Natsume are one of the more obscure developers during the 8 and 16 bit eras. And they're often confused with two other companies also called Natsume. Just a note: the Wikipedia page is wrong. The Natsume that made Harvest Moon and Pocky and Rocky are not the same company that made the games I'm talking about.
In the NES era, developers were rarely properly credited so tracking down every Natsume title is a bit difficult. But most of the games (the action/platformers in particular) have a certain quality that instantly reminds the player of Natsume's masterpiece Shatterhand.
Play this game. Drop whatever you're doing and play this game. This is one of the greatest action/platformer titles ever made and on par with any of your Megaman titles.
A Ninja Gaiden ripoff that's a fair bit different from Gaiden and has a different take on difficulty. Instead of being mobbed by hordes of quickly spawning enemies with unlimited continues. This time you deal with at-most 2-3 enemies at a time, once they're killed they stay dead, but you have 5 continues and 1 life per continue without any extra lives or continues to collect. Damn good game. So good that Tecmo bought the rights to the Gameboy version and published it as a Ninja Gaiden title on the system.
A ripoff of Lifeforce but it greatly ramps up the difficulty. On the plus side you have infinite continues and the game is basically like Gradius in that if you hold on to your powerups the game isn't too difficult. Great Shmup with a darker atmosphere than your average title on the system.
Well, that's an unfortunate title. But it is a fun Shmup in the vein of Capcom's Forgotten Worlds. Worth checking out.
Now, I'm unsure if Natsume developed the original Japanese version of the game called Power Blazer which was a pretty terrible Mega Man ripoff. Or they developed the American version known as Power Blade. There's no information. But Power Blade and it's sequel are damn good action/platformers worth playing.
This is probably one of their most obscure titles that got a Western release. Playing it definitely reminds you of Shatterhand at times but it has an interesting gimmick where you can used charge shots with different abilities and charge up to turn into a dragon. Good game.
Choijin Sentai Jetman. Never got a Western release. One of those Super Sentai shows that had footage pilfered for Power Rangers. Good little game but it's on the easy side and can be beaten pretty effortlessly in about 15-20 minutes.
The Three-Eyed One. Another Japanese exclusive but based on a manga. Some people like this one but I'm not a big fan. I find it too slow. It does have a nice idea with the store system and buying upgrades.
Games possibly done by Natsume:
Ninja Warriors (SNES). A beat 'em up title. Pretty decent.
Wild Guns (SNES). A gallery shooter. Easily one of the best of the genre and an amazing game.
In the NES era, developers were rarely properly credited so tracking down every Natsume title is a bit difficult. But most of the games (the action/platformers in particular) have a certain quality that instantly reminds the player of Natsume's masterpiece Shatterhand.
Play this game. Drop whatever you're doing and play this game. This is one of the greatest action/platformer titles ever made and on par with any of your Megaman titles.
A Ninja Gaiden ripoff that's a fair bit different from Gaiden and has a different take on difficulty. Instead of being mobbed by hordes of quickly spawning enemies with unlimited continues. This time you deal with at-most 2-3 enemies at a time, once they're killed they stay dead, but you have 5 continues and 1 life per continue without any extra lives or continues to collect. Damn good game. So good that Tecmo bought the rights to the Gameboy version and published it as a Ninja Gaiden title on the system.
A ripoff of Lifeforce but it greatly ramps up the difficulty. On the plus side you have infinite continues and the game is basically like Gradius in that if you hold on to your powerups the game isn't too difficult. Great Shmup with a darker atmosphere than your average title on the system.
Well, that's an unfortunate title. But it is a fun Shmup in the vein of Capcom's Forgotten Worlds. Worth checking out.
Now, I'm unsure if Natsume developed the original Japanese version of the game called Power Blazer which was a pretty terrible Mega Man ripoff. Or they developed the American version known as Power Blade. There's no information. But Power Blade and it's sequel are damn good action/platformers worth playing.
This is probably one of their most obscure titles that got a Western release. Playing it definitely reminds you of Shatterhand at times but it has an interesting gimmick where you can used charge shots with different abilities and charge up to turn into a dragon. Good game.
Choijin Sentai Jetman. Never got a Western release. One of those Super Sentai shows that had footage pilfered for Power Rangers. Good little game but it's on the easy side and can be beaten pretty effortlessly in about 15-20 minutes.
The Three-Eyed One. Another Japanese exclusive but based on a manga. Some people like this one but I'm not a big fan. I find it too slow. It does have a nice idea with the store system and buying upgrades.
Games possibly done by Natsume:
Ninja Warriors (SNES). A beat 'em up title. Pretty decent.
Wild Guns (SNES). A gallery shooter. Easily one of the best of the genre and an amazing game.
