Let me reason with you for a moment; the mascot platformer era of the late 80s and early 90s was kind of awful. Most of these titles were low quality efforts with more emphasis on making a cool and edgy character rather than intricate level designs. Some of the best games ever released were platformers from this era, but so were some of the worst. With the vast number of similar games that came out in this time there are many good ones which were lost in the shuffle. Hammerin Harry is one of these such titles. This one was unlucky enough to be released in just PAL regions as well so North America could only enjoy it in the arcades. Today I have an import copy and we’re going to take a look to find out what we were missing out on. Let’s jump right in to Hammerin Harry!
In terms of story there’s a pretty basic set up with an introduction and proper ending. I like this one in particular because it’s silly and over-the-top. It begins with a short sequence depicting the Rusty Nail Construction Company demolishing our protagonists home! Why did they do this? I’m not sure exactly because it just seems like a random event. Harry sets out to defeat these foes so that he can rebuild his home. It’s strange but the entire game has a cartoon anime over-the-top style to it. I really like how it’s based on the 80s, and that the developers tried to re-create New York City with minimal knowledge of it. How many pasta restaurants do they think are there, and in what proportion to the rest of the buildings? It’s pretty funny in my opinion.
Hammerin Harry is a side scrolling action platformer. It’s very much a product of it’s time. You move from left to right in each stage fighting foes, timing jumps to different platforms, and facing boss characters. Harry’s only weapon is his hammer which he can swing directly in front of him. You’ll find power-ups that allow him to twirl his weapon instead, and another that makes the mallet grow significantly. The only defensive item at your disposal is a hard hat (which fits in with the construction worker theme Harry has going on) and it allows him to take one additional hit. Speaking of life he has a bar at the bottom of the screen with icons indicating how much damage he can take. When it’s depleted he loses a life and has to start from the previous checkpoint.
To be honest the level designs are kind of basic. Hammerin Harry doesn’t do anything drastically different from it’s contemporaries. I do like the urban setting, and using power poles in the place of ladders to climb was a pretty neat idea. Enemies are a constant threat and at times run in from off-screen constantly. Harry’s primary weapon being an over-sized mallet is unique, but I don’t feel like the game plays with this concept enough. He might as well have a sword because there’s no worldly purpose the weapon serves specifically as a hammer. I was a bit thrown off about just how close you need to get to enemies in order to damage them. The mallet has a short reach so you’ve got to put yourself in danger every fight.
There just aren’t a lot of different terrains or obstacles in this game. Harry can’t swim which is a major bummer. There are aquatic sections, and you have to simply avoid getting wet in them. Basic stages are simple left to right affairs with very little in the way of even platforming. Things change later on with some jumps requiring pinpoint accuracy, but for the most part the focus is on the action instead. Enemies approach your character at all angles so you need to pay close attention to all incoming foes. They even come from above, and thankfully Harry has the ability to thrust his hammer upwards should they be just out of reach. Despite the limited number of attacks and gameplay scenarios the developers managed to keep this one feeling somewhat fresh throughout.
As I mentioned earlier the stages aren’t really anything special. The most complicated task you have is defeating enemies that are managing switches for falling water that blocks your path forward. This is pretty basic and they’re always on the same screen as the obstacle. Despite it’s simplistic approach I thought Hammerin Harry was actually pretty fun. Sometimes simple is refreshing, and the basic scenarios were more than enough to hold my attention from start to finish. My only real complaint is how short the game is. Hammerin Harry takes place across only five stages, and to be perfectly honest they aren’t particularly difficult. I was able to complete the adventure in a single sitting with only a few of the boss characters, and tricky platforming sections giving me trouble.
Graphically it’s also fairly basic. At least the artists gave characters black outlines which helps distinguish them from the backgrounds. I did really like the cityscapes and generalized urban environment of this one. It helped really sell Harry as a construction worker even if I’ve never seen one use such an over-sized mallet before. The framerate also holds pretty steady and there’s less flickering than in your typical NES game. Overall the graphics are pretty decent. The soundtrack is also pretty good but nothing extraordinary. It sounds like a NES game for better or worse, but the music fits the action pretty well overall. The most impressive part of this game are the voice samples. You’ll hear Harry speak at the beginning of each stage, and when he dies. It’s nothing major now, but back then I’m sure it was mind blowing.
