Bokosuka Wars, the NES's First JRPG, Finally Hits PS5 and Switch 2

If you consider yourself a student of video game history, you likely think of Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy when someone brings up the origins of the console JRPG. However, the true technical pioneer of the genre has been hiding in plain sight for over four decades. Bokosuka Wars, a title that predates the household names of the NES era, is finally receiving its first-ever official release outside of Japan.

Developer Hamster Corporation has brought the classic to the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. While the game originally debuted on the Sharp X-1 computer in 1983, it was the 1985 Famicom version that cemented its status as a legend. Aside from a brief appearance on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console in 2008, Western players have been largely unable to access this piece of gaming history—until now.

Modern Updates for a Retro Classic

This new release is a direct port of the original Famicom version, but Hamster has included several quality-of-life features to help ease the transition to modern hardware. Given the notoriously unforgiving difficulty spikes common in 1980s software, the inclusion of a rewind function is a particularly welcome addition. Players can also utilize customizable button layouts, rapid-fire settings, multiple save states, and optional CRT screen filters to tailor the experience to their preferences.

The game is now available on the PlayStation Store and the Nintendo eShop for $7.99. It is worth noting that this release skips the PlayStation 4 and the original Nintendo Switch, making it exclusive to the current-gen platforms.

The Story of King Suren

For those unfamiliar with the gameplay loop, Bokosuka Wars tasks you with a brutal march to reclaim a land ravaged by a ruthless tyrant. You control King Suren and his army, but you face a magical handicap: the tyrant has transformed your soldiers into trees and rocks, forcing you to navigate a much more time-consuming and difficult quest than you might expect.

For fans of the 8-bit era, this release is a essential pickup for preservation purposes. It is a rare opportunity to experience the game that technically started the console JRPG craze, provided you have the hardware to run it.