Granada

Granada

Console: Sharp X68000
TV Standard: NTSC-J
Country: Japan
Developer(s): Wolf Team
Publisher(s): Wolf Team
Release Date: 1990-04-20
Players: 1
Co-op: No
ESRB: Not Rated
Type: Action, Shooter

Granada is a shooter video game developed and originally published by Wolf Team exclusively for the Sharp X68000 in Japan on 20 April 1990. The ninth title to be created and released by Wolf Team for the X68000 platform, the game is set on a futuristic Africa in 2016 where a war erupted over mining rights towards rare metals and has quickly escalated due to newly-introduced weapons called Maneuver Cepters, as players assume the role of mercenary Leon Todo piloting the titular Maneuver Cepter tank unit in an attempt to stop the conflict once and for all. Its gameplay mainly consists of action and shooting mixed with mission-based exploration using a main two-button configuration.

Developed over the course of two years, Granada became the first project by Wolf Team that placed emphasis on gameplay instead of plot and was influenced by various arcade games like Grobda and Assault by Namco. Initially launched for the X68000 home computer, the title was later ported to the Sega Genesis, which was published across several regions during the same year such as Japan by Wolf Team and North America by Renovation Products respectively, featuring several changes compared with the original version. The X68000 version has since been re-released only in Japan through download services for Microsoft Windows.

Granada became a popular title among the X68000 userbase from Wolf Team during its release for a brief period and was eventually nominated for a "Game of the Year" award by Japanese magazine Oh!X before ultimately losing against other titles on the system. The Sega Genesis version garnered generally positive reception from critics, who commended several aspects such as the presentation, graphics, sound design, controls, gameplay and replay value. Retrospective reviews for the Genesis version have been equally positive in recent years.