What’s a girl gotta do see the sights in peace?
A weird and wonderful ’80s classic returned to the Nintendo Switch this week, courtesy of retro-enthusiasts Hamster. Buckle up and put the pedal to the metal as we take a look at Jaleco’s bizarre racing/platformer hybrid City Connection.
First released in arcades waaaaaay back in 1985, before coming to he ZX Spectrum, MSX and NES in the following few years, City Connection sees the players guide blue-haired gal Clarice as she travels from capital city to capital city in her cute automobile, based on the Japanese Honda City.
Clarice must cover each stage (representing London, New York, Paris, Sydney and many other locations) in paint from her vehicle by driving over each wraparound screen’s platforms. A squad of police cars have been dispatched to stop her wanton act of vandalism. Clarice must avoid contact with Five-oh unless she can get her mitts on a can of oil, making them temporarily vulnerable. Other dangers include spiked floors and dopey wandering cats, all of which must be avoid with slick turns or the car’s odd leaping ability.
The game turned heads on release for its fast pace, colourful action and genuinely fun soundtrack, being one of the earliest games to features a new tune for each individual stage (including an amusing rip-off of Deep Purple’s road-burning hit, Highway Star.) Today, City Connection is obviously a little past its prime, but is still an interesting and fun game from the arcade’s golden era.
City Connection is available now on Nintendo Switch.
