You’ll be forgiven for considering that Nihon Falcom’s motion RPG Popful Mail was a sequence. Actually, the sport underwent so many reimaginings following its launch on the PC-8801 in 1991 that you simply may discover a drastically totally different expertise enjoying it on one console in comparison with one other.
These variations vary from further music and ranges to finish graphical overhauls, although maybe probably the most attention-grabbing change is one which was solely ever deliberate and by no means noticed the sunshine of day: the sport was to grow to be a part of the Sonic sequence in its Mega CD kind.
Popful Mail could be remade as ‘Sister Sonic’, with the primary character, Mail, taking up the position of certainly one of Sonic’s feminine relations (not essentially his sister, confusingly). This might be a remake of Popful Mail for Western audiences (although it was additionally deliberate for a Japanese launch) with the added pull of Sonic as a recognisable identify for individuals who had not come throughout the Japanese RPG earlier than.
YouTube channel DidYouKnowGaming lined this deliberate reimagining in a video final month, mentioning that there aren’t any official screenshots or footage from the sport’s transformation right into a Sonic RPG. The sport was positively in improvement — as confirmed by the Sega-Falcom director in a November 1992 concern of the Japanese journal Beep Megadrive — but it surely seems to have been swiftly cancelled. The channel claims that this was right down to backlash in Japan, with followers demanding {that a} extra devoted remake be dropped at the Mega CD, nevertheless, it seems that this doesn’t clarify the mission’s full cancellation.
As revealed in a brand new investigation by our sister web site Time Extension, it seems that the fan complaints solely had an impact on the deliberate Japanese launch of the Sister Sonic sport. In an interview with Diehard GameFan journal from 1993 Sega-Falcom director Kazutaka Yano famous that the corporate was nonetheless urgent on with releasing Sister Sonic in America, whereas Japan would obtain the common Popful Mail on Mega CD.
Yow will discover the director’s quote to Diehard GameFan (by way of Time Extension) under.
Our plan is to alter Popful Mail’s character to Sister Sonic and launch it for the international market. Sega of America has OK’d the usage of this character and plenty of shoppers are wanting ahead to enjoying a wholly new sport primarily based on this character. So we determined to contemplate them as two totally different ideas.
The actual thriller, then, is why the sport by no means ended up coming in its Sonic kind to the West. Sadly, this can be a thriller that also hasn’t been solved. Time Extension spoke to Victor Eire of Working Designs, who was in a position to affirm that the sport was deliberate for launch outdoors of Japan, however even he did not know why the West ended up with a devoted remake as a substitute.
So sure, Popful Mail did find yourself coming to the Mega CD outdoors of Japan, although it was far nearer to the unique sport than the unusual Sonic spin-off that was initially introduced. It is a disgrace actually, we’ve fairly a comfortable spot for the DS’ Sonic Chronicles: The Darkish Brotherhood so we just like the considered there being extra Sonic RPGs on the market someplace.
Whether or not Popful Mail may have stuffed that gap, who is aware of? We by no means noticed any official artwork of Sister Sonic so your guess of what the red-headed protagonist would have regarded like in hedgehog kind is pretty much as good as ours. In fact, that hasn’t stopped some proficient artists from imagining the character for us (maybe with some assist from the Sonic Underground cartoon by which Sonic had an precise sister, Sonia), so let’s end with a take a look at what Sister Sonic may have been.
Acquired impressed by the outdated Sonic Shogakugan comedian. Sonic known as Nikki and as a way to save Amy from hazard his futur self Sonic time travels again up to now and takes his place. The yellow hedgehog is Tania, sonic’s sister. #sonamy #sonic #amyrose #sonicfanart pic.twitter.com/kZLVcPnCzj— Andoraliix (@andoraliix) August 9, 2023
Yeah, Cylent Nite on Deviantart even had his personal tackle Sonic’s Sister primarily based on the Design of Popful Mail.Credit score to @Cylent_Nite pic.twitter.com/PiINMwMxKM— Saucy Smartness 🇺🇸🇳🇬 (@ToluPopoola5) February 23, 2020
Ey yo it’s Sonic’s sister pic.twitter.com/50aLQv0Wn6— Goals 💖 (comply with me on BlueSky) (@DreamfulBlue) December 20, 2021
For extra data on Popful Mail’s totally different console variations and the rise of Sister Sonic, make sure you try Time Extension’s full investigation right here.
Would you will have needed to see Popful Mail get reimagined as a Sonic spin-off? Tell us within the feedback.
