City Hunter

The new port of City Hunter fails to go beyond a simple re-release and remains bound by the limitations of its 1990 original. Its one-dimensional narrative, short levels, and overly simple gameplay, despite visual upgrades and stable performance, don't meet modern gaming standards. The added content, like a hard mode or bonus sections, adds little value, and the $25 price tag is hard to justify given the overall quality and content. It may appeal to nostalgic fans, but for players seeking a complete, modern experience in 2026, it's not a recommendable choice.

The biggest sticking point may ultimately be the launch price of €24.99. That is a steep ask for what is, at its core, a fairly short and niche retro release. Even longtime fans may hesitate before pulling the trigger. As mentioned, Clouded Leopard deserves credit for the production values and the amount of bonus material included, but the core game is over before you know it. That makes the asking price difficult to fully justify.

City Hunter isn't a hidden gem or an essential classic in the PC Engine catalog, but this re-release does manage to unearth a rather interesting curiosity for fans of Tsukasa Hojo's manga and anime. Its mechanics are simple, repetitive, and clearly limited by the passage of time, although modern improvements make the experience much more comfortable and accessible today. Ultimately, this is a product very much geared towards fans of the franchise and lovers of pure Japanese retro gaming, where historical and nostalgic value outweighs gameplay depth. As an exercise in preservation and homage to City Hunter, it works much better than many might expect.

City Hunter isn't a bad game, but it isn't a good one either. It is a product of its time, carefully polished and made accessible to a modern audience with respectful effort. The Revival Edition is undoubtedly the best and most accessible way to experience this classic—though that point is quickly put into perspective by the fact that the base game, even in its best form, was merely solid, average fare. Ultimately, you aren't getting a full-fledged title so much as a charming yet brief nostalgic snapshot of the golden era of anime fan service. Nothing more—but for longtime fans, that might just be enough.

City Hunter is a solid remaster of a retro game that was never particularly unique back in its day. It does everything right, offering updated controls and cleaning the soundtrack alongside adding bonus content. Its shortcomings are the result of the game itself being not that impressive and a product of its time.

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Originally released for the PC-Engine in 1990, and based on a manga of the same namesake, City Hunter tells the story of Ryo Saeba, a man known as a City Hunter. He’s basically a cleaner that tackles a myriad of jobs ensuring the protection of women from assassinations. His partner, Kaori, also helps him in his mission to clean the city of bad guys. City Hunter is a 2D action game where players run around buildings, opening doors for mission-critical NPCs and items all the while shooting various thugs barring down your path. Some doors won’t open, some doors will lead to empty rooms. It’s also trial and error. All doors are the same so you never know which one opens. This release includes the original default difficulty setting but also a brand new, more forgiving, Enhanced mode. Also as it is common with rereleases of classics from the 1990s, City Hunter features a rewind feature to correct some mistakes or come back from the dead. If you come across a scandily lady behind a door, despite her clear anger, you’ll get your health replenished

City Hunter remains a mediocre in 2026. Extra features make this the best way for hardcore fans to play, but this is an underwhelming experience. It's short in runtime and overpriced for the amount of content. This one is strictly for the fans.

If you are a die-hard fan of the anime, this game is a lovingly preserved curio. Hearing Get Wild in 8-bit glory and seeing pixel-art cameos of Kaori and Umibozu will likely carry you through the frustration. However, if you are looking for a polished action platformer, City Hunter might feel more like a midlife crisis than mokkori magic. It is a product of its time. It's charming and authentic, but undeniably dated.

City Hunter is a remaster of the 1990 game released for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine. A product of the time that suffers from level design issues, partly offset by it's length and slight replayability. Although the remaster itself is nothing short of great. Giving all the modern additions you would want, along with multiple versions, and a great bonus catalogue to look through. The game itself has issues, but it's still a nice novelty to own, though one I would wait for a sale for.