Atlus's classic JRPG franchise Shin Megami Tensei is now an internationally mainstream franchise, thanks mostly to the success of the Persona spinoff titles. Despite not finding its footing in the west until 2003's Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, the game maintained a strong following in Japan.
The franchise did make one attempt at a US release before Nocturne, however. Unfortunately, it happened on the worst Nintendo console ever. 1995's Jack Bros. is a puzzle adventure featuring Shin Megami Tensei's mascot, the adorable ice demon Jack Frost, that was exclusive to the Virtual Boy console. Thanks to its relation to a then-unfamiliar franchise and the Virtual Boy's abysmal release, Jack Bros. is now more than just a piece of history -- it's one of the rarest games ever.
The story involves the three eponymous Jack Brothers -- Jack Ripper, Jack Skelton and Jack Frost. The trio has visited the human realm for Halloween but lost track of time. Now they must race back to the pathway home, or else they'll die stranded in the human realm. Helping them along the way is Pixie, who can also be unlocked after a certain point.
The gameplay is a mix of classic top-down Zelda dungeon-crawling along with shoot 'em up and hack-and-slash elements. Each Jack Brother has its own special attack, with Frost freezing opponents, Skelton burning them, and Ripper slashing them. Using these skills, they have to traverse through multi-level dungeons and complete stages in the allotted time limit, making it through six stages and dealing with various bosses. While the aforementioned similarities to Zelda are obvious, the game is also a sort of more accessible version of the main series' own dungeon crawling, albeit without the turn-based battles or peak difficulty.
Despite releasing on the Virtual Boy, the game's quality shone through. Jack Bros. is considered easily one of the best games for the system. Many lauded its music and gameplay and found it to be a fairly rewarding experience, despite how basic the gameplay was. Since then, fans of both Shin Megami Tensei and classic Nintendo titles have called for its re-release in some capacity, but the title remains increasingly obscure. Today the Japanese version can run roughly $100 loose, but recent eBay transactions of the American release can easily reach up to $2000 if the game is complete in box.
Even today, with the popularity of SMT worldwide, many fans are unfamiliar with this obscure release, especially given its lack of Shin Megami Tensei branding at the time of its release. Even in Japan, it's called Jack Brothers' Hee-Ho at the Labyrinth!, lacking the usual Megami Tensei or Majin Tensei subheadings. Due to this and the cumbersome 3D technology the Virtual Boy utilized, the title has had a hard time finding the traction needed to warrant a re-release. With the franchise, namely its many spinoffs, having more eyes on it than ever, now would be the perfect time for the Jack Bros. to cross the bridge over for Halloween fun once more.
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