404 Game RE:SET Gameplay Involves Purifying Sega Games

A new interview from Sega shed a bit more light on the concepts and characters that animate 404 Game RE:SET gameplay. Announced in early February 2023, the game is a collaboration between Sega and NieR series creator Toko Taro. The interview reveals more detail about what players will actually do in the game and how they’ll interact with some of the characters introduced earlier. [Thanks, 4gamer!]

The new interview features commentary from Gosuke Nakamura, the game’s producer. As outlined earlier 404 Game RE:SET gameplay involves classic Sega games reimagined as humanoid characters. These anthropomorphizations (a.k.a. “gijinka”) actually take two forms: Type: Anode and Type: Cathode. Each type has a different personality that can best be summed up as “Light Side” and “Dark Side.” The Anode versions (the “Light” side) were introduced in a previous reveal. The “Dark” side Cathode personalities emerged as a result of Sega’s actions, which is why Sega is portrayed as the antagonist faction of 404 Game RE:SET. The members of the cast are initially “Cathodized” by Sega, and use their powers to adversely affect the world around them. For example, Outrun Type: Cathode runs wild throughout the cities, taking joy in her speed heedless of the dangers she poses to innocents. One screenshot shows Outrun Type: Cathode interacting with another character named Ribbon.

In 404 Game RE:SET gameplay. Players will infiltrate Sega servers, pretending to be Sega employees. In-game game functions are patterned off of Sega’s organizational structure. PVP matches take place in the “Director’s Arena” before members of the Sega board. The members of a player’s in-game guild are their coworkers in the same section. In terms of actual mechanics, the game blends RPG progression with scrolling shooter games. To sum things up, Nakamura described the game as a “shooting RPG where you purify girls that have fallen to the dark side.”

Sega also released character art of the Type: Cathode incarnations of Outrun, Afterburner, Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter, and Fantasy Zone. They’re voiced by the same performers that voice their purified Type: Anode versions.

404 Game Re:Set is in development for release on iOS and Android devices. It’ll go live in Spring 2023 in Japan. An international release has not yet been confirmed.