Rainbow Cotton, an obscure 3D spinoff from a classic cute Cotton series, is surprisingly being revived in English after 24 years since its initial release. The developers have offered an explanation about the differences between emulation, remakes, and remasters, although their explanation might not be entirely accurate. The mainline Cotton games feature a young witch named Cotton on her broomstick, blasting through enemies in a side-scrolling shooter format reminiscent of games like R-Type or Gradius. With its adorable graphics, it falls into the “cute-em-up” genre alongside titles such as Fantasy Zone and Parodius.

The earlier games in the series are well-received, but due to their limited availability outside Japan, they’ve mostly been seen as exotic treasures by fans. Rainbow Cotton, a 3D iteration in the series, didn’t receive such praise when it debuted on the Dreamcast in Japan back in 2000. In fact, it’s even been the subject of an apology from one of the original developers. Nonetheless, the importance of preserving even the less stellar titles is something I stand by, which makes the upcoming English remake of Rainbow Cotton, set for release on May 9, something to look forward to.

Inin Games, the global publisher, has confidently labeled the new version of Rainbow Cotton as a “remake.” They’ve released a video demonstrating the distinctions between a basic emulation, a remaster that enhances visuals and audio, and their remake, which features entirely redeveloped graphics, improved sound and gameplay, as well as additional content.