Cleaning Up the Streets: The City Hunter PS5 Review
City Hunter brings the legendary 80s “sweeper” Ryo Saeba to the PlayStation 5, reviving a classic side-scrolling shooter originally from the PC Engine era. You’ll navigate the gritty urban sprawl, hunting down targets and taking on odd jobs in a style that screams classic anime. It’s a straightforward blast from the past that mixes traditional gunplay with a heavy dose of nostalgic flair. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the show or just looking for some old-school arcade action, this package aims to deliver that authentic 90s thrill.
Developer: Sunsoft / Suncorporation
Publisher: Clouded Leopard Entertainment / Red Art Games
Genre: Action / Side-Scrolling Shooter
Release Date: February 26, 2026
Website: City Hunter Official Site
UK Store: PlayStation Store Link
QUICK NAV: Specs & HUD | Gameplay | Performance | Settings
City Hunter PlayStation 5 Review: Specs & HUD
- Download size is a tiny 546.1MB.
- Platinum trophy.
- Features 3 save slots for your progress.
- The HUD is dominated by a health bar at the bottom of the screen.
- Includes an overlay menu you can bring up whenever you want to save/load or check materials.
- Supports the original password entry system, no matter which version you play.
- The digital manual serves as your tutorial for the mechanics.
- The story is told mostly by text on screen with the occasional cutscene or art piece.
Gameplay Review & Mechanics Breakdown
The game has the rewind feature and is instant with it being assigned to the R2 button. It’s a game that has you needing to find someone or do something in particular to then open up a new pathway forward. This can be frustrating at first, but it does click eventually. The level design does lend itself well to memorising locations and where nurses are, which luckily again you can visit over and over. I do like that they have made going up and down staircases so easy, it’s just press up or down, none of this angle the direction crap. You have a health bar that dominates the bottom of the screen, and you can talk with nurses to get health back.
Side-scrolling shooter gameplay here. You can shoot left and right, but also duck and shoot left and right. It’s a very old-school shooter kind of game, not a lot in the way of innovation, but solid gameplay. Find and enter rooms for new areas and secrets. Enemies will respawn the moment you leave the screen and come back. Cool animations, very 80s cop running around. As I said above, the game isn’t straightforward in its gameplay; there can be instances where you have to talk with someone to open the next stage or door. When exiting a room, an enemy is usually always there for a quick, cheap hit. Enemies can and will shoot you from off-screen, which is always cheap.
City Hunter PlayStation 5 Review: Performance & Fidelity
- Decent graphics with fantastic in-game cutscene pieces.
- Fast loading and saving times.
- Fantastic soundtrack with a full player included in the bonuses.
- Video settings include a CRT filter toggle and aspect ratio options (4:3, pixel-perfect, native, widescreen).
- Bonus features have a gallery of art and concept art, plus high-quality scans of the game box and manual, which you can rotate and zoom.
- Speech bubble-powered interactions during gameplay look great.
- Enemies can and will shoot you from off-screen, which is always cheap.
Settings, Customisation & Control Details
- Audio sliders are provided for in-game music, music, and SFX.
- In-game language lets you select Francais city hunter and Francais Nicky Larson, along with the typical English and Español.
- Three versions of the game are included: Enhanced (refined enemy behaviour), Hard (stronger enemies), and Original (90s version untouched).
- You can pause the game, so fear not.
- There is no actual tutorial, and the game manual is Japanese only.
- You cannot remap the controls.
- There are no accessibility options.
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City Hunter
Summary
THRILLS & HIGHLIGHTS
Decent graphics and a fantastic soundtrack make this a winner for the senses. I love that they made going up and down staircases so easy, it’s just press up or down, none of this angle the direction crap. The bonus features are top-tier, including a soundtrack player and high-quality scans of the box and manual, which you can rotate and zoom. Having three versions, Enhanced, Hard, and the original untouched 90s version, is great, and that rewind on R2 is a godsend. Plus, you get a Platinum trophy and those cool 80s cop running animations that just look right.
KEY NEGATIVES
There is no actual tutorial, and the game manual is Japanese only, so you’re going in a bit blind. You cannot remap the controls, and there are no accessibility options at all. It’s frustrating when you exit a room and an enemy is right there for a quick, cheap hit, or when they shoot you from off-screen. There is no real museum piece explaining what the game is, so if you’re coming in cold, you’ll just see shots from an anime show without knowing the score.
OVERALL VERDICT
It’s a very old-school shooter kind of game, not a lot in the way of innovation, but solid gameplay that eventually clicks once you get used to the fact that it isn’t always straightforward. The level design lets you memorise where the nurses are to get your health back, which is lucky because those off-screen shots and respawning enemies can be really painful. If you can deal with the 90s friction and the lack of modern hand-holding, it’s a cool slice of history that looks and sounds the part on PS5.
