1991 · Hot B · Role-playing · Science

Blue Almanac

Sega console exclusive

Blue Almanac is a 1991 RPG for the Sega Mega Drive by HOT-B published by Kodansha Research Institute for some reason. While it was only released in Japan, Kodansha was planning on translating the game as Star Odyssey, but the translation was cancelled for unknown reasons. Two prototypes were independently discovered by drx and by Brandon Cobb, head of Super Fighter Team, who subsequently acquired a license to complete the translation from HOT-B successor company Starfish (who like to revisit old properties), with intentions on releasing it on the twentieth anniversary of the original release. Despite his PR claiming that he received an "unofficial license" from Sega to distribute the game, Sega really asked him to remove their copyrights and trademarks, consequently making the translation fully unlicensed (while Blue Almanac is fully licensed).

Released: 22 June 1991
Platforms: Sega Genesis macOS
Genres: Role-playing Science
Developers: Hot B
Publishers: Kodansha
Modes: Single-player
Themes: Science fiction
Country: Japan

About

Blue Almanac (ブルーアルマナック, Burū Arumanakku) is a futuristic role-playing video game for the Sega Mega Drive.

It was released only for Japan on June 22, 1991 and had a US release as Star Odyssey planned and advertised but it was cancelled at the time. North American publisher Super Fighter Team acquired the official rights to publish an English version of the game with alterations to the translation and the programming, based on an as-yet-unreleased prototype of the US version, and released it exactly twenty years after the game's original release as Star Odyssey.