Hamster Corp. has been doing a tremendous job bringing back several arcade classics for new gamers to enjoy, including various titles from Taito (Elevator Action, Bubble Bobble), SNK (including today’s Art of Fighting 2) and so many more. And now, it’s adding a few Irem titles to the ranks.
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A Twitter user by the name of @Gosokkyu confirmed that Hamster was beginning its run of classic games from the R-Type producer for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, with three more titles on the way. They’re all worthwhile classics, but two particular titles should be recognizable for anyone who’s ever hung out in an arcade in the 80’s.
First up is Kid Niki: Radical Ninja, a side-scrolling adventure where you play a sword-slinging hero who defeats evil enemies, while at the same time challenging a few large bosses. The game originally came out in arcades in the 80’s, before getting a successful release on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. You can check out gameplay footage of the arcade version (the one coming to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch) below.
Next up is Moon Patrol, a long-lost arcade game that originally came out in 1982. In the game, you control a moon rover, going from point to point while avoiding obstacles like pits and rocks, and shooting at aliens in the sky. The game was a hit and saw various home translations, including the Atari 2600 and a spot in the Arcade’s Greatest Hits line-up for Sony PlayStation, but hasn’t seen too many home releases since that time. Needless to say, it’ll be nice to see it again.
Finally, a rarer arcade game by the name of Youjuuden is getting a release. It didn’t get much distribution in the U.S., but it resembles top-down shooters like Capcom’s Commando and Hamster’s just-released Front Line, where you take on enemies while collecting power-ups. Based on the video below, it looks pretty good.
The games don’t have release dates, but they’re expected to arrive sometime this year, and should be priced around $7.99 apiece. Kid Niki and Moon Patrol are definitely worth the price of admission, and Youjuuden looks like it’ll be worth checking out as well.
