A Best-Selling Famicom Game Is Making Its Global Debut on PS5 This Week
The 1986 Famicom game Doraemon is set to launch worldwide for the first time on PS5 this week, made available by Japanese retro specialist Hamster. Based on the enormously popular Fujiko Fujio manga, the title was a major commercial success in Japan, and its release finally gives international players and retro gaming fans official access to a game that had previously never left its home market.
The game casts players as the time-travelling robot cat Doraemon across three chapters, each searching for Nobita and friends and helmed by a different designer, resulting in varied gameplay styles including an overhead action segment reminiscent of the original Legend of Zelda and a side-scrolling shooter section. It arrives on PS5 from 30th July as part of Hamster's Console Archives range.
In short
- Classic 1986 Famicom hit Doraemon debuts worldwide on PS5 from 30 July.
- Made by Hudson Soft, based on the hit Fujiko Fujio manga.
- Features three chapters with differing gameplay styles by different designers.
Explained simply
Doraemon is a beloved Japanese manga character created by Fujiko Fujio – a time-travelling robot cat that has entertained Japanese audiences since the 1960s. A game based on the character was released for the Famicom, Nintendo's influential home console, in 1986, where it became a major commercial success in Japan.
For nearly four decades, that original 1986 game remained unavailable outside Japan, making it inaccessible to international players and retro gaming enthusiasts worldwide. Japanese publisher Hamster, which specialises in bringing classic games to modern platforms, is releasing it on PS5 for the first time with official global availability.
The game features three different chapters, each with distinct gameplay styles developed by different designers, including an action-adventure section similar to the original Legend of Zelda and a side-scrolling shooter segment. Players control Doraemon as they search for the character Nobita and his friends across these varied scenarios.