Yakuza Kiwami 3 Introduces Official Emulations of Two Quirky Sega Arcade Titles

During the heyday of arcade gaming, creativity knew no bounds, leading to the birth of some truly bizarre concepts for high-cost machines featuring cathode ray tubes. Among these peculiar inventions are two lesser-known Sega arcade games from the late 1990s: Magical Truck Adventure, which surprisingly lacks a truck, and Emergency Call Ambulance, which prominently features an ambulance. Released in 1998 and 1999 respectively, these titles had remained inaccessible in any collections or digital formats until now, thanks to their inclusion in Yakuza Kiwami 3’s emulation feature. Both games are a delightful trip down memory lane.

Magical Truck Adventure embodies the quintessential Sega arcade experience: vibrant visuals and a barrage of stimuli right from the start. Players take on the role of one of two children operating a handcar on a vintage train, pursuing two thieves who have made off with a magical jewel, making them easy targets to catch.

However, success hinges on your stamina; the arcade version demands continuous pumping of the lever to keep the handcar moving, while a pair of pedals enable players to lean and leap over various obstacles like barrels that are hurled in your direction. Naturally, teleportation and time travel between levels add to the whimsical nature of the game.

This abbreviated game, featuring multiple branching paths based on your performance, is ideally suited to the physical demands it imposes. After numerous attempts on the original machine, I struggled to progress past the second level, making my experience with the emulated version at a recent Yakuza Kiwami 3 preview event quite enjoyable. Using analog sticks to control the game proved to be far less exhausting!

While the emulated Magical Truck Adventure may not fully replicate the thrill of controlling a game with frantic lever movements, it remains an engaging and charming experience that more players can now access without hunting down a rare arcade cabinet.

On the other hand, Emergency Call Ambulance is a title I had never encountered before, but it is utterly wild. In this game, you assume the role of an ambulance driver racing away from a disaster scene with a critically injured patient onboard. Each level is a set course on rails, giving just enough time to reach the hospital, provided you avoid collisions with oncoming traffic and navigate turns swiftly.

The first level features another ambulance that briefly overtakes you before veering off the road and plunging into the sea. This game distinctly feels like a relic from a time when arcade designers were intent on transforming any profession or scenario into a brief, playable experience.

The absurdity of the premise is matched by its dark humor: if your passenger’s health deteriorates to zero before reaching the hospital, the screen fades to black as they plead, “I don’t want to die!” A green heart monitor flatline flashes on the screen for a brief moment before cheerful music plays, and your score is calculated.

This unique pairing of games fits seamlessly into the tonal shifts characteristic of the Yakuza series, oscillating between serious character drama and outrageous side quests. While it might be a stretch to claim that these games alone justify the $60 price tag for Yakuza Kiwami 3, I am genuinely pleased that Sega has resurrected them from the depths of arcade obscurity. Yakuza Kiwami 3 is set to launch on Steam on February 11.