JP RETRO GAMES｜Japanese Famicom & Retro Games

When I first played HOSTAGES on the Japanese Famicom, the opening immediately caught my attention.

It doesn’t feel like a typical run-and-gun action game.

You have to move carefully, avoid danger, watch the windows, use your weapon, and even rappel down the side of a building.

And the opening sequence is surprisingly dramatic for a Famicom game from 1989.

This is the original Japanese Famicom version of HOSTAGES , released by Kemco.

A Japanese Famicom game from 1989

HOSTAGES was released in Japan for the Nintendo Famicom on December 1, 1989 .

The Japanese version was published by Kemco (Kotobuki System) and carries the cartridge code KSC-HZ .

The game was originally created by Infogrames , and the Famicom version was adapted for the Japanese market by Kemco.

In Japan, the game was simply called:

ホステージ

The cartridge itself has a very distinctive blue Famicom design and a military-style illustration.

The opening really sets the mood

The first thing that surprised me was the opening.

Before the actual gameplay begins, the game creates a serious atmosphere with its military operation setting.

There is a helicopter, soldiers and an embassy under threat.

For a Famicom game, it feels unusually cinematic.

That’s why I decided to keep a large part of the opening in my video.

I especially like the moment when the HOSTAGES logo drops down onto the title screen.

It has a very late-1980s action movie feeling.

HOSTAGES is not just a shooting game

At first glance, HOSTAGES might look like a shooting game.

But the gameplay is more complicated than that.

The mission involves several different types of gameplay.

You need to move through dangerous areas, avoid enemy fire, use sniping positions and eventually enter the building to rescue the hostages.

The game rewards careful movement rather than simply shooting everything in sight.

The NES/Famicom version is also known for combining several different gameplay sections, including stealth movement, sniping and rappelling.

Moving carefully through the streets

One of the first things you notice when playing HOSTAGES is how vulnerable your character feels.

You can’t simply run forward.

You have to watch the surroundings and move carefully.

Enemy attacks can come quickly, so timing your movement is important.

This makes the game feel quite different from more familiar Famicom action games.

There is a sense that you are actually trying to infiltrate an enemy-controlled area.

Watching the windows

One of the most memorable parts of the game is the sniping section.

You watch the windows of the building and wait for movement.

When an enemy appears, you have to react quickly.

This section gives HOSTAGES a completely different feeling from the movement section.

Instead of running around, you are watching and waiting.

The game uses this change of pace to make the mission feel like an actual operation.

Rappelling down from the roof

And then there is the rappelling section.

Your team reaches the roof and must descend along the side of the building.

This is probably one of the most unusual things about HOSTAGES.

The game doesn’t just ask you to walk into the building.

You actually have to descend from above.

Timing is important here because a mistake can send the character falling.

The rappelling section is also one of the gameplay elements specifically associated with the Famicom/NES version.

One mistake can end the mission

HOSTAGES can be unforgiving.

If you move at the wrong time, you can quickly get shot.

That was one of the things I wanted to show in this video.

Rather than only showing successful gameplay, I wanted to include the moments where things go wrong too.

It makes the game feel much more authentic.

And honestly, that’s part of the fun of playing old games.

Game Over

Eventually, my mission didn’t go exactly as planned.

GAME OVER.

But I actually think the game-over screen makes a good ending for this video.

After all the careful movement, shooting and rappelling, everything can come down to one mistake.

That’s very much the feeling of HOSTAGES.

HOSTAGES or RESCUE: THE EMBASSY MISSION?

If you know the NES version, you may recognize this game under a different name.

In Japan, it was released as:

HOSTAGES

The North American NES release was known as:

Rescue: The Embassy Mission

The original game also appeared under other names in different regions, including Operation Jupiter .

So if you remember playing Rescue: The Embassy Mission on the NES, this Japanese Famicom cartridge is the same game family.

The original Japanese Famicom cartridge

This is the original Japanese Famicom cartridge I used for this video.

The label says:

HOSTAGES

and

ホステージ

The cartridge number is:

KSC-HZ

The Japanese release was priced at 5,900 yen at the time.

For me, this is one of the interesting things about collecting Famicom games.

A game that may be remembered under a completely different name overseas can have a completely different-looking Japanese cartridge.

Why I wanted to show this game

HOSTAGES isn’t one of the first Famicom games people usually mention when talking about the system.

And that’s exactly why I wanted to show it.

There are so many unusual games in the Japanese Famicom library.

Some became famous around the world.

Others stayed relatively unknown outside Japan.

HOSTAGES is one of those games that makes me want to dig deeper into the Famicom library.

The opening, the sniping, the rappelling and the tense movement all make it stand out.

JP RETRO GAMES｜No.09

This is Series No.09 of JP RETRO GAMES .

I’m collecting and playing Japanese Famicom games in Japan and sharing them with retro-gaming fans around the world.

Sometimes the most interesting games aren’t the famous ones.

Sometimes they’re the games you discover by picking up an old cartridge and wondering:

“What is this?”

That’s exactly what I love about the Japanese Famicom.

JP RETRO GAMES 🇯🇵
Japanese Famicom games from Japan to the world.

Game Information

Title: HOSTAGES
Japanese Title: ホステージ
Platform: Nintendo Famicom
Year: 1989
Japanese Release: December 1, 1989
Publisher: Kemco / Kotobuki System
Original Developer: Infogrames
Genre: Action / Tactical Shooter
Players: 1
Region: Japan (NTSC)
Format: Famicom Cartridge
Product Code: KSC-HZ

The Japanese Famicom release date, publisher, developer/port information and cartridge code are documented by Famicom databases and catalog sources.

About JP RETRO GAMES

JP RETRO GAMES introduces Japanese Famicom games, original cartridges and retro-gaming culture to people around the world.

Every series focuses on a different game from my collection.

I play the games, record the footage and show the original Japanese cartridges.

From Japan to the world. 🇯🇵🌎