Super Turrican: The Lost 6Mbit SNES Version and Factor 5’s Unreleased Vision

Super Turrican, Factor 5’s iconic run-and-gun platformer, holds a special place in the legacy of Super Nintendo (SNES) games.

Developed by the highly-praised German studio Factor 5 and released in 1993, Super Turrican expanded the popular Turrican series into the 16-bit era, delighting fans with its vibrant visuals, elaborate levels, and a memorable soundtrack composed by Chris Huelsbeck.

However, recent reflections from Factor 5’s founding president and creative director, Julian Eggebrecht, have shed new light on an incomplete vision that, decades later, continues to intrigue the retro gaming community. During a recent Retro Spielen webcast, Eggebrecht provided illuminating context around Super Turrican’s development.

He disclosed that the version players experienced on the SNES was not the definitive edition intended by Factor 5.

"We could not deliver the game in its entirety because of limitations imposed by our publisher," Eggebrecht explained.

He revealed that, due to the publisher’s reluctance or inability to fund a 6Mbit cartridge for the release, Factor 5 was forced to ship Super Turrican on a smaller, more affordable 4Mbit cartridge. This constraint led to the removal of approximately 33% of the original ROM content, including an entire final level and a boss encounter.

One of the lost gameplay features required players to use Turrican’s freeze beam to "unfreeze" enemies for progression—a significant gameplay mechanic that never made it to the retail version.

Eggebrecht noted, "If the ending feels abrupt, it’s because we had to cut substantial content to fit the memory constraints." The story of the lost content didn't end with the game's original release.

According to Eggebrecht, this completed 6Mbit version of Super Turrican was once slated for a special release on Nintendo’s Wii Virtual Console in 2008.

The plan was to offer it as a bonus download for those who had purchased both Super Turrican and Mega Turrican on the service.

However, company policy at Nintendo at the time prevented the launch of titles that had not seen a prior commercial release.

Consequently, the unreleased extended version of Super Turrican remained inaccessible to the public. Factor 5, despite its closure in 2010, is still remembered for its technical achievements and creative contributions to the SNES library, as well as its later work on games like Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for Nintendo platforms.

The history of Super Turrican serves as both a testament to the studio’s inventive spirit and a reminder of industry challenges, from hardware limitations to publishing decisions, that can shape a game’s final form. Fans continue to express hope for the definitive version to eventually receive an official release, either via Nintendo Switch Online, the eShop, or future iterations of the Virtual Console.

Until then, Super Turrican’s incomplete retail release stands as an enduring topic of discussion among retro enthusiasts and a compelling chapter in Nintendo’s rich game development history.

Super Turrican Factor 5 Julian Eggebrecht Nintendo Super Nintendo Chris Huelsbeck Virtual Console Mega Turrican