On the Internet, we found a copy of the almost legendary sequel to the adventure game Cosmology of Kyoto — TRIPITAKA 玄奘三蔵求法の旅. Before, we didn’t even know if the sequel really existed.
Game researcher Bruno de Figueiredo outlined ISO image the only known copy of TRIPITAKA, which can now be downloaded from the web. For years, users did not know for sure whether the game existed — gamers could not find the answer even in the archives.
The original Cosmology of Kyoto was a 1993 CD-ROM quest created by the Japanese studio SoftEdge. The game immerses you in the mystical medieval Kyoto, combining history, Buddhism, and surreal travels between lives. It was released in the West in 1994, but did not become a commercial hit. It later gained cult status due to its unconventional atmosphere and unique approach to game design.
TRIPITAKA — is a sequel to a game that for a long time was known only from the producers’ resumes. There were no confirmed releases, screenshots, or videos in the public domain. Therefore, even the fact of its release remained in question. For a long time, fans considered TRIPITAKA to be a canceled or internal project, but it turned out that the game still exists.
In 2023, Figueiredo came across a listing on Yahoo Japan: someone was selling a TRIPITAKA disk for a mere $300. It was the first physical mention of the game in a decade. For a year, the researcher tried to convince the owner to share the ISO image, and eventually got his consent.
«After a long search, uncertain that it even existed, I finally located the CD-ROM TRIPITAKA 玄奘三蔵求法の旅, the elusive sequel to the legendary Cosmology of Kyoto. Here is the ISO for your emulational pleasure», — Bruno de Figueiredo wrote in Twitter/X.
TRIPITAKA was probably released in 1999, although the producers indicated 1995. Users assume that the game was created specifically for an educational exhibition about the Silk Road that was held in Japanese museums. Because of this, it seems to have never been sold in stores, and its circulation was very limited.
After a long search, uncertain that it even existed, I finally located the CD-ROM TRIPITAKA 玄奘三蔵求法の旅, the elusive sequel to the legendary Cosmology of Kyoto. Here is the ISO for your emulational pleasure.https://t.co/vPtRjuo0BO
— Bruno de Figueiredo (@dieubussy) May 22, 2025
The ISO image is now available online, and anyone can run the game through an emulator or burn it to a disk. Although TRIPITAKA is much lesser known than the original, — it’s a real find for archivists and those interested in the history of Japanese game design in the 90s.
Below is a video with the gameplay of the original Cosmology of Kyoto
This is not the first time Figueiredo has brought rare Japanese games back to life: he previously worked on archiving little-known visual novels and educational products from the Windows 95 era. His contribution is particularly important given that major platforms still lack a systematic approach to game preservation.
Not only enthusiasts are interested in preserving and adapting old games, but companies are as well, although there are questions about them. For example, Nintendo is known for its Switch Online subscription, which offers access to a library of classic NES, SNES, Game Boy, N64, Game Boy Advance, and SEGA Genesis games. But Nintendo still avoids direct involvement in archiving old releases, and its upcoming move to key cards for Switch 2 may further complicate the preservation of the digital library. The Japanese giant is joined by Xbox, which in May announced the creation of teams for the preservation of gaming heritage. Sony has been working on a similar direction since 2023. However, they will not be able to cover the entire gaming sector.
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