Hudson's 1986 Doraemon game hits PS5 and Switch 2 tomorrow

HAMSTER Corporation is releasing the 1986 Famicom game Doraemon globally for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 on July 30. The game was first teased earlier this year when the publisher launched its new Console Archives lineup. Now it has a firm date.

Hudson Soft originally developed this action game forty years ago. It sold over a million copies in Japan but never received an official localization. Getting a licensed game from 1986 re-released usually requires a team of lawyers and a minor miracle, especially when the original developer was absorbed by a massive conglomerate over a decade ago. HAMSTER somehow pulled it off.

Three games in one

The structure is unusual for an 8-bit licensed title. Doraemon splits its campaign across three distinct worlds with completely different gameplay styles. The story follows the titular robotic cat as he tries to rescue his friends Nobita, Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo. A time machine malfunction scattered them across different dimensions.

The trailer shows off the top-down exploration of the first area. Players control Doraemon as he navigates a town and shoots enemies in the Pioneer Space chapter. This section plays a bit like an early Zelda title with more projectile weapons. Doraemon goes on his adventure using various Secret Gadgets pulled directly from the manga. You can find things like the Hopter to fly over obstacles or the Air Pistol to deal with enemies.

Later sections switch genres entirely. The second area shifts into a pure side-scrolling action game where you explore subterranean dungeons. The final world turns into an underwater horizontal shoot-'em-up. It's basically three separate engines crammed into a standard Famicom cartridge.

Hudson Soft was a powerhouse on the console during this era. They produced massive hits like Lode Runner and Bomberman. Doraemon was their 15th Famicom release and it became the tenth best-selling game on the system overall. It shifted over 1.15 million copies in Japan alone.

A licensing miracle

The video description includes a massive block of copyright text. Fujiko-Pro, Shogakukan, TV-Asahi, Shin-ei, and ADK all get a credit to cover the anime and manga rights. Konami Digital Entertainment is also listed because they absorbed Hudson Soft back in 2012.

Console Archives is a relatively new spin-off of HAMSTER's long-running Arcade Archives series. The publisher applies the same emulation wrapper to these home console games, meaning players get customizable button layouts, screen filters, and save states.

The save state feature is practically mandatory here. Famicom games from 1986 are notoriously unforgiving, so you'll probably want to use them. Doraemon has infinite continues, but getting sent back to the start of a massive level gets old fast.

The game hits digital storefronts tomorrow. HAMSTER has been steadily building out its console offerings after years of focusing strictly on arcade boards. If they can untangle the rights for a property this massive, it opens the door for plenty of other stranded licensed games.