Too old for all these stairs…
Retro publisher Hamster can’t get off of its Namco kick at the moment, bringing something particularly leftfield to the Arcade Archives this week. Now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, it’s dungeon-crawling classicThe Return of Ishtar.
Released to arcades in 1986, before being ported to formative platforms such as the Sharp X68000 and the Fujitsu FM-7,The Return of Ishtaris a sequel to 1984’sThe Tower of Druaga, and is the second release in the cute ‘n’ compactBabylonian Castle Saga. Set immediately after the events ofDruaga, Ishtar sees hero Gilgamesh and the freshly rescued maiden, Ki, as they attempt to escape the sky-high dungeon. You can check out the action in the trailer below, courtesy ofYouTuber Replay Burners.
As something of a novelty,The Return of Ishtarfeatures co-op two-player action, with player one controlling Gilgamesh and player two guiding Ki. The former uses his steel weaponry to defeat various ghosts ‘n’ ghoulies, while the latter is equipped with a variety of magic attacks to fend off evildoers. As a duo, the protagonists must battle through the tower’s 60 floors, hosting over 120 screens — quite the epic for what is, purportedly, a coin-chomping arcade release.
The Return of Ishtarwould be followed up by several sequels, spin-offs, and even a prequel, in the form of 1988’sThe Quest of Ki.This title told the tale of the maiden’s doomed quest to reach the top of the tower, which would ultimately lead to her imprisonment and, thus, the events of the original game. Pretty in-depth and savvy game continuity for the early years of the genre.
The Return of Ishtaris available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.The Tower of Druagajoined the Arcade Archives back in June of this year.
