Cotton 100%
Cotton 100% is a side scrolling shooter by Success and Datam Polystar, and likely sequel to the arcade game Cotton originally released in 1989. Previously only available in Japan under the title of Märchen Adventure Cotton 100%, It received an aftermaket release in the West under the new title.
SCREENSHOTS
PHYSICAL
HISTORY
Cotton 100% is a 1994 scrolling shooter video game developed by Success and originally published by Datam Polystar for the Super Famicom. The second installment in the Cotton franchise, it is a follow-up to Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams. In the game, players assume the role of the titular young witch who, alongside her fairy companion Silk, sets out on her broomstick on a quest to defeat several monsters and get her Willow candy. Its gameplay is similar to the first game, mainly consisting of shooting mixed with role-playing game-esque elements using a main four-button configuration.
Cotton 100% garnered generally positive reception from critics who reviewed the original Super Famicom version as an import title. Most reviewers compared the game with other shoot 'em up titles like Keio Flying Squadron, Parodius and Pop'n TwinBee, being praised for its audiovisual presentation and gameplay but criticized for the short length and lack of two-player mode. It was later ported to the PlayStation in 2003 as a budget release, featuring downgrades compared with the original version. It was also re-released for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 across western regions in 2021, marking the game's first official international appearance. It also released for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
Gameplay
Cotton 100% is a scrolling shooter game similar to Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams where players assume role of the young witch Cotton who, alongside her fairy companion Silk, travels seven increasingly difficult levels through a fantasy dream-like world on a quest to defeat several monsters and get her Willow candy. The game is perhaps best described as something of a reinterpretation of the original Cotton as the enemy graphics and behaviors, gameplay mechanics, some of the stages and bosses, as well as the plot itself are virtually identical to the first game. However, in addition to many unique stages and enemies, the theme and colors in Cotton 100% are much brighter, and the actual level mapping is significantly different from the first game.
During gameplay, players must blast various monsters and avoid being shot while collecting crystal power-ups to enhance Cotton's firepower and unleash powerful magic spells on enemies, in addition of bombs capable of obliterating enemies. Cotton 100% also incorporates some role playing game elements as with the original Cotton, as players are able to level up their attack multiple times by collecting crystals dropped by enemies. The weapon system from the original arcade game was simplified, with players now selecting between multiple shot and magic spells configurations on an equipment screen similar to Gradius but the number of magic spells was reduced to two. Magic is refilled by picking up specific power-up items dropped by enemies, while players can also rescue captured fairies from enemies, acting as "options" and their attack formation depends on the currently selected magic spell. The player has lives represented by a broom and three lives, though only one hit is allowed per life and the game is over once all lives are lost but players can keep playing by using a limited number of continues.
Development
Cotton 100% was first announced by Datam Polystar for Super Famicom in 1993, and was released on April 22, 1994 in Japan. It came bundled with a CD insert featuring vocal songs by Cotton's seiyū. It is officially considered a "gaiden" entry in the series. It was co-directed by Kazutoshi Yashiki and Motoi Saito, and produced by Success founder Takato Yoshinari. Saito was also responsible for visual character designs, alongside Shinobu Itō (who worked as artist in Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams) and Hideki Tamura. Mizuho Sasa acted as main programmer, and Masahiro Fukuda was responsible for the pixel art as co-graphic designer. The music was composed by Kenichi Hirata, while radio actress Takae Yoriguchi reprised her role as Cotton.
According to Sasa, the game started off development as a straight port of Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams for Super Famicom, although it became more of an original title around the planning phase. Because of the amount of colors the Super Famicom could handle at once, it was decided to give the game a more cheery aesthetic, with "100% natural colors". Due to the amount of slowdown that could often happen on scrolling shooter games on the Super Famicom, special attention was also given to the amount of stuff that happened at once on screen, so that the game ran as smoothly as possible.
Release
Prior to launch, Cotton 100% received two CD albums published in Japan by Datam Polystar, one of which contained arranged and prototype tracks. The game was later ported by Success to the PlayStation and published in Japan on March 27, 2003, under the "SuperLite 1500" budget series, featuring bugs not present in the original Super Famicom version. On November 10, 2010, the PlayStation port was re-released for PlayStation Network by Hamster Corporation in Japan as part of their Game Archives series. In 2021, the title was launched for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 across western regions in digital and physical formats on October 29 by ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games, marking the game's first official international appearance. In addition, the original Super Famicom version was also released in western regions under a limited run of copies. It is also set to release for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on December 7, 2023.
Reception
Cotton 100% was met with generally positive reception from critics who reviewed the original Super Famicom version as an import title, most of which compared the game with Keio Flying Squadron, Parodius and Pop'n TwinBee. Computer and Video Games's Denis Ahmet praised the audiovisual presentation, playability and challenge but noted the lack of a two-player mode and originality, criticizing the "crude" boss encounters. Mega Fun's Martin Weidner commended the candy-style graphics but noted that they were outdated as the audio, criticizing its simplistic design. Super Play's Tony Mott criticized the visual design for being overly intricate and length but praised the audio and gameplay, regarding it as "A great shoot-'em-up with a style you almost want to hug." In a similar manner as Mott, Ralph Karels of German magazine Video Games also criticized the backgrounds for being overly detailed but commended the audio design. In contrast to the other reviewers, both Fabio Massa and Marco Del Bianco of the Italian publication Super Console praised the audiovisual presentation, playability and longevity.
Cotton 100% on Nintendo Switch garnered "mixed or average reviews", according to review aggregator site Metacritic.
1CC RUNS
One-credit clears we point to as the benchmark for this game.
GAMEPLAY VIDEO
STORES
Prices are cached from each storefront and may be out of date. Last checked 8 Nov 2026.
PRICE HISTORY
Every price change we know of, per shop. Flat means the price held; PC shops reach back through IsThereAnyDeal's archive, console shops start when this site started watching.
Nintendo eShop low: $1.99 (21 Oct 2026) , PlayStation Store low: $3.99 (24 Sep 2026)
REVIEWS
Published elsewhere, collected here. Every score is the outlet's own, on the outlet's own scale. Follow the link for the full review.
“The run time will likely be cause for complaint for some people – Cotton 100%. But this is an arcade-style game through and through, and it’s entertaining no matter how many times it’s replayed. And since the cartridge would normally be a rare import that would fetch a hefty price, it’s a wonderful gesture to have them readily available as a digital download. For fans of SHMUPs, both Cotton 100% is a must buy – it’s an absolute standout in its genre which would appeal to old and new fans alike.”
“Cotton 100% is a fantastically fun game. The stages are way too short, though, and that's a drag given the $14.99 price tag. But is its price a show stopper? That's up to you, the consumer. Still, Cotton 100% is silly, entertaining, and gives a decent challenge to beat.”
“For a console shmup from 1994, Cotton 100% has held up exceptionally well with its distinct style and enjoyable magic-based gameplay.”
“Cotton 100% is the traditional horizontal shooter that was originally released on the Super Famicom. This was a direct sequel to the original game. The series is built around the mechanic of gems to power-up shots. There are also magic elemental attacks. These can now be swapped at any time allowing for more diverse game play outside of the standard shooting. This port has all the menus in English, but everything else is in Japanese. All of these ports are just that. The only work is done in converting the menus and adding a few features here and there, but they are basically just ports onto n”
“Märchen Adventure Cotton 100% tells the story of Nata de Cotton who comes across Silk, a fairy who’s looking for help as the world fell into darkness. At first, our little heroine is uninterested in helping the fairy in need until Silk tells her that giant Willows, Cotton’s favourite candy, is waiting for her at the other end of the darkness. Without hesitation, Cotton changes her tune and she sets out along Silk to find the cause of the darkness.”
“A solid port of an important game in the series. It's just a shame that it's not that interesting mechanically. Still, it's a fun time and the quality of life additions make it a lot more approachable to newcomers.”
“This new version of Cotton 100% brings us this curious and valued cute 'em up from Super Famicom to the West 27 years after its original release. This is a perfect opportunity to get to know the franchise of the witch Nata de Cotton and her companion the fairy Silk with the second installment of the series. We only have to regret that this review is so sparse of news, extras or additional content.”
“Cotton 100% is a very good port of a pretty niche game, but it does have some stuff to iron out. The original game is here fully intact and still just as fun as ever, but the buggy visual options, the weird lack of any toggle for the epileptic, and the current lack of a translation make this port feel a bit rushed.”
“Cotton 100% doesn’t do a lot to stand out so you could probably pass up this cute ‘em up. I’m glad that it got a western release finally though and some of the extra features do make it a bit easier. If you’re a huge Cotton fan then you’ll enjoy it but otherwise you aren’t missing much.”
“Cotton 100% is alright. It’s a fun romp, but when put up against most modern shooters, and practically every other Cotton game released this year, it just feels a bit lacking. The existence of Cotton Reboot really invalidates this game’s whole shtick, and the fairly basic gameplay has since been expanded upon in games like Cotton 2. It’s not bad, it’s just there – it exists.”
“If you are fans of the Cotton series then I can say you will enjoy this port as it remains true to the original games and is certainly a collectors item. For anyone else it is just so hard to recommend it because it isn’t as good today as it was back in 1994. It is just a harsh reality that sometimes games stand the test of time and sometimes they don’t. Cotton 100% is somewhere in the middle and it’s okay, nothing more.”
“If you are a shoot ’em up enthusiast, then Cotton 100% is definitely a game worth playing, but if you are entry level and want to experience some old school Cotton gameplay, I think Cotton Reboot! is the much better option for you as it caters more to a wider audience. Don’t get me wrong, Cotton is still super-cute here, but the nostalgia glasses may come off faster than you think.”
“As someone that really enjoyed Cotton Reboot, Cotton 100% is quite the downgrade even given its age. Too easy, too simplistic, a bare minimum port – it’s an average shooter at best.”
“Still, this is a relatively small nitpick when the game as a whole is so enjoyable to play. It may not be as visually spectacular as Cotton 2 and Cotton Boomerang, nor as delightfully fast-paced and chaotic as Cotton Reboot!’s Arrange mode, but it certainly is a good example of a well-crafted 16-bit cute ’em up — and a great entry point to the series if you’ve been unsure where to start.”
“It’s great to see Cotton 100% come over to the West in such a big way. In 2021 we were lucky to receive 5 games in the Cotton series on Nintendo Switch. As someone who never got to appreciate the series before it has kinda made me feel like a kid again. I was getting to experience these games for the very first time as if I was playing them on their old retro systems of origin. The trouble is, it really feels like these games should have been released as a collection as opposed to a separate release. The price point also just feels a bit high making these appeal more to the dedicated Cotton f”
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