Arcade Archives’ 300th release is the bizarre Pistol Daimyo’s Adventure

Hamster hits another mega milestone

This week’s entry to the Arcade Archives is something of a special one. First of all, it represents publisher Hamster’s 300th classic coin-op release. 300! And secondly, it’s the utterly bizarre, totally obscure, and batshit insane Namco release Pistol Daimyo’s Adventure, now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

Released only in Japan way back in 1990, Pistol Daimyo’s Adventure is a spin-off release from the 1988 title Bravoman, and sees one of the latter’s boss characters — the titular Pistol Daimyo — take the position of protagonist in his own release! The weird, almost unnerving game puts players in charge of the barrel-headed anti-hero, as they auto-run their way through waves of seemingly random enemies, utilizing the fans attached to his feet to float, and the gun attached to his brain to KILL.

Essentially, Pistol Daimyo’s Adventure is a horizontally scrolling shmup, except rather than fly, the hero perpetually jumps and floats their way through each “conveyor belt”-style stage. It’s frankly a pretty odd state of affairs, in both its gameplay and aesthetic, and while it is most assuredly one of the most visually arresting arcades of 1990, its gameplay feels a little older, making it more of a curiosity, rather than a lost classic. Oh, and it’s also tough as nails, requiring some pretty snug coordination.

You can check out the strange action in the video above, courtesy of YouTuber Replay Burners. Pistol Daimyo’s Adventure is available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8.

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse