Sweet Acorn

Enlighted (6215)

22-07-2022, 09:24

Hello,

I'm pretty sure Sweet Acorn was never sold in Japan. Since there are two Rom dumps available. One with a "BONUS ROUND" called "ATRACTION SCENE" (and with an Y beetwen of T in SWEET). I suppose that version "BONUS ROUND comme from Electric software and the other from Spain. Can anyone confirm it?

By tfh

Prophet (3346)

22-07-2022, 10:24

GenerationMSX does seem to mention a Japanese release on ROM by Nidecom?
https://www.generation-msx.nl/software/taito/sweet-acorn/rel...

By gdx

Enlighted (6215)

22-07-2022, 11:07

I know but any info nor picture nowhere since many year. Either the Nidecom version is super rare or it was never released in Japan.

By ~mk~

Champion (328)

22-07-2022, 23:47

The original Taito version is probably not yet dumped.
But it is a Taito game and listed on Tagoo database, so it was sold in Japan.

By gdx

Enlighted (6215)

23-07-2022, 17:07

People who make lists often base themselves on existing lists.

A Japanese seems to say on Twiter it was only sold overseas.

https://twitter.com/Area51_zek/status/1151096753514434563

And on Tagoo someone asks the question.

http://msx.jpn.org/tagoo/s_check.cgi?LINE=1715

It wouldn't be the first time that an advertised game has never been released in Japan.
I have also seen several Japanese who are looking for this game in vain. It seems improbable to me that such a game went unnoticed in Japan.

Anyway I would like to know where the 2 dumps come from. If anyone has an original version (whatever the version), I'd like them to dump it to compare. This is to complete this list.

By MP83

Master (232)

24-08-2022, 00:01

I've looked into this in the past and came to the conclusion that Sweet Acorn was never sold OR even advertised in Japan. I've seen over a dozen of Nidecom/Taito ads on various different Japanese computer/gaming magazines from 1983-1985 and Sweet Acorn is nowhere to be seen.

I'm really familiar with the game and if I'd have to guess, maybe the game didn't meet Taito's expectations. The player's throwing mechanic is pretty unique, but the level designs never really take advantage of that. In some ways the game feels almost like a prototype. It's also very easy, even without the bonus stage "Atraction Scene", which can give out a lot of extra lives.

By the way, did you know that the music in Sweet Acorn was composed by Tadashi Kimijima? He's best known for his Bubble Bobble music.

By babich

Supporter (10)

28-03-2023, 12:27

I'm terribly late to the party, but I can confirm that the game is not featured on the "MSX PERFECT CATALOGUE" book which lists every single MSX game ever released in Japan. (I came to msx.org because I was surprised by that absence, indeed!)

@mp83 also involved is legendary Hisayoshi "OGR" Ogura: it was his very first involvement at Taito (or at least this is what I grasp from here https://www.4gamer.net/games/999/G999905/20190603088/ ). Possibly the "KON" in Sweet Acorn music credits, close to KIMI, is Ogura?