TIGHTEN YOUR HACHIMAKI AND GRAB YOUR HAMMER!

Irem was a strong competitor in the arcade scene at the end of the '80s amid the video game boom. Nearly every arcade had a marquee featuring Moon Patrol, Kung-Fu Master, R-Type, or Ninja Spirit ready to snack on your quarters. One title to arrive in 1990 was the arcade Daiku no Gen-San, or as it is known in the West, Hammerin' Harry! The little carpenter would go on to become one of Irem's most recognizable mascots and has a history of titles across various consoles. His first two adventures on consoles are now gathered together in this release that should garner attention from classic action game fans and collectors alike!

Hammerin' Harry - Concrete Collection

The Hammerin’ Harry Concrete Collection brings the first three titles together, which star one of Irem’s most recognizable characters - Harry! Our heroic carpenter stars in Hammerin’ Harry (featuring the NES® port of the original 1990 arcade released in North America in a cartridge for the first time) and Hammerin’ Harry 2: Dan the Red Strikes Back (officially released outside of Japan and translated for the first time). Each one is full of platforming action where you’ll take on the Rusty Nailers, Dr. Parallel, and a giant phantom, all here to ruin Harry’s time with his girlfriend. So grab your trusty hammer and headband and… let’s get busy!

• Hammerin’ Harry for NES®

• Hammerin’ Harry 2: Dan the Red Strikes Back for NES®

• Special Edition Slipcase for Collector’s Editions

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Click below to navigate and see what comes with each release!

Hammerin' Harry - Collector's Edition

The Rusty Nailers have begun to make their move in taking over all the construction in town, knocking over Harry’s home in the process! Even if the brave carpenter is alone, they know he poses a threat to their plans and have captured his love, Donna.

Leap into action across five stages with Harry’s trusty hammer and chase down those thugs all the way downtown and into the harbor. You’ll find out that there’s more to them than just construction. There’s no place for sinister organizations like this in your town… it’s time to bring down the hammer on their plans!

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Hammerin' Harry 2: Dan the Red Strikes Back - Collector's Edition

Dan the Red is back, and he wants revenge for his humiliation at the hands of Harry. He can’t go toe-to-toe with our favorite carpenter, but he knows where to strike Harry where it hurts the most - kidnapping Donna! What’s more, he’s also made off with Harry’s father while under the orders of Dr. Parallel, who seems to have plans for the entire town.

Larger than before, you will guide our heroic Harry through eight stages to get to the bottom of Dan’s dastardly deeds and find out what this mad scientist has planned. Translated into English officially for the first time ever, this adventure is Harry’s largest to hit the 8-bit console. You won’t want to miss out!

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4,800 Units of Total Shipped

2,500 Hammerin' Harry & 2,300 Hammerin' Harry 2
ALL COPIES DELIVERED JANUARY 2024

Release Timeline

1990

Riding their success in the arcades with titles such as Moon Patrol, Kung-Fu Master, and R-Type, Irem had already established themselves with shooters and action games, they released Daiku no Gen-san to Japanese arcades. The game would be renamed to Hammerin' Harry when it was ported to the American market.

November 1991

With the rise of the home console market becoming even more attractive, especially with NIntendo's Family Computer, Irem would port Daiku no Gen-san over to the 8-bit console. Gen-san was a bit smaller but the action was still massive and challenging with 6 stages pitting Gen-san against the Rusty Nailers.

December 1991

An edited version of the Famicom title would arrive in the UK as Hammerin' Harry. This version of the game changed a lot of the Japanese cultural references as well as all Japanese text. Its cover art was strange and usually unappealing. Nonetheless, it still scored high enough among reviewers to make it a sought-after game for collectors as the North American version would never be released.

1993

With Irem and many other companies shifting their upcoming games over to the newly release Super Famicom, they still had another Gen-san title launch on the Famicom. Daiku no Gen-san 2: Akage no Dan no Gyakushuu was released with 9 action-packed stages with a variety of bonus games and shooter stages to break up all the action. Dan the Red, the stage 2 miniboss from the original title, is now working for Dr. Parallel and has kidnapped Gen-san's girlfriend and looks to exact revenge for his previous defeat. The game did not release outside of Japan.

January 2024

Over 30 years later, Retro-Bit Publishing releases the Hammerin' Harry Concrete Collection which includes both NES® titles as a set. This is the first official physical release of Hammerin' Harry on the North American NES® and the first time Hammerin' Harry 2: Dan the Red Strikes Back gets its first official English translation and release to the West. Pre-orders had concluded in May 2023.

Game Updates

All games have had their licensing updated to reflect this release. Each title screen has been edited.

Hammerin' Harry has been updated to run properly at 50Hz on PAL and 60Hz on NTSC-U consoles.

Hammerin' Harry 2 is the first official English translation of the original game. Unfortunately, it is incompatible with PAL consoles.

Special Thanks - Hammerin' Harry

Special Thanks

The Video Game History Foundation
Castlemania Games
Limited Run Games
Spel & Sant
Strictly Limited Games
Frank Cifaldi
Kelsey Lewin
Cyril Lachel
Ryan Engstrom
Ronald Loatwall
Kevin Vigil
Patrick Offord
James Genduso
Tyler Breitbarth