Rainbow Cotton’ Remake: A Labor of Love

With the much-anticipated remake of the Dreamcast classic, Rainbow Cotton, on the horizon, I sat down with developer Andreas Scholl to discuss the journey behind its recreation.

Andreas graciously shared insights into the intricate process of remaking Rainbow Cotton, highlighting efforts to stay true to the original game’s essence.

“One of the key challenges we faced was the complexity of the game’s code. Despite being a rail shooter, which some might perceive as simple, Rainbow Cotton boasts intricate game mechanics. The most daunting task was deciphering and adapting the mini-boss and boss encounters. For instance, in stage three, players will confront Osashimi, a colossal fish, which required over 7000 lines of code (shown below).

“Osashimi’s movements, attacks, and overall logic involve intricate interactions that run concurrently, making them quite challenging to comprehend. We migrated all of the game’s code to a modern programming language (C#) to ensure frame rate independence and integrated it with modern rendering and game engine capabilities (such as a collision system, user interface, and sound). Additionally, optimizing the game for smooth performance on the Nintendo Switch and mastering it for various platforms posed significant challenges.

“Fortunately, we maintained a strong relationship with Success, the original game’s publisher. Prior to development, we received extensive materials from the original Dreamcast game, including the source code and graphics assets, providing valuable insight into the thought process of the Dreamcast development team and guiding our decisions.

“Throughout the process, we could always rely on Success for guidance. For example, when faced with illegible text on low-resolution assets, such as the Willow signs in the first stage, we reached out to them for the correct text to create a readable HD version of the signs, and they promptly provided the necessary information.

“At Gamescom in Germany, we had the privilege of meeting Shinya Nagatomo, the producer of the most recent Cotton arcade games. He shared his insights on the remake and suggested improvements over the original Dreamcast game, which influenced our decisions regarding additions or changes to the game. Success granted us a significant amount of freedom and trust in working on Rainbow Cotton, which was truly inspiring.

“I hope that Rainbow Cotton will capture the hearts of players far and wide. With a dedicated fan base eagerly anticipating the improved version of this beloved title on modern platforms, I believe players will appreciate the passion and dedication we poured into this project. Additionally, I hope that players unfamiliar with Cotton but fond of charming shmups featuring a mischievous little witch will discover and fall in love with this series through our game.”

The remake of Rainbow Cotton is set to launch on May 9 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.