Seicross is out now on PS5 and Switch 2

Hamster has released the 1986 console port of Seicross for the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 as part of its Console Archives series. The digital release is available now through Hamster's official website and digital storefronts. It brings Nichibutsu's weird vehicular combat game to modern hardware.

Seicross originally hit arcades in 1984 under the Nichibutsu label. The company later brought it to the Famicom in Japan and the NES in North America. This new Hamster release specifically runs that 8-bit home console version rather than the arcade original.

The game is a side-scrolling shooter crossed with a futuristic racing game. You pilot a hoverbike through a continuous mechanical terrain. The goal is to survive waves of enemy riders while managing a constantly depleting energy meter. You have to maintain forward momentum and avoid crashing into the scenery.

Traffic laws do not apply

You have a standard laser cannon to shoot enemies directly. The more interesting mechanic involves physically ramming rival bikers. If you bump an enemy vehicle, you can push them into the background walls or obstacles to destroy them. It plays like a violent take on bumper cars.

Your energy meter drains constantly just from driving. Shooting your weapon drains it even faster. This forces you to be aggressive about collecting batteries rather than just avoiding enemies. Running out of energy causes your bike to explode immediately. Along the way, you can rescue stranded figures to earn bonus points. These rescue targets look like small humanoid figures standing aimlessly in the middle of a high-speed combat zone.

There are two main sections to each stage. First, you navigate the open terrain and fight other bikers. Then, the path narrows into a tunnel filled with cannons and tight corners. You have to weave through these claustrophobic sections without hitting the walls. The tunnel segments require precise positioning because your bike has a wide turning radius.

At the end of certain stages, you face off against a dinosaur-like mechanical boss. These encounters force you to stop relying on the bumper-car mechanics and just shoot the target repeatedly. The boss battles are simple by modern standards but add a necessary break from the constant scrolling.

The graphics are typical of an early Famicom title. The backgrounds use a forced perspective trick to simulate speed. The color palette relies heavily on stark blues and blacks to sell the sci-fi setting. The screen constantly scrolls from left to right at a fixed pace. You can move up, down, left, and right within the visible play area.

The console difference

Hamster usually focuses on arcade hardware through its Arcade Archives line. The Console Archives label gives the company an avenue to re-release specific home ports. This allows players to experience the versions they actually owned in the 1980s.

The Famicom version of Seicross differs from the arcade board in a few ways. The arcade original (which was sometimes known as Sector Zone in certain regions) had more detailed background graphics and a slightly different aspect ratio. The console port adjusted the physics and collision detection to accommodate the 8-bit hardware. The enemy spawn rates and general pacing were also tweaked to work better with a standard D-pad.

Nichibutsu was a prolific developer during this era. The company produced dozens of arcade and console games before eventually leaving the video game industry in the early 2000s to focus on mahjong machines and DVDs. Hamster acquired the rights to the entire Nichibutsu catalog in 2014. This acquisition is the reason titles like Moon Cresta, Crazy Climber, Terra Cresta, and Seicross appear so frequently in these archive collections. Hamster has been steadily working through the back catalog for nearly a decade.

This release includes Hamster's standard emulation wrapper. You get save states, display filters, and online leaderboards. The leaderboards track high scores in both standard and Caravan time attack modes. You can access the digital manual through the pause menu to figure out the scoring system.

Riding a hoverbike through a neon wasteland is a great concept. The execution in Seicross is heavily tied to memorizing enemy spawn patterns and hoping your collision box cooperates. It is a brutal game that will test your patience even with modern save states.