<s>
Paprium	B-Application
is	O
a	O
2020	O
homebrew	B-Application
side-scrolling	B-Application
beat	I-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
indie	O
game	O
studio	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
is	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
's	O
first	O
game	O
since	O
Pier	B-Application
Solar	I-Application
and	I-Application
the	I-Application
Great	I-Application
Architects	I-Application
and	O
was	O
announced	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
crowd-funding	O
pitch	O
by	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
directly	O
on	O
their	O
"	O
Magical	O
Game	O
Factory	O
"	O
crowd-funding	O
site	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
with	O
initial	O
development	O
starting	O
sometime	O
around	O
2013/2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paprium	B-Application
underwent	O
an	O
eight	O
year	O
development	O
cycle	O
prior	O
to	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
little	O
to	O
no	O
communication	O
from	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
or	O
any	O
individual	O
developers	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
backers	O
or	O
to	O
the	O
press	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
this	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
widely	O
seen	O
as	O
vaporware	B-Application
prior	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
initial	O
shipments	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paprium	B-Application
is	O
a	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
game	I-Application
similar	O
in	O
style	O
to	O
other	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
games	I-Application
that	O
came	O
out	O
on	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
late	O
80s	O
and	O
early	O
90s	O
like	O
Golden	B-Application
Axe	I-Application
and	O
Streets	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rage	I-Application
,	O
with	O
visuals	O
styled	O
after	O
various	O
pieces	O
of	O
media	O
in	O
the	O
cyberpunk	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arena	O
mode	O
is	O
unlocked	O
after	O
progression	O
in	O
Original	O
mode	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
survival	O
type	O
mode	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
if	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
four	O
players	O
use	O
the	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
produced	O
Grand	O
Stick	O
III	O
arcade	O
stick	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paprium	B-Application
begins	O
with	O
three	O
playable	O
characters	O
,	O
Tug	O
,	O
Alex	O
,	O
and	O
Dice	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
their	O
own	O
strength	O
and	O
speed	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
handful	O
of	O
other	O
playable	O
characters	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
unlock	O
with	O
game	O
progression	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
follows	O
the	O
three	O
characters	O
in	O
Paprium	B-Application
,	O
a	O
fictional	O
supercity	O
built	O
after	O
a	O
massive	O
nuclear	B-Application
war	I-Application
located	O
"	O
somewhere	O
at	O
equidistant	O
point	O
 [ sic ] 	O
between	O
Shanghai	B-Device
,	O
Tokyo	O
and	O
Pyongyang	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
8A2	O
(	O
hexadecimal	O
value	O
for	O
the	O
year	O
2210	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
supports	O
both	O
the	O
Mega-CD	B-Device
and	O
the	O
32X	B-Device
accessories	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
accessories	O
are	O
plugged	O
in	O
to	O
a	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
,	O
it	O
will	O
insert	O
boxes	O
of	O
the	O
accessories	O
in	O
game	O
which	O
functions	O
as	O
a	O
throw-able	O
explosive	O
weapon	O
for	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
this	O
the	O
Mega-CD	B-Device
'	O
s	O
additional	O
CPU	O
hardware	O
can	O
be	O
leveraged	O
as	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
controlled	I-Application
second	O
player	O
in	O
single-player	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
unique	O
feature	O
in	O
Paprium	B-Application
is	O
unlike	O
other	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
Paprium	B-Application
's	O
score	O
is	O
recorded	O
in	O
the	O
hexadecimal	O
or	O
base-16	O
numerical	O
system	O
rather	O
than	O
the	O
conventional	O
decimal	B-Application
or	O
base-10	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WaterMelon	B-Application
announced	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
on	O
their	O
Magical	O
Game	O
Factory	O
website	O
,	O
a	O
site	O
set	O
up	O
as	O
both	O
a	O
storefront	O
and	O
crowd-funding	O
page	O
for	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
and	O
future	O
games	O
,	O
as	O
"	O
Project	O
Y	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
then	O
code	O
name	O
of	O
Paprium	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
announced	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
new	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
game	O
on	O
February	O
21	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
developed	O
alongside	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
's	O
first	O
ever	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
title	O
code-named	O
"	O
Project	O
N	O
"	O
which	O
is	O
still	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Funding	O
and	O
influence	O
on	O
Project	O
Y	O
was	O
funded	O
by	O
"	O
gems	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
digital	O
currency	O
used	O
by	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
for	O
this	O
site	O
where	O
funders	O
would	O
convert	O
actual	O
currency	O
to	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
for	O
these	O
gems	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
vote	O
for	O
what	O
direction	O
they	O
wanted	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
take	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
early	O
development	O
phase	O
for	O
Project	O
Y	O
,	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
put	O
up	O
calls	O
to	O
funders	O
to	O
invest	O
their	O
gems	O
to	O
influence	O
what	O
game	O
platform	O
they	O
wanted	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
to	O
develop	O
Project	O
Y	O
for	O
,	O
what	O
genre	O
or	O
genres	O
they	O
wanted	O
Project	O
Y	O
to	O
be	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
art	O
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
4	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
from	O
the	O
results	O
of	O
a	O
investor	O
poll	O
,	O
Project	O
Y	O
would	O
be	O
a	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
with	O
role-playing	O
game	O
elements	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
results	O
of	O
another	O
poll	O
from	O
March	O
29	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
determined	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
cyberpunk	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
for	O
Project	O
Y	O
began	O
sometime	O
around	O
September	O
2012	O
alongside	O
Pier	B-Application
Solar	I-Application
's	O
HD	O
re-release	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
initial	O
release	O
date	O
for	O
summer	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WaterMelon	B-Application
put	O
a	O
call	O
out	O
to	O
hire	O
additional	O
artists	O
for	O
Project	O
Y	O
in	O
July	O
2013	O
,	O
pointing	O
out	O
familiarity	O
with	O
Final	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
,	O
Streets	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rage	I-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
and	O
The	B-Application
King	I-Application
of	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
as	O
the	O
requirements	O
for	O
the	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Luis	O
Martins	O
eventually	O
was	O
brought	O
on	O
as	O
the	O
artist	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
character	O
designs	O
of	O
Paprium	B-Application
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
this	O
open	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
late	O
hire	O
of	O
an	O
artist	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
confusion	O
around	O
when	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
,	O
the	O
release	O
date	O
was	O
quietly	O
was	O
moved	O
to	O
March	O
25	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
with	O
other	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
employees	O
later	O
stating	O
that	O
this	O
initial	O
Summer	O
2013	O
release	O
date	O
was	O
"	O
fake	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internal	O
conflicts	O
at	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
started	O
occurring	O
during	O
the	O
studio	O
's	O
Pier	B-Application
Solar	I-Application
HD	I-Application
development	O
and	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
Project	O
Y	O
's	O
development	O
cycles	O
,	O
culminating	O
with	O
Godde	O
moving	O
back	O
to	O
France	O
and	O
beginning	O
to	O
compartmentalize	O
Project	O
Y	O
development	O
to	O
just	O
himself	O
,	O
going	O
as	O
far	O
as	O
keeping	O
including	O
cartridge	O
manufacturing	O
information	O
and	O
game	O
direction	O
information	O
hidden	O
and	O
known	O
only	O
to	O
him	O
,	O
including	O
keeping	O
information	O
from	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
's	O
co-founder	O
Tulio	O
Goncalves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Goncalves	O
left	O
the	O
company	O
after	O
Pier	B-Application
Solar	I-Application
HD	I-Application
's	O
release	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
2014	O
due	O
to	O
conflicts	O
with	O
Godde	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
setback	O
in	O
development	O
occurred	O
in	O
August	O
2016	O
when	O
Godde	O
claimed	O
Project	O
Y	O
's	O
developer	O
's	O
kit	O
was	O
lost	O
by	O
Air	O
France	O
causing	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
to	O
have	O
to	O
replace	O
it	O
at	O
a	O
large	O
cost	O
to	O
the	O
company	O
,	O
however	O
this	O
has	O
been	O
disputed	O
by	O
a	O
Sega-16	O
forum	O
member	O
who	O
was	O
in	O
contact	O
with	O
Godde	O
and	O
Air	O
France	O
,	O
who	O
claimed	O
that	O
in	O
their	O
interactions	O
with	O
the	O
airline	O
,	O
no	O
one	O
at	O
the	O
was	O
aware	O
of	O
any	O
lost	O
package	O
reported	O
to	O
them	O
or	O
discovered	O
by	O
their	O
flight	O
crews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WaterMelon	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
Project	O
Y	O
's	O
official	O
name	O
would	O
be	O
Paprium	B-Application
in	O
a	O
March	O
17	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
post	O
on	O
their	O
Facebook	B-Application
page	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
late	O
2017	O
release	O
date	O
,	O
later	O
confirmed	O
to	O
be	O
September	O
17	O
,	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
setback	O
occurred	O
during	O
development	O
leading	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
when	O
PayPal	O
shut	O
down	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
's	O
accounts	O
and	O
froze	O
funds	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
stored	O
in	O
PayPal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
March	O
27	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
post	O
,	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
stated	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
run	O
in	O
to	O
a	O
production	O
issue	O
with	O
the	O
DATENMEISTER	O
chipset	O
and	O
this	O
was	O
holding	O
up	O
production	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
chipset	O
modifications	O
were	O
needed	O
to	O
continue	O
manufacturing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
October	O
27	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
held	O
a	O
small	O
party	O
in	O
Paris	O
to	O
celebrate	O
30	O
years	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
publicly	O
unveil	O
a	O
working	O
copy	O
of	O
Paprium	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
Paprium	B-Application
in	O
any	O
form	O
was	O
displayed	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
and	O
not	O
a	O
member	O
of	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
's	O
development	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Godde	O
defended	O
the	O
party	O
and	O
game	O
display	O
claiming	O
that	O
Paprium	B-Application
was	O
finished	O
,	O
but	O
they	O
intentionally	O
displayed	O
a	O
prototype	O
to	O
keep	O
the	O
final	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
surprise	O
for	O
new	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Martens	O
had	O
confirmed	O
that	O
Paprium	B-Application
is	O
still	O
under	O
manufacturing	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
planned	O
for	O
an	O
end	O
of	O
2019	O
release	O
,	O
after	O
previously	O
making	O
a	O
public	O
statement	O
calling	O
out	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
for	O
lack	O
of	O
transparency	O
regarding	O
release	O
and	O
manufacturing	O
news	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Godde	O
released	O
an	O
update	O
on	O
the	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
Facebook	B-Application
page	O
on	O
May	O
28	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
video	O
of	O
a	O
factory	O
worker	O
assembling	O
the	O
Grand	O
Stick	O
III	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
update	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
last	O
public	O
updates	O
from	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
prior	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
,	O
continued	O
the	O
ongoing	O
allusion	O
to	O
financial	O
issues	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
Paprium	B-Application
release	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
mention	O
that	O
only	O
pre-ordered	O
copies	O
would	O
be	O
assembled	O
,	O
with	O
no	O
further	O
stock	O
being	O
assembled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Paprium	B-Application
soundtrack	O
was	O
composed	O
by	O
David	O
Burton	O
aka	O
Groovemaster303	O
and	O
Trevin	O
Hughes	O
aka	O
Jredd	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tulio	O
Goncalves	O
originally	O
reached	O
out	O
to	O
Burton	O
for	O
Paprium	B-Application
because	O
of	O
his	O
prior	O
work	O
on	O
Pier	B-Application
Solar	I-Application
,	O
and	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Streets	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rage	I-Application
Remake	O
fan-game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
and	O
was	O
approached	O
by	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
for	O
the	O
soundtrack	O
for	O
what	O
then	O
was	O
known	O
as	O
Project	O
Y	O
.	O
Burton	O
approached	O
Hughes	O
for	O
a	O
collaboration	O
as	O
the	O
two	O
had	O
worked	O
together	O
in	O
the	O
past	O
on	O
other	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
soundtrack	O
takes	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
's	O
native	O
Yamaha	O
YM2612	O
sound	O
chip	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
utilizing	O
the	O
Zilog	B-General_Concept
Z80	I-General_Concept
included	O
in	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
for	O
Master	O
System	O
backwards	O
compatibility	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
extra	O
hardware	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Paprium	B-Application
's	O
DATENMEISTER	O
chipset	O
for	O
additional	O
audio	O
capabilities	O
like	O
increased	O
audio	O
channels	O
and	O
samples	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hughes	O
has	O
mentioned	O
that	O
games	O
like	O
the	O
Streets	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rage	I-Application
series	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
's	O
Terminator	O
game	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
works	O
by	O
Yuzo	O
Koshiro	O
and	O
Tim	O
Follin	O
were	O
used	O
as	O
inspiration	O
for	O
Paprium	B-Application
's	O
soundtrack	O
and	O
sound	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Paprium	B-Application
cartridge	O
hardware	O
is	O
unique	O
among	O
both	O
commercially	O
released	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
games	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
homebrew	B-Application
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cartridge	O
contains	O
a	O
custom	O
chipset	O
named	O
"	O
DATENMEISTER	O
"	O
or	O
referred	O
to	O
by	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
as	O
the	O
"	O
DT128M16VA1LT	O
"	O
chipset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
not	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
a	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
game	O
has	O
been	O
released	O
with	O
additional	O
hardware	O
to	O
improve	O
the	O
console	O
hardware	O
's	O
graphical	O
ability	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
Sega	O
Virtua	O
Processor	O
(	O
SVP	O
)	O
chipset	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
release	O
of	O
Virtua	O
Racing	O
being	O
the	O
first	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
a	O
homebrew	B-Application
release	O
cartridge	O
has	O
been	O
released	O
with	O
its	O
own	O
custom	O
chipset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
chipset	O
is	O
under	O
a	O
metal	O
heat	O
sink	O
on	O
the	O
cartridge	O
printed	O
circuit	O
board	O
(	O
PCB	O
)	O
however	O
initial	O
shipments	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	O
had	O
reports	O
that	O
the	O
heat	O
sink	O
was	O
improperly	O
secured	O
onto	O
the	O
PCB	O
,	O
with	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
releasing	O
a	O
statement	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
online	O
support	O
page	O
that	O
users	O
should	O
open	O
up	O
their	O
cartridge	O
case	O
and	O
remove	O
the	O
heat	O
sink	O
to	O
not	O
damage	O
the	O
PCB	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
heat	O
sink	O
is	O
purely	O
for	O
aesthetics	O
and	O
not	O
needed	O
for	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Users	O
that	O
have	O
removed	O
the	O
heatsink	O
found	O
epoxy	O
covering	O
the	O
DATENMEISTER	O
chipset	O
,	O
put	O
there	O
by	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
to	O
prevent	O
chipset	O
reverse	O
engineering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Removing	O
the	O
epoxy	O
reveals	O
several	O
additional	O
chips	O
such	O
as	O
an	O
Altera	O
FPGA	B-Architecture
(	O
10M02SCU169C8G	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
STMicroelectronics	O
microcontroller	B-Architecture
(	O
STM32F446ZEJ6	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
Spansion	O
microcontroller	B-Architecture
(	O
GL064N90FFIS2	O
)	O
,	O
an	O
ISSI	O
semiconductor	O
RAM	O
(	O
IS42S16100H	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
two	O
logic	O
gates	O
from	O
ON	O
Semiconductor	O
(	O
74LCX245	O
and	O
74LCX257	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
handle	O
the	O
additional	O
audio	O
channels	O
and	O
capability	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
assist	O
the	O
console	O
in	O
various	O
game	O
tasks	O
(	O
managing	O
VRAM	O
,	O
generating	O
sprite	O
table	O
...	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cartridge	O
uses	O
flash	O
memory	O
for	O
save	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
does	O
not	O
need	O
to	O
rely	O
on	O
a	O
password	O
save	O
feature	O
or	O
rely	O
on	O
battery	O
saves	O
like	O
many	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
games	O
that	O
came	O
out	O
during	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
release	O
lifespan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cartridge	O
also	O
features	O
a	O
phone	B-Device
connector	I-Device
on	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	O
dubbed	O
the	O
"	O
MegaWire	O
4	O
"	O
in	O
marketing	O
materials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
functionality	O
does	O
not	O
exist	O
for	O
this	O
yet	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
been	O
mentioned	O
by	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
that	O
this	O
will	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
an	O
expansion	O
port	O
for	O
future	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
along	O
with	O
an	O
online	O
high-score	O
board	O
or	O
possibly	O
for	O
compatibility	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cartridge	O
features	O
64	O
Megabits	O
of	O
storage	O
(	O
8	O
Megabytes	O
)	O
making	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
largest	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
cartridge	O
ever	O
commercially	O
released	O
,	O
alongside	O
Pier	B-Application
Solar	I-Application
which	O
was	O
also	O
64	O
Megabits	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WaterMelon	B-Application
developed	O
an	O
arcade	O
stick	O
alongside	O
of	O
Paprium	B-Application
called	O
the	O
"	O
Grand	O
Stick	O
III	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
arcade	O
stick	O
works	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
and	O
PC	O
,	O
and	O
features	O
an	O
arcade	O
quality	O
joystick	O
and	O
eight	O
buttons	O
,	O
mimicking	O
that	O
of	O
a	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
6	O
button	O
controller	O
(	O
A	O
,	O
B	O
,	O
C	O
,	O
X	O
,	O
Y	O
,	O
Z	O
,	O
Start	O
,	O
and	O
Mode	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
stick	O
is	O
hooked	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
and	O
used	O
for	O
Paprium	B-Application
,	O
the	O
stick	O
will	O
illuminate	O
the	O
A	O
button	O
to	O
let	O
the	O
player	O
know	O
when	O
the	O
BLU	O
pill	O
is	O
available	O
for	O
use	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
sound	O
effects	O
from	O
a	O
built	O
in	O
speaker	O
when	O
the	O
player	O
character	O
is	O
knocked	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Grand	O
Stick	O
III	O
connects	O
to	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
via	O
the	O
DE-9	O
controller	O
port	O
,	O
or	O
to	O
a	O
PC	O
via	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
USB-B	O
plug	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Grand	O
Stick	O
III	O
also	O
has	O
an	O
additional	O
DB-9	O
controller	O
port	O
which	O
when	O
paired	O
with	O
an	O
additional	O
Grand	O
Stick	O
III	O
and	O
two	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
controllers	O
can	O
allow	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
in	O
Paprium	B-Application
's	O
unlockable	O
Arena	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
stick	O
has	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
DIP	O
switches	O
on	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
change	O
the	O
button	O
layout	O
,	O
unlock	O
certain	O
modes	O
in	O
the	O
Paprium	B-Application
game	O
,	O
or	O
enter	O
debug	B-Device
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paprium	B-Application
was	O
eventually	O
confirmed	O
to	O
be	O
complete	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
16	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
after	O
several	O
delays	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
multiple	O
editions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
available	O
in	O
a	O
"	O
Classic	O
"	O
edition	O
,	O
which	O
comes	O
in	O
a	O
plastic	O
clamshell	O
box	O
with	O
artwork	O
similar	O
to	O
early	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
titles	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
Limited	O
"	O
edition	O
with	O
artwork	O
similar	O
to	O
later	O
era	O
Japanese	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
,	O
European	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
,	O
North	O
American	O
Genesis	O
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
regional	O
branding	O
,	O
each	O
Paprium	B-Application
cartridge	O
is	O
region-free	O
and	O
was	O
made	O
to	O
work	O
natively	O
on	O
both	O
PAL	B-Language
and	O
NTSC	O
televisions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
run	O
on	O
a	O
Japanese	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
small	O
differences	O
between	O
the	O
Japanese	O
cartridge	O
and	O
North	O
American/European	O
releases	O
have	O
been	O
identified	O
by	O
players	O
post	O
release	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
music	O
tracks	O
appearing	O
in	O
game	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
title	O
screen	O
adding	O
"	O
メガロポリス	O
"	O
(	O
katakana	O
for	O
megalopolis	O
)	O
where	O
other	O
copies	O
display	O
the	O
Datenmeister	O
logo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
release	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
discovered	O
by	O
owners	O
of	O
the	O
Paprium	B-Application
cartridge	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
starts	O
off	O
with	O
a	O
troll	O
game	O
called	O
"	O
PAAAAA	O
"	O
on	O
first	O
boot	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
an	O
unbeatable	O
demake	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
which	O
will	O
only	O
appear	O
on	O
first	O
boot	O
,	O
and	O
never	O
appear	O
on	O
subsequent	O
boots	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
move	O
was	O
widely	O
criticized	O
with	O
reports	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
does	O
not	O
boot	O
on	O
certain	O
hardware	O
like	O
Analogue	O
's	O
field-programmable	B-Architecture
gate	I-Architecture
array	I-Architecture
(	O
FPGA	B-Architecture
)	O
based	O
Mega	B-Application
Sg	I-Application
,	O
clone	O
consoles	O
,	O
or	O
even	O
Sega	O
released	O
revisions	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
acknowledged	O
by	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
directly	O
stating	O
that	O
they	O
only	O
designed	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
Sega	O
produced	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initial	O
workarounds	O
were	O
discovered	O
that	O
allowed	O
Paprium	B-Application
to	O
boot	O
on	O
the	O
Mega	B-Application
Sg	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Analogue	O
eventually	O
releasing	O
an	O
official	O
firmware	O
update	O
that	O
allows	O
the	O
cart	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Mega	B-Application
Sg	I-Application
natively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
users	O
have	O
found	O
on	O
certain	O
revisions	O
of	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Mega	I-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
require	O
a	O
32X	B-Device
to	O
be	O
plugged	O
in	O
to	O
boot	O
,	O
despite	O
Paprium	B-Application
not	O
being	O
a	O
32X	B-Device
game	O
or	O
taking	O
advantage	O
of	O
the	O
32X	B-Device
's	O
additional	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
also	O
confirmed	O
by	O
Godde	O
directly	O
,	O
mentioning	O
that	O
early	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Model	O
1	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
require	O
the	O
32X	B-Device
to	O
function	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
17	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
announced	O
all	O
copies	O
of	O
Paprium	B-Application
have	O
been	O
sold	O
out	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
post-release	O
announcement	O
planned	O
for	O
February	O
22	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
22	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
announced	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
still	O
shipping	O
games	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
they	O
would	O
begin	O
sale	O
of	O
their	O
intellectual	O
property	O
,	O
including	O
Pier	B-Application
Solar	I-Application
and	O
Paprium	B-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
their	O
unreleased	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WaterMelon	B-Application
announced	O
on	O
October	O
22	O
,	O
2021	O
,	O
that	O
a	O
new	O
Kickstarter	O
campaign	O
for	O
Paprium	B-Application
is	O
launching	O
to	O
fund	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
ports	O
to	O
the	O
Sony	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Sony	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Steam	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
extended	O
out	O
to	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
,	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
and	O
a	O
port	O
to	O
the	O
Sega	O
Game	O
Gear	O
with	O
funding	O
goals	O
being	O
reached	O
at	O
a	O
later	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
this	O
campaign	O
launched	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
version	O
of	O
their	O
arcade	O
stick	O
,	O
the	O
Grand	O
Stick	O
IV	O
and	O
an	O
ability	O
to	O
purchase	O
additional	O
cartridges	O
for	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
game	O
,	O
many	O
original	O
backers	O
are	O
still	O
reporting	O
not	O
having	O
received	O
their	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paprium	B-Application
received	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HobbyConsolass	O
Daniel	O
Quesada	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
an	O
89/100	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
hardware	O
push	O
to	O
get	O
the	O
most	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
Mega	B-Operating_System
Drive	I-Operating_System
along	O
with	O
calling	O
it	O
a	O
great	O
successor	O
to	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
ups	I-Application
of	O
the	O
16-bit	O
era	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
$130	O
price	O
tag	O
and	O
uneven	O
difficulty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega-16	O
'	O
s	O
Sebastian	O
Sponsel	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
7/10	O
praising	O
the	O
hardware	O
and	O
huge	O
graphical	O
improvements	O
put	O
forward	O
by	O
WaterMelon	B-Application
but	O
ultimately	O
felt	O
that	O
"	O
these	O
are	O
all	O
just	O
neat	O
dressing	O
that	O
in	O
the	O
long	O
run	O
do	O
n’t	O
serve	O
to	O
cover	O
up	O
the	O
flaws	O
inherent	O
in	O
the	O
core	O
design	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
