The 1987 NES Jaws just got an official ROM hack

Limited Run Games has released JAWS: Retro Edition for PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5. The $14.99 collection bundles the original 1987 NES game with a completely overhauled Enhanced Edition.

The original 8-bit release has a complicated reputation. Published by LJN and developed by Westone (the studio best known for the Wonder Boy series), it was a weird hybrid of overhead boat navigation, random underwater encounters, and light role-playing mechanics. You spent most of your time shooting jellyfish to collect seashells so you could buy a better boat, a mini-sub, or a seaplane. Once you were strong enough, you had to lure the great white shark to the surface and ram it with your ship's bow. It was strange, repetitive, and weirdly memorable.

The new campaign

The main draw here is the Enhanced Edition. This is essentially a massive, officially licensed ROM hack built on the original game's framework. Designed by gaming historian Jeremy Parish, the new campaign expands the map and adds actual structure to the shark-hunting business.

The update adds multiple chapters with nods to all four films in the franchise. The developer added new quests, objectives, and weapons for both the diver and the boat. You can now visit specific locations like a scientist's lab or a manager's office to pick up assignments. Enemies are more aggressive and require different strategies to defeat.

The role-playing elements are much heavier this time around. Players can manually purchase upgrades and build specific loadouts instead of relying on automatic port upgrades. You also get a health bar. The original game's strict one-hit-death rule is gone. Enemies now drop red seashells that restore your health during underwater segments. This changes the entire pace of the game. It turns a frustrating survival exercise into an actual action RPG.

The original 1987 code

The base game is still here for historical curiosity. It runs on Limited Run's Carbon Engine, the same proprietary emulation wrapper the company recently used for its Jurassic Park and Clock Tower re-releases. The wrapper includes the standard suite of modern emulator comforts. You get save states, a rewind function, and a gallery mode.

There are also built-in achievements and a music player for Shinichi Sakamoto's original chiptune soundtrack. The emulator applies a CRT filter and offers a few different border options for widescreen displays. You can finally play the original game without digging out a CRT television or blowing into a cartridge.

We still don't need a bigger boat

Licensed games from the 1980s rarely see modern ports. The rights are usually a nightmare to untangle. Universal City Studios actually signed off on this one. It is rare to see a 39-year-old movie tie-in get a second chance at life, especially one that was widely mocked upon its initial release.

The package is available digitally right now on Steam and console storefronts. It is a strange artifact that treats a heavily criticized LJN release with total sincerity. Limited Run could have just dumped the ROM into an emulator and called it a day. Instead, they hired a fan to rebuild the game into what it was always trying to be. Sometimes the best way to preserve a flawed retro game is to just fix the code and let people play the version they imagined in their heads.