| Compile Corporation | |
| Native Name: | Japanese: 株式会社コンパイル |
| Romanized Name: | Kabushikigaisha Konpairu |
| Type: | Privately held limited company |
| Predecessor: | Programmers-3, Inc. |
| Successor: | Compile Heart Compile Maru |
| Location Country: | Japan |
| Fate: | Bankruptcy, trademark and intellectual property acquired by Compile Heart and D4 Enterprise, Puyo Puyo franchise acquired by Sega. |
| Industry: | Video games |
| Products: | Madō Monogatari Puyo Puyo |
was a Japanese video game developer, most notable for having developed the Puyo Puyo series, a franchise derived from the Madō Monogatari series. On 6 November 2003, the company shut down amid bankruptcy. As a result, key staff moved to Compile Heart, the company's spiritual successor, whereas shoot-'em-up staff moved to MileStone Inc.[1]
The Compile trademark is being used as a brand label by Compile Heart to promote merchandise and games based on Compile properties.[2] As of 2010, Compile Heart entered into a licensing deal with D4 Enterprise to create new video games based on franchises from Compile properties.[3] [4] This agreement does not affect the rights to the Puyo Puyo series as Sega retains ownership of the property.[5]
In April 2016, Niitani started a new successor company to Compile, Compile Maru. The company launched the game for Nintendo 3DS on the Nintendo eShop with a follow-up scheduled for Nintendo Switch.
Compile debuted their most successful title, Puyo Puyo, on the MSX computer in 1991. Puyo Puyo is a falling-block puzzle game similar to Tetris (1984). The object of the game is to create groups of four or more "Puyos" of the same color as they fall from the top of the screen. This simple yet addictive concept was expanded on in a series of sequels over the course of two decades.
Puyo Puyo reached North America and the PAL region in graphically altered form under the title of Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine for the Mega Drive/Genesis, as well as on the Super Nintendo (as Kirby's Avalanche in North America and Kirby's Ghost Trap in the PAL region). However, the series' unaltered appearance was Puyo Pop, a title used for games that were released on the PC Engine, Neo Geo Pocket Color and Game Boy Advance.
As part of Compile's restructuring in 1998, the rights to Puyo Puyo were sold to Sega, but Compile's franchise right would remain until their bankruptcy in 2002, thus allowing Sega to publish Puyo Puyo~n and Puyo Puyo Box. Later Puyo Puyo games were developed by Sonic Team, who created Puyo Pop Fever.
Until 1993, Compile focused much of their development efforts on the shoot 'em up genre. In the 1990s, a few Compile personnel left the company to work for another video game development company, 8ing/Raizing (est. 1993). There they contributed to such games as Mahou Daisakusen (1993) and Battle Garegga (1996).
Some employees who stayed with Compile until its end reincorporated as MileStone Inc. in April 2003, and continued to develop new shooters.
Some of Compile's shoot-'em-up games include:
First released on the MSX computer in 1986, Zanac combined fast action with an AI system, which changes based on your style of play. Zanac received a true sequel, Zanac EX and an NES port. There was also a parody of Zanac called Gun-Nac, released by Nexoft for the NES in 1991. Similar to Konami's own Parodius games, Gun-Nac brought humor to the gameplay of the original by replacing the enemies with carrot-throwing rabbits and letting the player purchase weapons in a fast food store at the end of each stage. In 2001, Compile released an updated version for the PlayStation titled Zanac X Zanac, which included an original sequel entitled Zanac Neo.
Aleste was released on the MSX2 and ported to the Master System. A sequel, Aleste 2, was also released for the MSX2. Musha Aleste (titled M.U.S.H.A. in the US) was released on the Mega Drive in 1990. The game takes place in a unique Japanese futuristic setting. Super Aleste came out in 1992 for the Super Famicom and was retitled Space Megaforce in North America. Aleste is now available on cellular phones, courtesy of Aiky.
Gunhed (retitled Blazing Lazers for North America) was released in 1989 and became a showpiece for NEC's PC Engine console.
Developed jointly by Compile and Naxat Soft under the common label Nazac, Seirei Senshi Spriggan and Spriggan Mark 2 were respectively released in 1991 and 1992 for the PC Engine CD-ROM system.
Games marked with a dagger are conversions of a pre-existing version of a game as opposed to being natively developed.
| Title | Publisher(s) | Platform(s) | Release date | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.E. | Broderbund[6] | Apple II | |||||
| Atari 8-bit | |||||||
| C64 | |||||||
| Toshiba EMI | PC-88 | ||||||
| FM-7 | |||||||
| MSX | [7] | ||||||
| Borderline†[8] | Sega | SG-1000 | Originally developed by Sega for arcades in 1981. | ||||
| N-Sub† | Sega | SG-1000 | Originally developed by Sega for arcades in 1980. | ||||
| Safari Hunting† | Sega | SG-1000 | A port of Tranquilizer Gun, an arcade game by Sega. | ||||
| Crisis Mountain† | Comptiq | PC-88 | Originally developed by David Schroeder and Creative Software, published by Synergistic Software for the Apple II, Atari 8-Bit and the Commodore 64, and released in 1983. | ||||
| Mr. Robot and His Robot Factory† | Comptiq | PC-88 | Originally published by Datamost for the Atari 8-bit, Apple II and the Commodore 64. | ||||
| The Heist† | Comptiq | PC-88 | Originally published by Micro Fun for the Apple II in 1983. | ||||
| Hustle | Chumy | General | MSX | ||||
| Sega | SG-1000 | ||||||
| Lode Runner† | Sony | MSX | Originally developed for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, VIC-20, Commodore 64, and IBM PC. They were published by Broderbund in 1983. | ||||
| E.I. - Exa Innova | Sony | MSX |
| Title | Publisher(s) | Platform(s) | Release date | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar Ball | Pony Canyon | PC-88 | ||||||
| NES | [9] | This version was published by FCI in North America in October 1987 and in Europe in 1991. | ||||||
| Championship Lode Runner† | ASCII | MSX | This game was originally published by Brøderbund for the Apple II in 1983. | |||||
| Sega | SG-1000 | |||||||
| Final Justice | Pony Canyon | MSX | ||||||
| Lode Runner II | Sony | MSX | The license to the Lode Runner series was from Brøderbund. | |||||
| Swing | Pony Canyon | MSX | ||||||
| Choplifter† | ASCII | MSX | This game was originally published by Brøderbund for the Apple II in May 1982. | |||||
| Sega | SG-1000 | |||||||
| C-So | Pony Canyon | MSX | ||||||
| Sega | SG-1000 | This version was a port of the MSX version. | ||||||
| Zanac | Pony Canyon | MSX[10] | ||||||
| Famicom Disk System | FCI published an NES conversion in North America in October 1987. | |||||||
| Compile | Palm OS | |||||||
| Thexder† | Game Arts | MSX | The game was originally developed and released by Game Arts for the PC-8801mkII SR in April 1985. | |||||
| Gulkave | Pony Canyon | MSX | ||||||
| Sega | SG-1000 | |||||||
| Guardic | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Champion Billiards | Sega | SG-1000 | ||||||
| Zanac EX† | Pony Canyon | MSX2 | ||||||
| City Adventure Touch: Mystery of Triangle | Toho | NES | ||||||
| Ghostbusters† | Sega | Master System | This game is based on the 1984 film of the same name. | |||||
| Romancia: Dragon Slayer Jr.† | Tokyo Shoseki | NES | This game was originally developed, published, and released by Nihon Falcom for the PC-8801 in 1986. | |||||
| Parlour Games | Sega | Master System | ||||||
| Golvellius | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Sega | Master System[11] | |||||||
| Higemaru Makaijima - Nanatsu no Shima Daibōken | Capcom | MSX2 | ||||||
| Jagur-5: Golden Triangle | Hudson Soft | MSX | ||||||
| The Guardian Legend | Irem | NES | This game was published and released in North America by Brøderbund in April 1989. | |||||
| Aleste | Sega | Master System | ||||||
| Compile | MSX | |||||||
| Disc Station #0 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Tombs & Treasure | Tokyo Shoseki | NES | This game was originally developed, published, and released by Nihon Falcom for the PC-8801 in October 1986. This game was also published and released in North America by Infocom in June 1991. | |||||
| Alien Crush | Naxat Soft | TurboGrafx-16 | [12] | This game was published in North America by NEC on August 29, 1989. | ||||
| R-Type† | Sega[13] [14] | Master System | This game was originally developed, published and released by Irem in Arcades in July 1987. | |||||
| Disc Station #1 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Toho | NES | This game is based on the Godzilla movies. | ||||||
| Namco | MSX | |||||||
| TurboGrafx-16 | ||||||||
| Disc Station #2 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Randar no Bouken | Kemsx | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station Special: Spring Edition | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station Special: Summer Edition | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Blazing Lazers | Hudson Soft | TurboGrafx-16 | This game is based on the Gunhed movie. This game was also published in North America by NEC on August 29, 1989. | |||||
| Disc Station Special: Autumn Edition | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Casino Games | Sega | Master System | ||||||
| Disc Station Special: Christmas Edition | Compile | MSX | Madou Monogatari Episode II: Carbuncle is bundled in the game. | |||||
| Aleste Gaiden | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Aleste 2 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Rune Master | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Randar II: Revenge of Death | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #3 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #4 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #5 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #6 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #7 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #8 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #9 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #10 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #11 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #12 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Madō Monogatari 1-2-3 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| PC-8801 | [15] | |||||||
| Sega | Game Gear | This version is a remake of the first part of 1-2-3. It was re-titled Madō Monogatari I: Mittsu no Madō-kyū. | ||||||
| Game Gear | This version is a remake of the second part of 1-2-3. It was re-titled Madō Monogatari II: Arle 16-Sai. | |||||||
| Game Gear | This version is a remake of the third part of 1-2-3. It was re-titled Madō Monogatari III: Kyūkyoku Joō-sama. | |||||||
| Compile | Sega Genesis | [16] | This version is a remake of the first part of 1-2-3. It was re-titled Madō Monogatari I. | |||||
| PC Engine CD-ROM² | This version is a remake of the first part of 1-2-3. It was re-titled Madō Monogatari I: Honoo No Sotsuenji. | |||||||
| Ghostbusters | Sega | Sega Genesis | This game is based on the Ghostbusters franchise. | |||||
| Disc Station #13 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Devil's Crush | Naxat Soft | TurboGrafx-16 | This game was published in North America by NEC in 1990. | |||||
| Disc Station #14 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #15 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #16 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Gun-Nac | Tonkin House | NES | This game was published in North America by ASCII in September 1991. | |||||
| Cyber Knight | Tonkin House | TurboGrafx-16 | ||||||
| Godzilla[17] | Toho | Game Boy | ||||||
| Disc Station #17 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #18 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| M.U.S.H.A. | Toaplan | Sega Genesis | This game was published in North America by Seismic in 1991. | |||||
| Columns† | Telenet Japan | MSX | This game was originally developed by Jay Geertson and ported across various computer platforms. | |||||
| Disc Station #19 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Rune Master II | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Randar no Bouken III: Yami ni Miserareta Majutsushi | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #20 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #21 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #22 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Gorby no Pipeline Daisakusen | Compile | FM Towns | ||||||
| MSX | ||||||||
| Tokuma Shoten | NES | |||||||
| Disc Station #23 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #24 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #25 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Seirei Senshi Spriggan | Naxat Soft | PC Engine CD-ROM² | ||||||
| Disc Station #26 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #27 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #28 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Puyo Puyo | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Tokuma Shoten | Famicom Disk System | |||||||
| Tokuma Shoten | NES | |||||||
| Disc Station #29 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #30 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| GG Aleste | Compile | Game Gear | [18] | |||||
| Disc Station #31 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| The Laughing Salesman | Compile | MSX2 | This game is based on Fujiko Fujio A's The Laughing Salesman. | |||||
| PC-9801 | ||||||||
| Dragon Quiz | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Rune Master: War among Three Empires | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Disc Station #32 | Compile | MSX | ||||||
| Super Aleste | Toho | SNES | [19] | |||||
| Spriggan Mark 2 | Naxat Soft | PC Engine Super CD-ROM² | ||||||
| Shiki Oni no Koku: Chūgokuhen – Daiisshō | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Shiki Oni no Koku: Chūgokuhen – Dainishō | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Shiki Oni no Koku: Chūgokuhen – Daisanshō | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Shiki Oni no Koku: Chūgokuhen – Daiyonshō | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Puyo Puyo | Sega | Arcade | [20] | |||||
| Sega | Sega Genesis | This version was remade and re-released in some other countries as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine by Sega on November 26, 1993. | ||||||
| Sega | Game Gear | This version was remade and re-released in some other countries as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine by Sega in December 1993. | ||||||
| Compile | PC-98 | |||||||
| Banpresto | SNES | Released as Super Puyo Puyo. This version was also remade and re-released in some other countries as Kirby's Avalanche by Nintendo on February 1, 1995. | ||||||
| SPS | X68000 | [21] | ||||||
| Banpresto | Game Boy | This version was co-developed by Winkysoft. | ||||||
| Bothtec | PC-98 | Released as Puyo Puyo for Windows. | ||||||
| Bothtec | Microsoft Windows | [22] | Released as Puyo Puyo for Windows 95. | |||||
| Bothtec | Macintosh | |||||||
| Robo Aleste | Compile | Sega CD | The game was published and released in North America by Tengen in 1993. | |||||
| Jaki Crush | Naxat Soft | SNES | ||||||
| Disc Saga: Iraisha wa Monster? | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Disc Saga: Yukemuri ni Kieta Bijotachi Yume no Naka e Rendezvous | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Disc Saga: Nagisa no Baka Taishō | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Nazo Puyo | Sega | Game Gear | ||||||
| The Laughing Salesman | Sega | Sega CD | This game is based on Fujiko Fujio A's The Laughing Salesman. | |||||
| Power Strike II[23] | Sega | Master System | ||||||
| GG Aleste II | Sega | Game Gear | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 1 | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Sylphia | Tonkin House | PC Engine Super CD-ROM² | ||||||
| Madou Monogatari A.R.S | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Game Gear | This version is a remake of the first part of A.R.S. It was re-released as Madō Monogatari A: Dokidoki Vacation. | |||||||
| Nazo Puyo 2 | Sega | Game Gear | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 2 | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 3 | Compile | PC-98 | Contains Madō Monogatari: Michikusa Ibun. | |||||
| Nazo Puyo: Arle no Roux | Sega | Game Gear | ||||||
| Puyo Puyo Tsu | Compile | Arcade | ||||||
| Compile | Sega Genesis | |||||||
| Compile | Game Gear | |||||||
| Compile | PC-9801 | |||||||
| Compile | Sega Saturn | [24] | This version was co-developed by Bits Laboratory. | |||||
| Compile | SNES | Released as Super Puyo Puyo Tsu. | ||||||
| Compile | PC Engine CD-ROM² | This version was co-developed by Goo! and released as Puyo Puyo CD Tsu. | ||||||
| Compile | Windows 95 | [25] | ||||||
| Compile | PlayStation | [26] | Released as Puyo Puyo Tsu Ketteiban. | |||||
| Compile | Game Boy | |||||||
| Bandai | WonderSwan | Sega had ownership of Puyo Puyo at the time of this port. | ||||||
| SNK | Neo Geo Pocket Color | Sega had ownership of Puyo Puyo at the time of this port. | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 4 | Compile | PC-98 | Contains Gensei Fūkyō Den. | |||||
| Nazo Puyo | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Gensei Kitan: Disc Saga III | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 5 | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Gensei Kitan | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 6 | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Super Nazo Puyo: Rulue no Roux | Banpresto | SNES | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 7 | Compile | PC-98 | Contains Wind's Seed. | |||||
| Disc Station Vol. 8 | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 9 | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Madō Monogatari: Hanamaru Daiyōchienji | Tokuma Shoten | SNES | ||||||
| Shadowrun | Compile | Sega CD | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 10 | Compile | PC-98 | Contains Rude Breaker. | |||||
| Super Nazo Puyo 2: Rulue no Tetsuwan Hanjouki | Compile | SNES | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 11 | Compile | PC-98 | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 12 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Puyo Puyo Sun | Compile | Arcade | ||||||
| Sega Saturn | ||||||||
| Nintendo 64 | ||||||||
| PlayStation | Released as Puyo Puyo Sun Ketteiban. | |||||||
| Microsoft Windows | ||||||||
| Game Boy Color | Sega had ownership of Puyo Puyo at the time of this port. | |||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 13 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 14 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 15 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | Contains Tales of the Float Land. | |||||
| Disc Station Vol. 16 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| DiscStation Bessatsu i miss you. | Compile | Sega Saturn | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 17 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 18 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon | Compile | Sega Saturn | ||||||
| PlayStation | Released as Waku Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon Ketteiban. Sega had ownership of Puyo Puyo at the time of this port. | |||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 19 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | Contains Mystic Arts. | |||||
| Madou Monogatari | Compile | Sega Saturn | This is the first game to acknowledge Sega's ownership of the Puyo Puyo characters. | |||||
| Disc Station Vol. 20 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | Contains Comet Summoner. | |||||
| Disc Station Vol. 21 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Puyo Puyo~n | Sega | Dreamcast | ||||||
| Compile | Nintendo 64 | |||||||
| Compile | PlayStation | |||||||
| Compile | Game Boy Color | |||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 22 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 23 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Puyo Puyo Gaiden: Puyo Wars | Compile | Game Boy Color | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 24 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 25 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Puyo Puyo Da! | Compile | Dreamcast | ||||||
| Compile | Arcade | |||||||
| Disc Station Vol. 26 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Arle no Bouken: Mahou no Jewel | Compile | Game Boy Color | [27] | |||||
| Disc Station Vol. 27 | Compile | Microsoft Windows | ||||||
| Wander Wonder | Compile | Microsoft Windows | [28] | |||||
| Puyo Puyo Box | Compile | PlayStation | [29] | |||||
| Zanac X Zanac | Compile | PlayStation | [30] | |||||
| Guru Logi Champ | Compile | Game Boy Advance | [31] | |||||
| Pochi and Nyaa[32] | Taito | Arcade | Aiky took over development,[33] co-published with SNK Playmore. |