Konamihas a lot of renowned and beloved franchises under its belt. Franchises likeCastlevaniaandMetal Gear Solidare very likely to see some form of new entry in the future. There are also some properties that have not been given enough love of late but are still high-profile enough to see a new release down the line.
However, there are also otherfranchises owned by Konamithat are so far out of the limelight, that they may never see another entry. These titles deserve more attention for a chance at being revived so that they may stand alongside some ofKonami’s most influential franchises.
5Bloody Roar
Transform Into A More Powerful Beast Form
Bloody Roaris a game that has fallen from the limelight but used to be one of the most iconic 3D fighting game franchises with its debut on Arcade machines and the original PlayStation. The game lets players select from a wide roster of different human characters that can each transform into a mighty human-beast hybrid form. Players were able to make use of extremely hard-hitting moves with high amounts of knock-back, instantaneous juggling combos, and were able to leap high into the air.
Its development team of Hudson Soft would merge with Konami Digital Entertainment, which has grossly underutilized the properties and assets acquired from this merger back in 2012.Blood Roaris a game whose few loyal fans still wish to be revived and believe it to be one of thegames that were far ahead of their time. It has remained untouched since 2003 and it does not look like there are any plans to pick it back up based on Konami’s track record with it so far.
4Ganbare Goemon
An Extremely Enjoyable Tropey Ninja Adventure
This is a platforming game series with top-notch gameplay for each release that evolved with the times and adopted mechanics and quality-of-life improvements throughout its lifespan. This makes each game worth playing from the first in 1986, to its final video game release in 2005. The game features heavy ninja-inspired esthetics and themes, including tropes and music to really get players invested in the theme.
The mainline series saw a release almost every year from 1989 to 2005, with some years having 2 to 3 releases. This is more impressive than theAssassin’s Creedtrack record of mainline entries. Players who enjoy this franchise and are in dire need of a new entry can look to the 2024 gameBakeruon the Nintendo Switch, which captures a lot of the magic that made this franchise so enjoyable. Konami has resigned a lot of its properties to simply being themes to gambling machines, and this is sadly one of those franchises — with said machine releasing in 2011. As such, it’s doubtful it will make a proper comeback.
Tactical RPGs are not for everyone and used to be enjoyed by a very niche market. However, games likeBaldur’s Gate 3have helped thrust this genre into the mainstream to cause a surge of interest. Vandal Hearts has a very well-designed and engaging story, and its gameplay will be something many TRPG enthusiasts will enjoy because of how much depth its levels offer. Almost every map feels like the layout and positioning of characters truly matter, rather than just being mild elevations.
After over a decade since its sequel,Vandal Hearts 2, a new entry was released in 2010, but has not had any interest since. Despite having no news on any form of revival, this stands as one of thebest RPG games Konami has to offer. The franchise does not come close to more well-known Konami titles and lacks a large enough fanbase to believe that Konami might consider doing more with the property.
2Skate or Die
A Radical Throwback To The 90s
TheSkate or Diegames offer many different gameplay experiences, some involving racing, and others involving pulling off tricks. These games all came out during the 90s and lean heavily into the skateboarder culture of the time. The game was designed to focus on capitalizing on the popularity surrounding skateboarding, and while the games offered fun experiences, these gameplay elements themselves could be transferable to other esthetics.
It is very unlikely that this franchise will ever see any form of revival, as none of the games have even seen any form of re-release since their launch systems. A lot of classic games have seen re-releases on newer systems, but this usually involves the title being very popular. However, there are still somegreat console-exclusive games that have never been re-released.
The original game,Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hands, had a cartridge that could detect the presence of actual sunlight. Should players go outside in the daytime while playing the game, they could charge up the weapons they used in the game. As the sun sets in the real world, so will it in the game, and players will need to charge their weapons at specific locations.
The game did see a spiritual successor in the form ofLunar Knights, which let players swap between characters, and had a higher focus on action, despite the franchise heavily incorporating stealth elements. This franchise was spearheaded by the legendary Hideo Kojima ofMetal Gear Solidfame — who has worked on somenoteworthy titles over the course of his career. There is a lot of bad blood between Kojima and Konami, and because of that, the three years between 2003 and 2006 may be the only time this franchise may witness any development.
