When did Popful Mail release?

Popful Mail was first released on December 20, 1991.

Popful Mail

Dec 20, 1991PlatformRole-playing (RPG)PC-9800 SeriesPC-8800 SeriesTurbografx-16/PC Engine CDSega CD

Popful Mail — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Popful Mail on?: Popful Mail was released on PC-9800 Series, PC-8800 Series, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, Sega CD.
When did Popful Mail release?: Popful Mail was first released on December 20, 1991.

About Popful Mail

Mail is a young, cute, enthusiastic female bounty-hunting elf. Unfortunately, every time a bounty is near, something goes wrong: the last case was particularly painful, involving Mail bravely cutting off the head of a famous criminal - only to realize that his body escaped without the head. Mail tried at least to sell the head in the nearest town, but discovered that the local tavern was full of these heads stored in a basket. But not all is lost: Mail reads a poster that promises a big reward for someone who catches an evil wizard who terrorizes the land. Sounds like just the job Mail was looking for!

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: PC-9800 Series, PC-8800 Series, Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD, Sega CD
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Publisher: Nihon Falcom
Game modes: Single player
Themes: Fantasy

Details via IGDB.

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Period reviews	Fake risk
Sega CD	1995	$250	$525	$819	***	Medium

Also released on: PC-9800 Series · PC-8800 Series · Turbografx-16/PC Engine CD. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega CD · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-11-02

Loose

$250

Complete

$525

Sealed

$819

few sales

Other releases and variants

Release	Loose	Complete	Sealed
Japanese release	$68	$130	—

How often it sells

Loose: about once a month
Complete: about 2 times a week
Sealed: about once a year

Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-11-02.

Price over time

Loose
Complete

A loose copy sold for about $49 in Oct 2008, $400 five years ago, and $250 as of Nov 2026.

Show as table

Month	Loose	Complete
Jan 2009	$35	—
Jan 2010	$45	—
Jan 2011	$58	—
Jan 2012	$79	—
Jan 2013	$117	—
Jan 2014	$99	$120
Jan 2015	$128	$165
Jan 2016	$147	$173
Jan 2017	$233	$300
Jan 2018	$195	$236
Jan 2019	$192	$292
Jan 2020	$175	$350
Jan 2021	$318	$497
Jan 2022	$360	$600
Jan 2023	$494	$690
Jan 2024	$249	$436
Jan 2025	$262	$526
Jan 2026	$235	$532
Nov 2026	$250	$525

Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Nov 2026.

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number	Barcode	MSRP
North America	23 February 1995	T-127035	735366270353	—
Japan	1 April 1994	G-6029	—	¥7,800

Source: Japanese product numbers, dates and prices: Sega Japan's Mega-CD software lists, each number checked against MAME's Mega-CD software list. North American and European numbers: the number printed on the disc as recorded by Redump, shown where MAME's list agrees or has no number

Region: JP+NA
Released: 1995
Authenticity: Med

Modern re-releases of these games are not tracked hereMedium counterfeit risk

Sega CD prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A funny, voiced side-scrolling action RPG whose Sega CD version stands apart from the other Popful Mail releases.

This is the Sega CD version of Popful Mail, developed by Sega Falcom, a joint venture between Sega and Nihon Falcom, with Working Designs also listed. Sega published it in Japan on 1 April 1994 and Working Designs in North America on 23 February 1995. It differs significantly from the other versions of the game, the North American release was adjusted in several ways, including higher difficulty, and the voiced speech can be turned off in the options menu.

Electronic Gaming Monthly called it a side-scrolling action RPG with a story that is humorous at times thanks to spoken text, and said the animated cinemas are excellent and quite funny.

What the press said at the time

Next Generation Issue 2

February 1995

***

“it's been revamped for US release, and it's a hoot. Like Ys, it has side-scrolling action to space out the RPG storyline”
— Next Generation, February 1995

Worth knowing

A Sonic rework that never happened. The Sega CD version was going to be reworked further to become part of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series, but that did not happen.

Before you buy

The US disc is one of the priciest North American Sega CD releases, and reproductions of it are sold, so ask for photos of the disc's printed side, its data side and the inner ring. A genuine disc has its label printed on the disc and codes moulded into the inner ring, and the title and catalogue number should match the case. A red disc is a legitimate variant, not proof of a fake. The Japanese disc usually costs far less, loose and complete, and needs a Japanese Mega-CD.