Key Highlights:
- A remaster of the Japan-only Nintendo DS RPG Metal Saga: Season of Steel is in development.
- Joystick has confirmed versions for PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
- The remaster replaces the original’s touch-only controls, rebuilds its interface and fixes numerous bugs.
A forgotten Nintendo DS RPG is returning after 20 years, with Chinese developer Joystick announcing a remaster of Metal Saga: Season of Steel for PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.
The project made an unexpected public appearance at ChinaJoy 2026, where attendees could play an early build containing sections from the game’s opening story and vehicle-based combat. A release date has not yet been announced.
Metal Saga: Season of Steel originally launched exclusively in Japan on 15 June 2006. Success published the Nintendo DS RPG as the second Metal Saga game and the series’ first original entry developed for a handheld system. The game never received an official Western release.
The original became particularly notorious for requiring players to control the entire game through the Nintendo DS touchscreen. Its directional pad and physical buttons were not supported, leading to frequent criticism of an otherwise ambitious RPG.
Joystick is now rebuilding that control system for modern hardware. The remaster supports controllers and keyboards, while its interface has been reconstructed to fit a single screen rather than the Nintendo DS’s dual displays.
The developer is retaining the original pixel-art presentation, including its isometric exploration and turn-based battles. Players will also be able to apply a new scanline filter designed to recreate the appearance of an older display.
Joystick is also fixing numerous bugs carried by the Nintendo DS version. Metal Max creator Hiroshi Miyaoka previously acknowledged that the original launched before its controls and technical problems could be properly refined, despite confidence in its story and underlying ideas.
The decision to revive such an obscure entry came directly from Joystick’s company founder, who is known publicly by the same name. He is a long-time Metal Max fan and personally approached rights holder Success after identifying Season of Steel as the game in its catalogue most in need of another opportunity.
Joystick secured a licence from Success and is developing the remaster with the original publisher’s involvement. The producer described the project as an attempt to preserve the game’s strengths while raising it to a standard that modern players can comfortably accept.
Season of Steel takes place after the Great Destruction, a catastrophe caused by the supercomputer Noah. Its protagonist is the son of the legendary hunter who defeated Noah in Metal Max, and his journey centres on destroying a Noah Seed containing the machine’s revival programme.
The ChinaJoy demo began with a hunter known as Jessie the Gale arriving at the protagonist’s farm while carrying the Noah Seed. Its separate combat section placed the protagonist, Marion and a dog inside the Red Wolf tank for a battle against U-Shark.
Unlike several other Metal Max games, party members in Season of Steel share one tank and operate different weapons from inside it. Joystick’s demonstration retained that distinctive vehicle-combat system rather than replacing it with a more conventional party structure.
Joystick has not confirmed whether the remaster will receive an English localisation. Its newly announced platforms suggest a broader release than the Japan-only Nintendo DS original, but no Western publisher, regional launch plan or supported languages have been revealed.
The developer told 4Gamer that further information will be announced soon. Until then, the release window, final title, pricing and localisation plans remain unknown.
