We've been excited for the Taito Egret II Mini arcade cabinet since it was announced last year. The cabinet will include 40 classic arcade games from Taito, with several cool accessories adding to the arcade experience. Until now, the Egret II was only announced for the Japanese market. Now, United Games Entertainment (parent company of ININ and Strictly Limited) has revealed that it will distribute the Egret II Mini in the West in 2022!
The Egret II Mini is a miniature arcade cabinet that features:
A total of 40 pre-installed games, including classics such as Space Invaders, Lunar Rescue, Bubble Bobble, Darius Gaiden, and many more 5-inch 4:3 rotating screen (1024x768 resolution) for horizontal and vertical alignment and an optimal adaptation to the selected game Joystick individually adjustable for each game - easily switch from 8 directions to 4 directions HDMI output to play the games also on TV Two USB Type-A controller ports for the different EGRET II mini controllers (that are sold separately) Power inlet via USB Type-C port SD card slot to add even more games Own integrated sound through stereo speakers Instruction panel for exchangeable instruction cards Special in-game features like Save states, adjustable lives and rapid-fireIn addition to 40 built-in games, 10 more games will be included with the optional Paddle & Trackball Expansion (a trackball/paddle controller that comes with an SD card). Other accessories will include a console-style controller and an arcade stick.
Cadash
The Egret II Mini will come with 11 co-op games by default and 2 co-op games with the Paddle & Trackball Expansion. These co-op games are:
Bubble Bobble (1986) Bubble Memories (1995) Bubble Symphony (1994) Cadash (1989) Darius Gaiden (1994) Don Doko Don (1989) Elevator Action Returns (1994) Growl (1990) Gun Frontier (1990) Metal Black (1991) The Ninja Kids (1990) RayForce (1993) Arkanoid Returns (1997) - Paddle & Trackball Expansion Plump Pop (1987) - Paddle & Trackball ExpansionSee our full games list article for the remaining Egret II Mini games and more details.
Arkanoid Returns
United Games Entertainment has not announced a specific release date or price for the English market version of the Egret II Mini. The Japanese version is due in March 2022 and will cost approximately $200 without accessories. Keep in mind that UGE and Strictly Limited Games operate out of Europe, so shipping to North America could end up being just as expensive as shipping from Japan.
We've recently reviewed several ININ Games titles, including Clockwork Aquario, G-Darius HD, and Dariustburst: Another Chronicle EX+. ININ also has the Taito Milestones collection in store for Nintendo Switch next year.