Since opening their treasure trove of IPs for various publishers to plunder, we’ve seen several games from Sunsoft’s past brought back to life. Not just retro compilations, such as the somewhat sparse Sunsoft Is Back and a duo of excellent Evercade cartridges, but also new games based on old IP, such as Gimmick 2 and Ikki Unite. One game left untouched until now is 1989’s City Hunter, with the reason being that it’s based on a Japanese anime franchise, consequently requiring additional costs to bring back. Step forward Clouded Leopard, who has deemed it worthy of re-licensing.
What we have here is the first translated version of a PC Engine side-scrolling action game, released worldwide for the first time. That license has clearly come at a cost that is being passed on to the consumer, with this standalone release priced at £19.99. Considering we saw the PC Engine’s Cyber Citizen Shockman series translated and re-released for £5.99 each, that is quite a markup. We are treated to slicker presentation, though, including a rotatable 3D model of the game’s case, along with an artwork gallery and a jukebox.
Developer Red Art Games has made a few improvements to enemy AI too, featuring in a new enhanced mode, while the usual assortment of modern conveniences such as save states and a rewind tool feature.
To bring us up to speed, City Hunter debuted in 1985 as a manga before gaining an anime series in 1987, and eventually several films and spin-offs. It follows the pursuits of private detective Ryo Saeba, who often finds himself responsible for ridding Tokyo’s streets of crime. He’s aided by Kaori, a tomboy who doesn’t think much of Ryo’s perverted fondness of females – with one running joke here being that Ryo often barges into rooms when innocent citizens are either showering or getting dressed, much to Kaori’s chagrin.
City Hunter begins with a lavish intro before revealing itself as a maze-like side-scrolling shooter. That’s maze-like in the sense that stages are spread across several floors, and progress mostly relies on entering rooms to find keyholders before using said keys to access new areas. There is no map, and doors aren’t marked either, making it a case of backtracking and trying every door or keeping a mental note of rooms with branching routes. It doesn’t help that most corridors are identical, with only their hazards (lasers, crushers, spiked floors) differentiating them.
Enemies often dash along the screen, going down with 1-2 hits, and later peskier flamethrower troops and acrobatic ninjas are introduced. Not every corridor has enemies, however, and some rooms lead to dead ends, making for something that can be strangely light on action.
Most stages end with a rooftop boss fight, making good use of the new weapons Ryo gains along the way, ending with a slow-firing missile launcher that does heavy damage. Once Ryo is given the laser rifle, going back to the pistol is pretty pointless, so there isn’t much incentive to switch between these two.
Ryo can withstand several hits – as noted by the curiously chunky health bar shown along the bottom of the screen – and health is restored not by health packs, but by stumbling across girls undressing, keeping in theme with the anime. Another comical moment sees a short-sighted scientist give Ryo the wrong DNA sample, prompting a return visit to correct their mistake.
Four stages are on offer, three of which can be played in any order before the final stage unlocks. These see Ryo cracking down on drug smugglers, weapon dealers, and a lab working on illegal experiments. The bosses aren’t too difficult to take down, even if you choose to ignore the rewind tool. In fact, most enemies can be dealt with easily by firing a string of laser beams or rockets while dashing through the samey-looking corridors. Enemies are however fond of lurking behind doors when entering and exiting rooms, often resulting in taking damage. This is where the rewind tool comes in useful.
Even though the controls are responsive and it’s tidy enough visually, albeit void of any Treasure/Konami style technical wizardry, City Hunter at no point feels like a lost classic. The way the brainless enemies dash across the screen makes it feel closer to an 8-bit game, such as Zillion, rather than something more advanced like Shinobi or Rolling Thunder. Stylish presentation and the modern quality of life features help elevate the experience, but if you decide to skip this one, you wouldn’t be missing much. Chalk this up as a luxury rather than a necessity.
Red Art Games’ City Hunter is out now on all formats. Published by Clouded Leopard Entertainment. Original game by Sunsoft.