Cotton (series) - Known Games and Versions

Known Games and Versions

• Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams was originally released as an arcade game on the Sega System 16B arcade board in 1991. Later, in 1993, it was ported both to the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 as a Super CD-ROM game, as well as to the Sharp X68000 home computer. The Super CD-ROM version, while slightly toned down from the arcade original in graphics and difficulty, includes a remixed CD-DA soundtrack, as well as voice acting in the Japanese release. The X68000 version, though maintaining the arcade version's soundtrack, features many heavily modified enemy and boss patterns. Finally, another version came out of for the PlayStation as Cotton Original in 1999, which uses its own CD-DA music and again takes liberties in gameplay reproduction from the arcade version. In addition, the Neo Geo Pocket Color hand-held console also received a scaled down port in 2000. The Turbografx-16 and Neo Geo Pocket Color releases of this game are the only games in the Cotton series to have come out in America.
• Märchen Adventure Cotton 100% was released on the Super Famicom in early 1994. It is perhaps best described as something of a reinterpretation of the original Cotton – the enemy graphics and behaviors, the gameplay mechanics, some of the stages and bosses, as well as the plot itself are virtually identical to the first game. However, in addition to many unique stages and enemies, the theme and colors in Marchen Adventure Cotton 100% are much brighter, and the actual level mapping is significantly different from the first game. Marchen Adventure Cotton 100% also came with a free mini-audio CD which featured music and dialogue based on the game. In 2003, the PlayStation received its own straight port of the game called simply Cotton 100%. It did not, however, come with the mini-CD.
• Panorama Cotton was released exclusively on the Mega Drive/Genesis system in late 1994. It is the single rarest game in the series, and also one of the most rare games on the Mega Drive. It is notorious for fetching high prices at auction, especially when included with its commemorative tea cup (see below). Panorama Cotton made a major departure from the original gameplay formula of Cotton; instead of being a side-scrolling shooter like the others, it was a pseudo-3D shooter in the style of Sega's classic arcade hit Space Harrier. Stylistically, it also stands out for having lost the melancholy undertones that the other games have; instead, it simply strives to be uniquely psychedelic.
• Cotton 2: Magical Night Dreams was released first as an arcade game on Sega's ST-V hardware in 1997. Only months later, it received a virtually arcade-perfect console port on the Sega Saturn. Considered the true sequel to the first game in the series, Cotton 2 also marks the introduction of two new primary characters: Appli, a young princess, and her anthropomorphic hat, Needle. Cotton 2 sees a return to traditional horizontal scrolling in the series, but it also stands out among shoot 'em ups in general for its unique gameplay system. With a heavy incorporation of Newtonian physics, Cotton 2 ultimately mixes elements of 2D platformers with traditional shoot 'em up gameplay. The first release of Cotton 2 on the Sega Saturn also included a mini-calendar for 1998.
• Cotton Boomerang was also originally an ST-V arcade game, and it, too, received a faithful home port on the Sega Saturn. It was made in 1998. Like Marchen Adventure Cotton 100%, Cotton Boomerang remixes graphics and gameplay from the previous game in the series (Cotton 2) with a number of new ideas. The gameplay in general is much more manic than Cotton 2, and Silk and Needle are playable as independent characters.
• Rainbow Cotton Was released in 2000 for the Dreamcast and saw the series venture into 3D for the second time. The game featured bright crisp visuals and sound effects but disappointed fans of the series who were hoping for a continuation of the traditional Cotton formula.
• Magical Pachinko Cotton Was released on the PlayStation 2 games console. This is not really a game in the Cotton series; rather, it simply stars the characters from the games.
• Rondo of Swords Although not a Cotton game specifically, the willow obsessed witch joins your party in this strategy role-playing title, also made by Success.