ROHGA: ARMOR FORCE brings its custom mechs to PS5 and Switch 2

HAMSTER Corporation is releasing ROHGA: ARMOR FORCE for the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 on April 30. The game (also known in Japan as Wolf Fang: Kuuga 2001) will be available digitally as part of the company's new Console Archives series.

Data East originally released the game in arcades back in 1991 as a follow-up to the vertical shooter Vapor Trail. The version HAMSTER is re-releasing is based on the 32-bit home console port from 1996. It shifts the perspective to a side-scrolling run-and-gun format where you pilot a giant mech through futuristic cities and enemy military bases. The 32-bit ports originally launched on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in Japan. These versions added new voice acting and an arranged soundtrack.

Some assembly required

You do not just pick a pilot and start shooting. The core mechanic involves building your own machine by combining different body, arm, and leg parts. There are 64 possible combinations. Each configuration changes your movement speed, melee attacks, and secondary weapons. You might build a hover-mech with a grenade launcher, or a bipedal robot equipped with a beam sword and homing missiles.

Once you drop into a stage, the combat is relentless. Enemy aircraft swarm the screen while larger vehicles try to crush you from below. You can aim your primary weapon at a 45-degree angle, hover against slanted walls in the background, and use a dedicated melee attack when enemies get too close. The controls feel closer to a platformer than a traditional shoot-em-up.

The level design often requires you to climb over the very enemies you are fighting. At one point, you have to hitch a ride on top of a massive enemy bomber to continue your assault. If your mech takes too much damage and explodes, your pilot actually ejects and continues running on foot with a tiny laser gun. You die in one hit in this state, but it gives you a desperate chance to finish the level.

The modern additions

HAMSTER has built its reputation on accurate arcade emulation with its massive Arcade Archives catalog. The Console Archives series focuses specifically on home releases. This wrapper includes several quality-of-life additions built around the original code.

You can remap the controls, use rapid-fire toggles, and create multiple save states. It also includes a rewind function and CRT screen filters to replicate the look of a 1990s television set.

These tools will likely come in handy during the boss fights. The encounters are massive, screen-filling affairs. One fight pits you against a heavily armored hovercraft called Moby Dick that bristles with turrets and laser cannons.

Data East's catalog is full of strange and interesting shooters. Getting the 32-bit console ports instead of the arcade originals means players get to hear the arranged soundtrack and experience the adjusted difficulty curve that originally shipped on CDs in the late 90s.