Metal Slug Veterans Revive Lost Game Boy Advance RPG As Navinosuke The Yo Kai Buster
Key Takeaways
- Happinet and Kohachi Studio are launching Navinosuke: The Yo-kai Buster for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam in 2027.
- The 2D pixel RPG was originally developed in the early 2000s for a canceled Game Boy Advance GPS peripheral by former Metal Slug creators.
- Players explore a fictional version of ancient Japan, recruit over 200 folklore-inspired yokai, and engage in strategic turn-based combat.
What is Navinosuke: The Yo-kai Buster?
Navinosuke: The Yo-kai Buster is a 2D pixel-art role-playing game set in a fictional version of ancient Japan. Humans and supernatural entities coexist here on the brink of collapse.
Publisher Happinet and developer Kohachi Studio scheduled the worldwide release for 2027 on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. An official press announcement was detailed on Gamespress.
The narrative follows Navinosuke, a mechanical onmyoji apprentice created to protect humanity from escalating yokai threats. When a modern human soul is transported a thousand years into the past, their fate intertwines with the mechanical protagonist.
How a Canceled Game Boy Advance GPS Project Was Revived
The origins of Navinosuke trace back to the early 2000s. A team of veteran developers from Nazca Corporation—the studio behind the original Metal Slug—secretly built the game for an unreleased Game Boy Advance GPS peripheral.
Automaton West reported that the title utilized location-based mechanics fifteen years before Pokémon GO popularized the concept. When Nintendo canceled the hardware, the development unit reworked the project into a traditional handheld RPG.
They eventually shelved it indefinitely following SNK’s bankruptcy in 2001. Kohachi Studio rescued the codebase years later. They maintained the original pixel art assets while updating the interface for modern hardware.
What to Expect from the Combat and Roster
Navinosuke utilizes a strategic turn-based combat system. It is built around elemental attributes and a support card mechanic.
Players manage fire, water, earth, phantom, and curse affinities to counter diverse enemy formations. They also recruit more than two hundred distinct creatures drawn from Japanese folklore. Combat encounters require careful party composition and tactical execution.
Kohachi Studio designed the roster using authentic mythological entities such as the Nekomata and the Gashadokuro. This separates the title from creature-collectors featuring entirely fictional monsters.
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When and Where Can Players Experience the Game?
Publisher Happinet confirmed that a playable demo of Navinosuke: The Yo-kai Buster will be featured at the Happinet booth during Tokyo Game Show 2026. The exhibition runs from September 17 through September 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan. This marks the public hands-on debut for the project.
Kohachi Studio introduced several quality-of-life upgrades to make the campaign accessible to modern players. Optional objective markers, event indicators, and an in-game pet crow hint system can be toggled on or off.
Wishlists are currently active on Steam. The full release supports English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese languages.
A video game enthusiast ever since I first got my hands on a Game Boy. Over the years, I've played many different games across various genres, discovering hidden gems and niche titles along the way. I'm also passionate about technology, always up-to-date with the latest news and insight in the PC and Console market. Ready to share and bring you the latest news !
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