ActRaiser

アクトレイザーSNES, Other, Wii1990

  1. JP1990
  2. NA1991
  3. EU1993
  4. RU—

ActRaiser kept the same name in every region (アクトレイザー in Japan), but the Western versions changed far more than the title: God became 'The Master' and Satan became Tanzra. No current store release of the 1990 original is documented; the 2021 remake Actraiser Renaissance is a separate game.

ActRaiser is a Super Famicom game developed by Quintet and published by Enix in Japan on 16 December 1990. Masaya Hashimoto directed it, and Yuzo Koshiro composed the soundtrack. North America received it in November 1991 and Europe on 18 March 1993.

The game alternates side-scrolling action stages with god-game simulation, in which the player guides towns as they grow. Quintet reported 620,000 copies sold, 400,000 of them in Japan, and a sequel, ActRaiser 2, followed in 1993.

The Western releases are a notable case of localization: religious names and symbols were removed, and the balance between action and simulation was tuned differently for each region. The Wii Virtual Console version was the only Virtual Console release from the former Enix catalogue. In September 2021 the game returned as Actraiser Renaissance, a full remake with tower-defense segments and music re-recorded by Koshiro.12

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA ActRaiser SNES November 1991 Enix 1
NA ActRaiserVirtual Console Wii May 28, 2007 Square Enix 1
JP アクトレイザー SNES Dec 16, 1990 Enix 1
EU ActRaiser SNES Mar 18, 1993 Enix 1
EU ActRaiserMobile phone version with only the first three side-scrolling levels and no town-building Other Sep 1, 2004 Macrospace 1
JP アクトレイザーVirtual Console; delisted 31 January 2019 Wii Mar 20, 2007 Square Enix 1
EU ActRaiserVirtual Console Wii Apr 13, 2007 Square Enix 1

Also known as: アクトレイザー JP2

Box art by region

  • ActRaiser box art, North America release
    NA ActRaiser
  • ActRaiser box art, Europe release
    EU ActRaiser
  • アクトレイザー box art, Japan release
    JP アクトレイザー

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • CensorshipJPNA/EU

    In Japan the hero is God and the villain is Satan; under Nintendo of America's content policy the Western releases call them 'The Master' and Tanzra.1

  • CensorshipJPNA/EU

    Monster lairs marked with the Star of David in Japan were redrawn with other symbols abroad, and the Eye of Providence on the Kasandora pyramid appears only in the Japanese version.3

  • DifficultyJPNA

    The North American action stages are easier (cheaper spells, non-lethal spike pits, more time), while the simulation stages are harder; the original Japanese action design returns as the unlockable 'Professional!' mode.1

All differences (5)

Translations

  • English Official

    Enix1991SNES · Japanese versionReleased · complete

    Enix released an English localization for North America (1991) and Europe (1993), with the religious names changed.1

Reception

Quintet reported 620,000 copies sold: 400,000 in Japan, 180,000 in North America and 40,000 in Europe. Critics praised its mix of action and god-game simulation, and Electronic Gaming Monthly named it Best Music of 1993.1

In lists

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2ja.wikipedia.org
  3. 3tcrf.net
  4. 4ja.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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