<s>
Wardner	B-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
platform	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
arcades	O
worldwide	O
by	O
Taito	O
in	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Wardner	B-Application
,	O
players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
child	O
named	O
Dover	O
on	O
a	O
journey	O
to	O
rescue	O
his	O
kidnapped	O
girlfriend	O
Mia	O
from	O
the	O
titular	O
warlock	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
arcades	O
,	O
the	O
title	O
was	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
other	O
platforms	O
by	O
different	O
third-party	O
developers	O
including	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
and	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
each	O
one	O
featuring	O
several	O
changes	O
and	O
additions	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversions	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
and	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
were	O
also	O
in	O
development	O
but	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wardner	B-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
video	O
game	O
magazines	O
since	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
arcades	O
,	O
though	O
reviewers	O
drew	O
comparison	O
with	O
Capcom	O
's	O
Ghosts	B-Application
'	I-Application
n	I-Application
Goblins	I-Application
due	O
to	O
its	O
gameplay	O
style	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Genesis	O
version	O
was	O
met	O
with	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
after	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2019	O
,	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
title	O
are	O
owned	O
by	O
Tatsujin	B-Application
,	O
a	O
company	O
founded	O
in	O
2017	O
by	O
former	O
Toaplan	O
member	O
Masahiro	O
Yuge	O
and	O
now-affiliate	O
of	O
Japanese	O
arcade	O
manufacturer	O
exA-Arcadia	O
alongside	O
many	O
other	O
Toaplan	O
IPs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wardner	B-Application
is	O
a	O
side-scrolling	O
action-platform	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
Ghosts	B-Application
'	I-Application
n	I-Application
Goblins	I-Application
and	O
Rastan	B-Device
where	O
the	O
players	O
takes	O
control	O
of	O
Dover	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
protagonist	O
through	O
five	O
stages	O
(	O
six	O
in	O
the	O
Genesis	O
version	O
)	O
of	O
varying	O
themes	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
fantasy	O
land	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
main	O
objective	O
being	O
rescuing	O
his	O
girlfriend	O
Mia	O
from	O
the	O
titular	O
antagonist	O
by	O
defeating	O
his	O
servants	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
which	O
that	O
act	O
as	O
a	O
boss	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
stage	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
progress	O
further	O
on	O
the	O
journey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Getting	O
hit	O
by	O
enemy	O
fire	O
,	O
colliding	O
against	O
solid	O
stage	O
obstacles	O
,	O
falling	O
off	O
the	O
stage	O
or	O
running	O
out	O
of	O
time	O
will	O
result	O
in	O
losing	O
a	O
live	O
and	O
once	O
all	O
lives	O
are	O
lost	O
,	O
the	O
game	B-Application
is	I-Application
over	I-Application
unless	O
the	O
players	O
insert	O
more	O
credits	O
into	O
the	O
arcade	O
machine	O
to	O
continue	O
playing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wardner	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
arcades	O
worldwide	O
by	O
Taito	O
in	O
1987	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
version	O
was	O
distributed	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Pyros	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Osamu	O
Ōta	O
served	O
as	O
composer	O
for	O
the	O
title	O
's	O
soundtrack	O
under	O
the	O
alias	O
"	O
Ree	O
"	O
in	O
one	O
of	O
his	O
first	O
roles	O
on	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
industry	O
prior	O
to	O
Twin	B-Application
Hawk	I-Application
and	O
Snow	O
Bros	O
..	O
Former	O
Toaplan	O
composer	O
Masahiro	O
Yuge	O
stated	O
in	O
a	O
2012	O
interview	O
with	O
Japanese	O
publications	O
Shooting	O
Gameside	O
that	O
Ōta	O
joined	O
the	O
company	O
when	O
their	O
staff	O
was	O
small	O
,	O
while	O
Tatsuya	O
Uemura	O
stated	O
in	O
a	O
2009	O
interview	O
that	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
created	O
by	O
Etsuhiro	O
Wada	O
and	O
was	O
also	O
influenced	O
by	O
Wizardry	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
25	O
March	O
1988	O
,	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
Wardner	B-Application
developed	O
by	O
Daiei	O
Seisakusho	O
was	O
released	O
exclusively	O
in	O
Japan	O
for	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
by	O
Taito	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
26	O
April	O
1991	O
,	O
a	O
reworked	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
by	O
Dragnet	O
and	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Visco	O
Corporation	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Wardner	B-Application
no	I-Application
Mori	I-Application
Special	I-Application
,	O
while	O
a	O
North	O
American	O
release	O
by	O
Mentrix	O
Software	O
occurred	O
later	O
on	O
May	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1988	O
,	O
a	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
was	O
announced	O
to	O
be	O
in	O
development	O
by	O
NEC	O
Avenue	O
under	O
the	O
helm	O
of	O
Prototype	O
founder	O
Toshio	O
Tabeta	O
and	O
despite	O
being	O
previewed	O
,	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
then	O
moved	O
on	O
to	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
CD-ROM²	O
and	O
ultimately	O
to	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
Super	O
CD-ROM²	O
before	O
being	O
cancelled	O
after	O
multiple	O
delays	O
,	O
despite	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
port	O
being	O
completed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2019	O
,	O
Japanese	O
company	O
M2	O
announced	O
that	O
in	O
2020	O
they	O
will	O
release	O
every	O
game	O
by	O
Toaplan	O
(	O
excluding	O
Mahjong	B-Application
Sisters	I-Application
and	O
Enma	B-Application
Daiō	I-Application
)	O
for	O
consoles	O
in	O
Japan	O
including	O
Wardner	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2022	O
,	O
both	O
the	O
arcade	O
and	O
the	O
Famicom	B-Device
Disk	I-Device
System	I-Device
versions	O
will	O
be	O
included	O
in	O
the	O
Hishou	O
Same	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
compilation	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
as	O
part	O
of	O
M2	O
's	O
Toaplan	O
Arcade	O
Garage	O
label	O
as	O
downloadable	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Wardner	B-Application
on	O
their	O
November	O
1	O
,	O
1987	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
ninth	O
most-successful	O
table	O
arcade	O
unit	O
of	O
the	O
month	O
,	O
outperforming	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Arkanoid	B-Device
:	I-Device
Revenge	I-Device
of	I-Device
Doh	I-Device
and	O
Black	B-Application
Tiger	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wardner	B-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
positive	O
reception	O
from	O
critics	O
since	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
arcades	O
and	O
compared	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
Ghosts	B-Application
'	I-Application
n	I-Application
Goblins	I-Application
by	O
Capcom	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Den	O
of	O
Geek	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
regarded	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
solid	O
but	O
forgettable	O
title	O
from	O
Toaplan.Wardner	O
was	O
received	O
with	O
a	O
more	O
mixed	O
reception	O
on	O
Sega	B-Operating_System
Genesis	I-Operating_System
from	O
reviewers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
more	O
recent	O
years	O
,	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
many	O
other	O
IPs	O
from	O
Toaplan	O
are	O
now	O
owned	O
by	O
Tatsujin	B-Application
,	O
a	O
company	O
named	O
after	O
Truxton'''s	O
Japanese	O
title	O
that	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
2017	O
by	O
Yuge	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
now	O
affiliated	O
with	O
arcade	O
manufacturer	O
exA-Arcadia	O
.	O
</s>
