27 Years Later, An Inaccessible PlayStation 1 Classic Has Come To Modern Consoles
The original PlayStation's library is full of treasures, and some of the most interesting games on the platform never found their way to most owners. In some cases, this was due to poor marketing or niche appeal, but in others, the biggest roadblock was simply distribution.
Over the years, more and more Western fans have come to realize how many great PlayStation games never made their way out of Japan, a frustrating situation that doesn't have any overarching solution. Luckily, one fantastic Japan-only title is finally available on modern platforms and accessible worldwide, although it still comes with a major limitation.
A Forgotten PS1 Classic Returns
A YouTube trailer from HAMSTER Corporation highlighted the new release of UFO: A Day in the Life as part of the company's Console Archives collection. Developed by Love-de-Lic, UFO tasks players with rescuing fellow aliens after they crash into the roof of an apartment building. The new port is available digitally on Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 for a retail price of $11.99.
Unfortunately, while the new release of UFO: A Day in the Life is officially available on Western digital storefronts and received an ESRB rating, the in-game dialogue is still only available in Japanese. That being said, it's entirely possible to play through the game without a translation, and the options menu and manual are now avaialble in Japanese, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
UFO: A Day in the Life has never vanished out of the realm of accessibility for its original Japanese audience, but playing it in the West previously required a Japanese PS1 to go along with the game. This isn't the first game that the Console Archives series has made more widely available, but for fans of its niche, it could very well be the most exciting yet.
Notably, developer Love-de-Lic has amassed a cult following for its unusual games, which also include Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, one of the cornerstones of the anti-RPG genre that now encompasses games like Undertale. UFO: A Day in the Life is less of an RPG, focusing on exploring, taking photos, revisiting areas at different times, and chatting up interesting characters (the part of the game that, unfortunately, gets somewhat lost without a translation).
It would have been nice to see UFO: A Day in the Life get a full localization like Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, but it's much better to have something than nothing. Decades later, the original PlayStation is the gift that keeps on giving.