New Dreamcast Game "Verdict Guilty Clash" up for Pre-Order — Exclusive Details Revealed!

While the Sega Dreamcast homebrew scene has been busier than ever as of late, the same sadly cannot be said for the console's commercial indie scene. Releases have slowed down considerably in the last few years, and the closure of WAVE Game Studios has left many questioning the future of the scene altogether. Fortunately, there are still reasons for optimism: upcoming titles from Orc Face Games —HarleQuest!, Chew Chew Mimic, and the Dream Disc '24 demo disc— promise fresh indie experiences, while publishers like VGNYsoft continue to keep the platform alive with new releases. Still, it has definitely become slimmer pickings for those eager to add brand new physical Dreamcast games to their collections.

Still soldiering on after all these years is PixelHeart (also known as JoshProd). Once known for releasing multiple Dreamcast titles each year, their output on the console has also slowed, but if their recent release GladMort is anything to go by, the quality is stronger than ever. 

On Friday we learned that the next release in the PixelHeart gameography —Retro Army's Verdict Guilty Clash— is now available for pre-order. This 90s arcade-style one-on-one fighter with a law enforcement vs. criminals theme, and a gritty, neon aesthetic, first saw a release in 2016 on Steam, with releases on the PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch eventually appearing in 2023. Now the game is coming to the Dreamcast with the "Clash" subtitle, and will feature exclusive content, unique to this port. During my research, I found that this game had actually been touted for release on Dreamcast all the way back in 2019, with a Saturn version also mentioned. Well, good things come to those who wait, I guess, although I doubt we'll be seeing that Saturn version any time soon.

The Dreamcast port of Verdict Guilty will include new stages and four exclusive fighters, each with their own unique story mode. Among the newcomers are Sho Kamui and Tia Langray from Breakers (another of JoshProd’s previous Dreamcast releases), as well as Saizo Tobikageno from Breakers Revenge. Rounding out the roster is perhaps the most intriguing addition: Ken Anderson, a genuine real-life professional wrestler who goes by the ring name Mr. Kennedy.

We can also reveal that this port is running natively on Dreamcast, and is not emulated in any way. This seems to be something PixelHeart have been prioritising going forward, as some of their previous releases to Dreamcast —such as their Neo Geo releases— were powered by emulation.

Verdict Guilty Clash's physical release will be available in three region-themed variants familiar to Dreamcast collectors, with the PAL-style edition coming in a PAL case with a certificate of authenticity. As with all of PixelHeart's Dreamcast releases, it will be professionally pressed on MIL-CD.

To pre-order yourself a copy of Verdict Guilty Clash, head over to PixelHeart's store, where you can pre-order your preferred edition for a cost of €39.90 (about £34.52), plus shipping. The game has an expected release date of October 24th 2025.