Hammerin' Harry (Arcade)

A carpenter's house is torn down and its land gets taken over without his consent, now he has to go get revenge on those shameless bastards by using his mallet.

Regional Differences#

The Japanese version was released in three different hardwares: the original release which runs on the Irem M72 System, a second release which runs on the Irem M82 System and a third release which runs on the Irem M84 system. The sole difference between these three versions is the original release features a protection scheme that the other versions don't have.

The European and US versions were released on a single hardware: the European version runs on the Irem M81 system, whereas the US version runs on the Irem M84 system.

Region-Specific Screens#

Japan	US

The Japanese version displays a standard export copyright notice on boot, while the US version displays the (blatantly obligatory) FBI "Winners Don't Use Drugs" screen common of the era. None of these screens are present in the European version, which instead goes straight to the title screen sequence.

Title Screen#

Japan	US	Europe (World)

The Japanese title screen was made in tategaki (a traditional style where text runs top-to-bottom in columns, with columns progressing from right to left), whereas the European/US title screen was simplified to make it more suitable to the western audience.

The game's logo was made smaller, the mallet in the logo was removed, and the "INSERT COIN" and "1 COIN 1 PLAY" were rotated horizontally and moved inside the wooden block with the "INSERT COIN" being made larger.

Irem's copyright string was written with the standard font in the Japanese version, whereas in the European and US versions a unique typeface is used in its place.

Intro Cutscene#

In the Japanese version, Harry/Gen will shout "Teyandei!" (てやんでい, which translated means "What the hell?!"), whereas in the International versions, he'll shout "Hammer Time!". As result, the text that follows Harry (and even appears when you lose a life) is removed.

Pre-Stage Catchphrase#

Japan	International

In the Japanese version, Harry/Gen will shout "IKUZE!" (いくぜっ！, which translated means "LET'S GO!"), whereas in the International versions, he'll shout its iconic "LET'S GET BUSY!"

Additionally, the catchphrase gets typed in the Japanese version, while in the International versions, the catchphrase appears completely written.

Swing Hammer Power-Up#

Japan	International

In the Japanese version, the power-up that grants the ability to swing the hammer faster and turns Harry's skin red is a bottle of booze (酒). On International versions, it's a chili pepper. Go figure.

Big Hammer Power-Up#

Japan	International

The design and text on the big hammer power-up are different. The Japanese version's text reads 馬鹿力 (Great Physical Power).

Stage 2 Boss#

Japan	International

The number printed on the Stage 2 boss is K-666 in the Japanese version, and it says "KURO" on the right. On International versions, the number is 1-888 and it says "RUOK" on the right. You can probably guess why this change was made...