Originally released in 1991 in Japan, Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon (美少女戦士セーラームーン), more commonly known as Sailor Moon, has continued to please and delight fans to this day. The manga inspired its own hit anime series that began in 1992 and ran until 1997, as well as many successful stage productions, a live action TV show, mindless amounts of merchandise and a healthy run of video games. In total, there were nine officially licensed video games during the peak of Sailor Moon‘s popularity, the first being released in 1993 and the last in 1997. Most of them were arcade side scrolling games, versus fighting games and puzzle games, as well as one strong RPG called Sailor Moon: Another Story. However, very few of them were released outside of Japan.
During the resurgence of popularity of Sailor Moon due to its upcoming 20th anniversary, there was a Nintendo DS game released in Italy called Sailor Moon: La Luna Splende (2010). This game was not translated or released anywhere outside of Italy, denying many Sailor Moon fans what they have been waiting for. North American fans have been waiting for a Sailor Moon game as long as Sailor Moon has been on TV. There was a minigame compilation game released in the U.S. for the PC entitled The 3D Adventures of Sailor Moon, but this was aimed mostly at younger children and had no tie-in with the series.
Fans want more, and to be honest, they deserve more. Many people, such as myself, have been devoted to Sailor Moon for the better part of their life at is point. While many petitions have gone out through the years for a new Sailor Moon game, the most current one probably stands the best chance. With having the game released in Italy, it shows the desire for a new game and that there is an audience for it. The new anime, which was previously going to be released this upcoming summer but has been delayed to 2014, has nonetheless brought about an intense interest for new and old fans. It also opens up for the floor for new games to tie in to this series instead of the 1990s anime. The current petition for a new Sailor Moon game is being run through Facebook, has over 3,000 “likes” and is expanding every day. They have put forth the idea of using the Wii/Wii U, Playstation Move and Kinect as platforms for the game, in order to bring a more interactive level to it. Players would possibly mimic the attacks of the Sailor Senshi as their characters are in battle. So many opportunities have opened up the last couple of years, giving a new Sailor Moon game the best chance it has had in a long time.
I encourage anyone who is interested to “like” the petition Facebook page and spread the word!
