Hammerin' Harry

Hammerin' Harry: Ghost Building Company is a side-scrolling action-platformer developed and published by Irem, released for the Game Boy in Europe in 1991 and Japan in 1992. The story follows Harry, a carpenter whose wife is kidnapped by a large ghost that rises from the rubble of his demolished city. Harry must battle through multiple stages—including suburbs, forests, haunted mansions, and shooter-style flying segments—to rescue her. Harry attacks with his hammer, performing overhead swings, ground pounds, and a super shockwave upon landing. Power-ups include a hard hat for extra armor, an iron mace doubling attack power, and rice balls restoring health. No password system is included.

Game Boy

Technically, the Game Boy version is not a port of the arcade original but a completely new game built from the ground up. The game features large, detailed sprites that fill the screen, with smooth horizontal scrolling and minimal slowdown. The soundtrack, praised as catchy and rocking, accompanies vibrant stage designs with surprising variety for the handheld. Controls are responsive and tight, though the game suffers from notably short invincibility frames after taking damage, leading to frustrating death combos when enemies swarm. The difficulty spikes considerably in later stages, but unlimited continues and generous checkpoints encourage persistence. Contemporary and retrospective reception is positive: critics praise the "exemplary graphics," "general wackiness," and clever level design, though the "unfairly hard" enemy placement is a common complaint. The game was never officially released in North America. It remains a hidden gem on the Game Boy.