Formation Z Deluxe Edition (Switch 2, PS5)

The mech that started it all is coming back, and it's bringing a plastic model kit. Formation Z Deluxe Edition on Nintendo Switch 2 revives Jaleco's 1984 side-scrolling classic with the kind of boutique treatment that retro collectors live for. If you know, you know. If you don't, you're about to learn why this transforming-mech shooter holds a special place in arcade and Famicom history.

The slip-lid box houses the game with a reversible cover, giving you options for how it faces the world on your shelf. Four art cards capture the retro-futuristic aesthetic, and the included artbook and soundtrack round out the archival side of things. But the centerpiece is the plastic build kit of the ABX-01 IXPEL 1 INNOCENCE, standing just under three inches tall. It's a hands-on piece of the game's legacy, the kind of thing you build on a Saturday afternoon and then place front and center in your display case.

Formation Z is one of those titles that's always been more respected than remembered by the mainstream, which makes this deluxe treatment feel earned. For Switch 2 collectors looking for something with genuine retro pedigree and a display piece that goes beyond the usual steelbook-and-artbook formula, this one stands apart. Literally.