very limited budget release in Europe, which is now considered hard to find.
Hamster’s new re-release will be based on the PS1 version, and will be released on PS5 and Switch 2 on Thursday, March 12 at a price of $11.99.
Sonic Wings Special is the fifth entry in the Console Archives series, which has already seen the re-release of NES games Ninja Gaiden 2, Dezaemon and Nobunaga’s Ambition, and PS1 title Cool Boarders.
Other games confirmed to be coming to the series include the 1986 Famicom game Doraemon (which has never been officially released in the West) and PS1 game Monster Rancher Hop-A-Bout.
Hamster Corporation is best known for its Arcade Archives series, which has been re-releasing classic arcade games on a weekly basis for more than a decade.
In December, the company celebrated its milestone of 500 Arcade Archives titles by releasing the iconic Space Invaders on Christmas Day.
