Firework Thrower Kantaro joins Console Archives today

Firework Thrower Kantaro’s 53 Stations of the Tokaido launches today for PS5 and Switch 2 through Hamster’s Console Archives line. Originally released by SUNSOFT in 1986 for an 8-bit home console, the game sends Kantaro toward Edo while fending off enemies and trying to launch fireworks over the Sumida River.

That is a very specific setup, which is exactly why this kind of preservation release is valuable. Not every old game is globally famous, and not every important software artifact became a mascot franchise.

Console Archives gives these stranger regional classics a modern shelf. The new release includes English interface and manual support, though the game content remains Japanese, plus modern comfort features like button customization, save points and screen filters. It is niche, but niche preservation is still preservation.

Source: Gematsu - https://www.gematsu.com/2026/06/console-archives-firework-thrower-kantaros-53-stations-of-the-tokaido-launches-june-4