City Hunter is a classic series. Starting as a manga in 1985, it has spawned a franchise that is active to this day. From spin-off manga to successful anime series and films, and countless live-action adaptations across the big and small screens. There’s even a musical adaptation. It can’t be understated how popular it is. Despite never having read or watched it, I instantly recognized the title when I was told about this game. It’s even weirder that this is the only video game adaptation City Hunter has gotten, and it’s a remaster of a 35-year-old game.
City Hunter is a 2D side-scrolling adventure game. Originally released in 1990 for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine, it is now available on modern consoles. You play Ryo, a “sweeper” who is taking a series of jobs. Shoot your way through different levels as you try to take down all sorts of criminals. Outside of that, there are plenty of modern additions and even reworks that I’ve come to expect in releases like this. The result is a game that was clearly released 35 years ago, but one I can’t help but commend for the amount of work put into this remaster.
A Relic of Shinjuku
City Hunter follows Ryo, a man who calls himself a “sweeper”. He takes on different jobs across Tokyo, dealing with criminals throughout the city. Accompanying him is his partner Kaori, the younger sister of his deceased best friend. That’s really the only story or feeling of City Hunter you get here. While each level has a short text introduction, it doesn’t add much. Honestly, the lacking narrative isn’t really my issue here; it’s more that this could be any series.
Despite it having the name, it doesn’t feel like an adaptation. It has the same characters and basic premise, but that’s about it. This could be due to the limitations of the original console release. I’m also not calling myself the biggest City Hunter fan, maybe someone who has read and watched it all can find more. But as someone with some familiarity already, I didn’t see much here for fans besides it being the only officially licensed video game.
Scrolling On
City Hunter is a 2D sidescrolling action game. You move left to right, go up and down, jump and crouch, and shoot. Levels are full of enemies and different traps for you to avoid, too. The core gameplay is quite simple, and it shouldn’t take you too long to beat all the levels. Enemies are pretty easy, and the boss encounters should only take you a couple of minutes, especially after you unlock the rocket launcher, which seems to have an unlimited amount of ammo. The game itself is pretty short and overall forgettable, except for one issue.
My biggest problem with the game is the level design. Each level is pretty small, but with a good amount of exploration, which I normally love. Sadly, it isn’t fun exploration as each level just has you backtracking for most of it. The lack of variety in backgrounds doesn’t help either. These problems are present in each level, and they only get worse in the last one. The only thing that offsets this issue is how short the game is; you can easily do a full playthrough in an hour. Normally, I would have some issues with this length, but there is some replayability, even if the levels can get annoying.
An Impressive Remaster
This is a remaster of the original City Hunter, a game that is 35 years old. While I have my issues with the game itself, I have to commend the amount of work that went into this release. You have the standard video options you expect with these releases, including aspect ratios and a CRT filter. More expected inclusions are a rewind button and save states. One of my favorite additions, though, is the multiple versions. You can play the original version, a hard difficulty, or the enhanced version. Enhanced is the remastered version that remasters the game by reworking enemies and gameplay. Each version is different enough to justify trying, and I’m glad to see them all here.
Besides the modern gameplay additions, this has some fun bonuses. You can view a model of the original game card and read the full manual that came with it. It also comes with the full soundtrack, including an unreleased track. While short, it’s still got some good tracks, and I enjoy its addition. On top of that their is even a full art gallery. You can view a collection of art from City Hunter, and it’s all great. I have nothing but praise for how much went into this remaster, even if the game could be better.
A Strong Modern Release, But Just A Fine Game
I don’t have much else to say about City Hunter. It’s a pretty short game that shows its age even in the remastered version. I also have trouble calling this City Hunter as it feels like it could be any series. It’s still a fun novelty to have, and it’s nice to see this get released. While I have issues with the game itself, I still have nothing but praise for the remaster. It has all the modern additions you want, multiple ways to play, and a great collection of bonuses to look through. While the core game has issues, I still played through it more than once and didn’t dislike my time with it. City Hunter is a fine but forgettable product of its time, but one with a strong modern release. Just one I would wait for a sale to try.
Disclaimer: SUNSOFT provided a PC (Steam) copy of City Hunter for review purposes.
