Compile

Compile at a Glance

Compile was a Japanese developer and publisher active from 1980 until 2013. The company released a total of 174 games across its history, with 165 titles where they served as the primary developer. Their catalog spans several decades, showing a massive shift in output over time. The studio produced 41 games during the 1980s and saw a surge to 123 releases in the 1990s. Activity dropped sharply after that point, with only seven titles in the 2000s and two more in the 2010s before the company ceased operations. Their genre focus was heavily weighted toward Role-playing games, which accounted for 38 of their projects, followed by Puzzle games at 31 titles. They also produced 30 Shooters and 27 Adventure games. Platform support varied significantly based on the era. The PC-9800 Series saw the most output with 61 games, while Microsoft Windows platforms had 29 releases. Earlier hardware like MSX and MSX2 each hosted 20 to 22 titles. Later in their run, they released games for the Wii and Super Famicom, though these numbers were much lower at eight each. Quality trends for Compile show mostly good ratings across their library. Out of 17 rated titles, two reached great status above 80 points, while 13 scored between 60 and 79. Only two games fell into the mixed category, and none were considered poor. Their highest-rated work includes Golvellius: Valley of Doom from 1987 with a score of 87.3, followed by Puyo Pop in 1999 at 84. Other notable high-scoring entries include M.U.S.H.A. and Lunar Pool. The company shut down in November 2003 due to bankruptcy. Key staff members moved to Compile Heart or MileStone Inc, which took over the shoot-em-up team. The Compile trademark remains active as a brand label for merchandise and games under Compile Heart. Newer entities like Compile Maru have since emerged to continue the legacy with titles like Nyoki Nyoki: Tabidachi Hen for the Nintendo 3DS. Their recent releases before closure included Genkai Totsuki Monster Monpiece in early 2013 and various Puyo Puyo compilations in the mid-2000s.

Release Timeline

Rating Distribution