Eternal Hunters brings co-op action RPG adventure to SNES
Eternal Hunters: The Branford Legacy is a native SNES action RPG with solo and co-op play, but its Kickstarter and release date are still to come.
Eternal Hunters: The Branford Legacy is an upcoming action RPG being built specifically for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, with solo and co-op play confirmed for its time-travelling adventure.1
French developer Ultima Team’s latest announcement trailer introduces the two playable heroes, Duncan and Clive, as they fight through a fantasy world threatened by demons, fire and a much larger mystery. The game uses real-time combat rather than turn-based encounters, with melee attacks and spells shown working together in battle.1
There is no release date yet. Ultima Team is preparing a Kickstarter campaign, while a newsletter sign-up is already available for people who want updates on the project.2
A new SNES adventure with two heroes
Eternal Hunters is designed as a native SNES game rather than a modern title being retrofitted for Nintendo’s 16-bit hardware. The trailer shows Duncan and Clive travelling through a colourful world of forests, mountains, ruined settlements and supernatural threats. Both characters can fight directly, and the campaign’s central story involves time travel.1
The co-op option is one of the game’s clearest hooks. Two players will be able to work together against demons and bosses, while solo players are expected to have the option of letting the CPU control the second hero. Ultima Team has also said it is targeting at least 20 hours of gameplay, although that figure and the final feature set could still change during development.2
The team describes Eternal Hunters as a Zelda-like adventure, while acknowledging the influence of early Chrono games on its art direction and story. Its confirmed feature list currently includes real-time action RPG combat, solo and co-op modes, a time-travel narrative and music by Raphaël Gesqua, whose previous work includes Flashback and Mr Nutz.2
From convention reveal to wider announcement
This is not the project’s first public appearance. Eternal Hunters was semi-officially shown at the 2025 Hedge’Convention in France, but that earlier presentation did not include English voiceover or text. The new announcement is therefore a second reveal aimed at a wider audience, rather than a completely new project appearing without warning.2
The developer has also confirmed that a demo was playable at the latest Hedge’Convention. No public demo footage was available alongside the announcement, so the trailer remains the best look at how the finished game is shaping up. Ultima Team is working with Story Bird Studios, another indie team developing the Dreamcast game White Creek, although the exact scope of that partnership has not been detailed.2
Eternal Hunters is currently planned for the original SNES. The team has said it may consider ports to Nintendo Switch 2, Steam and other modern platforms if the game meets its expectations, but those versions are not confirmed releases. The immediate next step is the planned Kickstarter campaign, which is intended to help fund the project.2
Our opinion
Eternal Hunters has a stronger pitch than a simple nostalgia project. A new SNES game with hand-crafted action combat is already unusual, but the two-character co-op focus gives it a clear reason to exist beyond recreating the look of a 16-bit RPG. The trailer also makes the setting feel more ambitious than the hardware limitation might suggest, moving from burning villages to snowy mountains and monster-filled wilderness without losing its readable visual style.
The important caveat is that the announcement still leaves several practical questions unanswered. There is no release date, the Kickstarter has not launched, and the CPU-controlled partner has been described as an expected option rather than demonstrated as a final feature. Until the campaign and a playable public demo arrive, Eternal Hunters is best treated as a promising announcement rather than a guaranteed finished adventure. Even so, a native SNES action RPG with local co-op is an appealing proposition, and Ultima Team has given retro fans a project worth watching.