The Sweet Pork Returns, but Does the Price Make It Sour?

Would 2026 be the year when a shoot ’em up featuring pig girls, lard-based weaponry, and flying militarized exercise bikes would get greenlit? I’m not so sure. Luckily, we don’t have to worry about that, as Muchi Muchi Pork! & PinkSweets Boosted is a collection of two older CAVE arcade shooters, PinkSweets and Muchi Muchi Pork!

This perky bundle was released on October 1 for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC, with a $39.99 price tag in the U.S. Physical PS5 and Switch editions will follow later this month.

You read that right. It’s forty bucks for a pair of arcade games approaching twenty years old. Thank goodness for a modest 10% launch discount on Steam through October 15.

The gameplay, visuals, and history of this bundle got my attention. But that price has soured me on pulling the trigger.

Let’s dig a little deeper.

What the Hell Is Muchi Muchi Pork?

Let’s start with the sweet stuff first and work our way up to the lard.

PinkSweets arrived in Japanese arcades in 2006. Developed by CAVE, it is the sequel to 2005’s Ibara. The game features a shield mechanic that allows you to absorb enemy fire. Use the Rose Cracker to turn that defense back into offense.

In 2007, CAVE released Muchi Muchi Pork! The game involves humans being transformed into pigs, three pig-themed heroines, and machines that Clear River Games itself describes as “flying militarized exercise bikes.”

Sounds wacky, but how about a Lard Attack? Lard is actually part of the game’s scoring system. Once you build up your Lard Attack meter, you can unleash it against enemies and start generating pig-head medals worth points.

At its core, Muchi Muchi Pork! is a vertical arcade shooter that oozes with flavor. Bacon bits? The scoring system and screen-filled chaos are unmistakably CAVE trademarks.

An Unusual Pairing?

For Xbox 360 physical import hunters, this pairing will be recognizable, as CAVE previously bundled the two games together for the 360 in Japan in February 2011.

Due to frequent requests and their popularity outside of Japan, CAVE, well, caved, and made the Xbox 360 version region-free.

For the next 15 years, that remained the pair’s last console release, which has only helped drive up the price of the title. While considered a collector’s item today, neither game has benefited from the widespread modern availability of some of CAVE’s better-known shooters.

Which brings us to the obvious question.

Why Now?

There doesn’t appear to be a clear-cut answer. I haven’t been able to find a solid explanation from City Connection. But do they need one?

Boosted arrives almost 20 years after the original arcade games and 15 years after their Xbox 360 appearance. Maybe they’re into anniversaries?

I think what we should be asking instead is, “What took so long?”

Well, perhaps it’s because Boosted, at least on paper, doesn’t sound like a recycled Xbox 360 release. While the games themselves are old, this isn’t quite the same product that was sitting on store shelves in 2011. Boosted features additional modes, online rankings, replay support, and a newly arranged soundtrack.

So now let’s talk about the pig, I mean elephant, in the room.

Does the Price Make It Sour?

$39.99.

Part of me says that’s a lot of coin for two arcade shooters from 2006 and 2007. On the other hand, compared to what City Connection has previously charged for its other CAVE titles, this seems to fall in line with what we’ve come to expect from them.

A title that comes to mind is Deathsmiles I・II, which was also developed by City Connection and TAKE×0FF and contains older CAVE shooters with multiple versions and modern features. Deathsmiles I・II is $39.90 on Steam and isn’t part of the Autumn Sale.

Other CAVE releases on Steam, like DoDonPachi Resurrection, are $29.99, Akai Katana Shin is $29.99, and Mushihimesama is $19.99.

So Muchi Muchi Pork! & PinkSweets Boosted is on the high end, but it’s almost exactly what the company charges for Deathsmiles I・II.

For those keeping track, the 2011 Xbox 360 collection originally went for ¥7,140, with a more expensive limited edition available for ¥9,240 in Japan. This has never been a bargain-bin CAVE game.

If you decide to grab this combo title today, you’re getting two games that have spent the better part of 15 years stuck on old console hardware, multiple versions and additional modes, online rankings, replay support, local co-op, and newly arranged music.

Does all that make it worth $39.99?

Sweet or Sour?

If you’re looking at this purely as two nearly 20-year-old arcade games, $39.99 is a tough pill to swallow. But if you missed out on the 360 version and aren’t willing to pay the exorbitant prices resellers are asking, then maybe $39.99 is a good deal for a digital copy.

A physical copy is a different story. On Clear River Games’ website, the “More Edition” retails for 575 SEK, which is approximately $52.75 USD. Shipping to the U.S. is just under $42. Suddenly, the total is rapidly creeping toward $100.

The digital version sounds better by the minute, especially when you factor in a game that features pig girls flying militarized exercise bikes and attacking enemies using something called a Lard Attack.

Whether I’m willing to pay forty bucks for the privilege?

Well… just don’t call me a sourpuss.

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Image source: Clear River Games