Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The immediate draw is simple: this collection puts Blaster Master and Ripple Island together in one place. With only two games on the bill, you can get to the point quickly rather than wade through a padded compilation menu.

That also makes Vol. 4 a particularly selective purchase. The value lives almost entirely in whether you want these two games, because there is no larger lineup to soften the blow if one of them does not land for you. It feels more like a deliberate double feature than a broad retrospective.

For a retro fan, that tightness can be refreshing. Pick the game you are in the mood for, spend time with it, then switch to the other without treating either as filler. Anyone hoping for a substantial survey of Sunsoft’s catalogue will likely find the package too slight.

Graphics

Vol. 4 preserves two distinct games rather than blending them into a single new production. The collection’s visual interest therefore comes from moving between Blaster Master and Ripple Island, not from a unified look across the disc.

Story

Story is not the reason to choose this volume as a package. It is a compilation first, built around returning to two separate Sunsoft games rather than following one new narrative through the collection.

That separation has a practical upside: you can treat each game as its own stop rather than feeling obliged to work through a connected campaign. There is no need to buy into a shared premise before deciding where to spend your time.

It does mean the collection itself offers little dramatic throughline. The connective tissue is Sunsoft and the Memorial Series label, which is enough for a nostalgia-minded purchase but not enough to give the package a story of its own.

Overall Experience

Memorial Series: Sunsoft Vol. 4 is a modest, focused release that knows exactly what it is: two games, one publisher, and a small shelf-space-friendly slice of retro history. Its restraint is more appealing than an inflated package would have been, but so is its limitation impossible to ignore.

You should give it a chance if Blaster Master, Ripple Island, or Sunsoft’s back catalogue already means something to you. The first hour will tell you everything important about the compilation’s fit: either this pair feels like a welcome reunion, or the slim selection leaves you wanting a fuller anthology.

As a standalone recommendation, it is difficult to call essential. As part of a Memorial Series run, though, it has a pleasingly curated feel, especially alongside Memorial Series: Sunsoft Vol. 3. Buy it for the two named games, not for the promise of a large collection.

Retro Replay Score

5.5/10