Yesterday, on social media, RockmanCosmo revealed that a remarkable 23 titles, developed for i-Mode compatible Japanese feature phones by Konami, had been dumped and preserved online. The majority of these titles had previously been considered "lost media" due to Konami pulling its Konami Net DX offline in 2016 and i-Mode-compatible phones falling out of use.
The incredible haul was dumped online by an anonymous user and, as Cosmo detailed, includes the keitai-exclusive titles Gradius NEO and Gradius NEO Imperial, as well as Castlevania, TwinBee, and Parodius titles.
Gradius Neo was originally launched in February 2004 for i-Mode and Yahoo keitai-compatible phones and was also eventually released for EZWeb phones as well. It featured five stages, each containing its own boss, and notably was the first game in the series to give players the ability to control the formation of their multiples, predating Gradius V for the PS2. It lets players set up to six different formations, adding an extra layer of strategy to the game.
Gradius NEO Imperial, meanwhile, was launched in March 2004, again for i-Mode and Yahoo keitai phones, and also later got a BREW version, via EZWeb (though we couldn't find any info on exactly when). It again featured five stages, allowing players to take control of a defecting enemy who has hijacked the large warship Big Core from the previous Gradius games. One of its defining features was its left-scrolling perspective, which was a change from earlier entries in the series.
Here is the full list of games that have been preserved:
- Akumajō Densetsu
- Akumajō Dracula N920i
- Biomiracle I’m Upa
- Deta Na! TwinBee 1
- Deta Na! TwinBee 2
- Esper Dream N901iC Version
- Gradius 2
- Gradius Complete
- Gradius II Part 1
- Gradius II Part 2
- Gradius NEO
- Gradius NEO Imperial
- Green Beret
- I am Dracula-kun A
- I am Dracula-kun B
- Love Warrior Nicoru
- Parodius
- Parodius Da! Part 1, 2, 3
- Salamander
- Space Manbow
- Super Contra
- TwinBee
- Wai Wai World
