As Florent Gorges explains in Les Oubliés de la Playhistoire, Rendering Ranger R2 is a title with a particular destiny in many respects. Designed by Manfred Trenz and studio Rainbow Arts (Turrican, The Great Giana Sisters), this title showcasing Nintendo’s 16-bit capabilities was only released in Japan on November 17, 1995, making it the only foreign game to have appeared only in the archipelago without ever approaching the borders of the United States or Europe.
Offering both Turrican-style run & gun sequences and side-scrolling shoot’em up passages, Rendering Ranger R2 was obviously released too late to interest publishers who had already entered the 3D era. Manfred Trenz’s game had only caught the attention of the Japanese branch of Virgin Interactive, and still not to the point of printing more than 10,000 cartridges, hence the game’s high rarity and the prices posted on eBay.
A status that will change, however, since Rendering Ranger R2 will be available for download on PS5, PS4, Switch and PC at an unknown date. For its part, Limited Run Games will distribute a Super Nintendo cartridge version, just to allow the game to take its revenge 27 years later. Pre-orders will begin on August 5.