Games Released in August 1990

70 new games released in August 1990, with Family Computer being the most active platform. August 1 was the busiest day, with 12 new releases.

Top Platform

Family Computer

New Releases

70

Busiest Day

August 1

Ghouls 'n Ghosts

What was the most popular game of August 1990?

Ghouls 'n Ghosts

The gameplay for Ghouls 'n Ghosts is similar to that of Ghosts 'n Goblins. The player controls the knight Arthur, who must advance through a series of eerie levels and defeat a number of undead and demonic creatures in his quest to restore the souls stolen by Lucifer (Loki in the English-language Mega Drive and Sega Master System versions), including the soul of his lover, Princess Prin Prin. Along the way, Arthur can pick up a variety of weapons and armor to help him in his quest. While the core gameplay remains the same as its predecessor, the game now allows Arthur to fire directly upward and directly downward while in mid air. By jumping in certain spots, players can cause a treasure chest to erupt from the ground. By firing his weapon at the chest, players may uncover new weapons, gold armor or an evil magician that changes Arthur into an elderly man or a helpless duck. The gold armor allows players to charge up the weapon to release a powerful magical attack. Each weapon has its own special attack. There are five levels and Lucifer's chamber at the end, considered a sixth level in itself. To defeat the game, Arthur must complete level 1 to 5 twice. Upon completing level's 1 to 5 the first time, Arthur is taken back to level 1 again but this time a special weapon appears during the game. To enter Lucifer's chamber the player must have this special weapon equipped and defeat the penultimate boss.

Which days had the most releases?

August 1 saw the most activity with 12 releases.

How did each week compare?

The second week of August was the busiest with 21 releases.

Week 3 (August 15–21)

6 releases
Ghouls 'n Ghosts

Most popular release in Week 3

Ghouls 'n Ghosts

The gameplay for Ghouls 'n Ghosts is similar to that of Ghosts 'n Goblins. The player controls the knight Arthur, who must advance through a series of eerie levels and defeat a number of undead and demonic creatures in his quest to restore the souls stolen by Lucifer (Loki in the English-language Mega Drive and Sega Master System versions), including the soul of his lover, Princess Prin Prin. Along the way, Arthur can pick up a variety of weapons and armor to help him in his quest. While the core gameplay remains the same as its predecessor, the game now allows Arthur to fire directly upward and directly downward while in mid air. By jumping in certain spots, players can cause a treasure chest to erupt from the ground. By firing his weapon at the chest, players may uncover new weapons, gold armor or an evil magician that changes Arthur into an elderly man or a helpless duck. The gold armor allows players to charge up the weapon to release a powerful magical attack. Each weapon has its own special attack. There are five levels and Lucifer's chamber at the end, considered a sixth level in itself. To defeat the game, Arthur must complete level 1 to 5 twice. Upon completing level's 1 to 5 the first time, Arthur is taken back to level 1 again but this time a special weapon appears during the game. To enter Lucifer's chamber the player must have this special weapon equipped and defeat the penultimate boss.

Week 5 (August 29–31)

6 releases
Atomic Punk

Most popular release in Week 5

Atomic Punk

There are four modes of gameplay in Atomic Punk, including two single player modes and two multiplayer game modes. Solo: "Game A" (known as "Bomber Boy" in the Japanese version) is similar to other games in the series, with a few differences. Power-ups, known as panels, which are usually gained in each level and carried over from one to the next, can also be bought from a store by using GP, which is collected depending on how much time it takes to complete a level and how many blocks are destroyed. At the beginning of each round, the player decides which panels to use to complete the round. Another difference is that the linear gameplay of the original, with the player advancing levels after completing each one, was changed to implement a world map with nine locations. The second game mode, "Game B" (known as "Bomber Man" in the Japanese version) is the same as that in the original Bomberman game, but the stage area is squared rather than rectangular and the screen is always centered on Bomberman rather than scrolling when he touches the border. Vs.: Panel Mode, in which players begin with only one bomb to place at a time and a bomb blast length of one unit, and Bomb Up and Fire Up panels appear. Powerful Mode, in which players have four bombs to place at a time and a bomb blast length of four units, and no panels appear.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

Family Computer received 15 new titles in August 1990. The runner up was Game Boy with 10 new titles.

Family Computer15 releases
Game Boy10 releases
Nintendo Entertainment System9 releases
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine8 releases
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis7 releases
Arcade3 releases
Sharp X680003 releases
MSX3 releases
DOS2 releases
Amiga2 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in August 1990 with 19 titles. Platform followed closely with 13.

Adventure19
Platform13
Role-playing11
Sport9
Arcade8
Puzzle8
Shooter6
Card & Board Game6
Hack and slash4
Simulator4