It all started when this dame walked into my office…
Publisher Hamster is getting retro in more ways than one this week, as the next entry in the huge Arcade Archives catalog is not only a classic ’90s arcade title, but even also a period piece! Now available to download on Nintendo Switch, Jaleco’s 64th Street: A Detective Story is back to brawl.
Originally released in arcades in 1991, 64th Street was one of an absolute tidal wave of scrolling brawlers that hit the market following the success of Capcom’s Final Fight. Featuring typical street walking, head-cracking mayhem, 64th Street had the unique gimmick of setting its narrative in a bizarrely mish-mashed time period, which features a 1930s aesthetic alongside 1980s fashions, akin to Walter Hill’s rock ‘n’ roll fable Streets of Fire, which itself was an alleged influence on Final Fight.
Check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber World of Longplays.
One of two players take control of a hard-boiled detective and his sidekick, hired to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a rich aristocrat, abducted by an evil crime corporation known as “The Legacy.” While 64th Street captured the grimy feel and large, screen-filling sprites of Final Fight, Jaleco’s brawler is a little sluggish, failing to stand up against other ’91 releases such as Konami’s excellent Vendetta and Capcom’s Captain Commando.
64th Street is a curious oddity, but only worth checking out if you’re a genre completionist. It is available to purchase now from the Nintendo eShop, priced at around $8.
