Kara Dennison
February 11, 2023 
Yoko Taro is teaming up with SEGA and illustrator Yuugen for a new mobile game. And this RPG asks the all-important question: what if classic video games were cute anime girls? That’s the basic concept behind 404 GAME RE:SET, coming to Japan later this year. It’s stacking up to be an interesting release with plenty of gacha potential. But what else do we know? Not much… but some.
Here’s what we’ve gleaned so far from the introductory materials. Of course, since it’s a Yoko Taro property, nothing is ever certain. But color us curious about this digital adventure.
Classic SEGA Titles Take the Spotlight
A mobile game with SEGA hat-tips is already a sure-fire winner. But the four titles 404 GAME RE:SET leads with aren’t SEGA’s biggest titles. They are, however, the most enduring. And it’s giving the impression that the targe demographic is old-school gamers. Or at least gamers who love a bit of nostalgia.
The first four game girls to be announced are OutRun, After Burner, Virtua Fighter, and Virtua Cop. These are definitely legendary titles in the SEGA library, but probably not the titles that would leap to mind if you were asked to name a SEGA game off the top of your head. With that in mind… as well as the fact that they’ll definitely want you paying for gacha rolls… we imagine this game will dig deep.
The Promise of Even Deeper Dives
While the launch trailer for the 404 GAME RE:SET mobile game does very clearly reference Sonic the Hedgehog, we’re excited about other things. (That said, we’re absolutely getting a Sonic girl. I’m not sure they’ll be able to resist.) If you look closely in the trailer, you’ll notice that another game girl has already been revealed: Crazy Taxi. The series, which launched in arcades in 1999, is another retro classic. Which gives us hope that the gacha pool will be inhabited mostly, if not entirely, by golden oldies.
Personally, we’re holding out hope for girls based on Altered Beast and Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. Whether we’ll get our wish is anyone’s guess… but this is Yoko Taro, so anything’s possible. Speaking of which…
This Story Sounds Familiar…
Yoko Taro recently made mobile game magic with SINoALICE, in which storybook characters fight for the right to resurrect and meet their respective authors. As you move through the game’s books, though, you learn that there’s more to the Library’s mysteries than that. And the 404 GAME RE:SET write-up is giving us some late-act vibes.
In this game, SEGA has taken over the world. The world is not what it appears to be. And now there are girls who represent these games… could there be some Act of Fusion antics going on here? Will we discover that this game also ties back in some way to his other works? We’ll find out later this year.
Enjoy these robotic anime to get your NieR fix.
