Square Enix Reviving Game Arts’ Transforming Robot Game?

A long, long time ago Lunar developer Game Arts was into robots. Before Silpheed, the game that put them on the map in North America, they worked on Thexder.

Thexder is a maze shmup (think Pac-Man mixed with Gradius) where you control a robot that transforms into a plane. Square adapted the arcade game and brought it to the NES in the 80’s, but it was only released in Japan.

Since then we haven’t seen Thexder appear on any other consoles, but Thexder is coming to PlayStation platforms thanks to Square Enix, according to the ESRB. Thexder NEO was rated for the PlayStation 3 and PSP with the following description.

This is a side-scrolling action game in which players control a transforming robot through a series of maze-like levels. Players must destroy enemy robots along the way by shooting them with laser beams. Most enemies react to damage by disappearing in a colorful burst; boss battles depict more protracted combat with louder and more realistic explosions.

Yeah, that sounds like Thexder, but PlayStation 3 and PSP? Sounds like a PlayStation Network download.