BODY: Few retro games are as easy to recognize as Crazy Climber: one small figure, one very tall building and a lot of trouble on the way up. The Nichibutsu classic now has its next re-release.
Publisher Hamster will release Console Archives Crazy Climber for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2 on September 17. It costs ¥800, about $5, which is in line with the rest of the Console Archives range.
Crazy Climber first appeared in Japanese arcades in 1980. You scale the outside of a high-rise by moving the climber's left and right arms separately. Along the way, residents slam windows shut, objects fall from above and other hazards try to knock you off. Its twin-control scheme felt unusual at the time and is a big part of why people still remember it.
Hamster is best known for Arcade Archives, its long-running series of faithful arcade ports. Console Archives works the same way but brings back games from older home consoles. Hamster owns the rights to Nichibutsu's catalog, so this release keeps a Japanese arcade-era favorite in circulation on current hardware. Players who already own the arcade version from Arcade Archives now have another way to play it.
The insider take
In Japan, Hamster's archive releases have become a steady weekly habit, and many players buy them almost automatically, like picking up a magazine at the station kiosk. Crazy Climber means a lot here. Players in Japan often mention it alongside Nichibutsu's other Showa-era hits, and older gamers remember its unusual control scheme from the arcade. At ¥800, it's an easy nostalgia purchase. It also shows that Hamster plans to keep releasing archive titles on Switch 2 and PS5 instead of leaving its catalog on older consoles.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).
I wrote this from the headline and summary only and didn't open the full GAME Watch article. Before publishing, check two things:
- Which version this is. Console Archives re-releases home-console versions, so this may be the 1986 Famicom port, not the arcade original. The article avoids saying which.
- The insider take. Its Japan-side context is general background I added, not something the source reports.