Another rare Namco arcade game is getting its first ever home release, courtesy of retro specialist Hamster Corporation.
The company has been working its way through the library of games released on Namco’s System 22 arcade board – which allowed the developer to make the move to polygonal arcade games – and its more powerful Super System 22 board, releasing them through its Arcade Archives series.
To date it’s released seven of these System 22 and Super System 22 games – Ridge Racer, Air Combat 22, Aqua Jet, Tokyo Wars, Rave Racer, Cyber Commando and Ace Driver – and now it’s releasing its eighth, Armadillo Racing, this Thursday, July 23.
As the name suggests, Armadillo Racing is a racing game where players guide an armadillo around a track as it’s rolled up in a ball.
The original arcade cabinet used a trackball to control the armadillo, and while the new release can obviously be played with a standard controller instead, Hamster says it supports USB trackball controllers too (though it’s not clear which ones).
Armadillo Racing will be released as an Arcade Archives title on Switch and PS4, and as an Arcade Archives 2 title on Switch 2, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Each Arcade Archives game features Original Mode, High Score Mode (where you keep playing until you get Game Over) and Caravan Mode (where you have to get the highest score within a certain time).
Arcade Archives 2 versions also add Time Attack Mode (where you try to beat the full game as quickly as possible), and VRR support for a “more accurate reproduction of the original arcade game’s experience”.
Players who buy the $14.99 Arcade Archives version on PS4 or Switch will be able to upgrade to the $16.99 Arcade Archives 2 version on PS5 or Switch 2 later for $2.99.
“Deeply meaningful to me”
In a statement, Ryoichi Kaku – a lead at Bandai Namco‘s Research Institute – thanked Hamster for collaborating with the company to continue releasing Namco arcade games through Arcade Archives.
“Bandai Namco Research Institute has been working jointly with Hamster Corporation to recreate arcade games that originally ran on the Namco System 22 and System Super 22 hardware,” Kaku said. “This title marks the eighth game developed through this collaboration.
“Being able to release Armadillo Racing as part of the Arcade Archives series for the first time in 30 years is deeply meaningful to me, both as a member of the original arcade game’s development team and as someone who has been involved in bringing it back. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to all the fans who have continued to enjoy the Arcade Archives series.
“In this game, players use a trackball to roll an armadillo through a variety of obstacles while racing against opponents. Of course, the game can be enjoyed using a standard controller, but if you connect a USB trackball, you can experience gameplay in a way that is even closer to the original arcade version. I hope you’ll give it a try.
“We sincerely hope you will continue to enjoy the fun and charming world of Armadillo Racing for many years to come through Arcade Archives and Arcade Archives 2.”
Last month Hamster also indicated that its plans for Namco’s arcade titles go beyond System 22 as it added the original Tekken as an Arcade Archives 2 title.
Tekken was released on Namco’s System 11 arcade board, opening the door to potential future Namco System 11 game re-releases on Arcade Arcades like Tekken 2, Soul Edge, Dunk Mania, Xevious 3D/G and Pocket Racer.
