Hasamu is an arcade action game developed and published by Irem, released in 1991. Irem was a prolific Japanese arcade developer throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for titles such as R-Type and Kung-Fu Master, and Hasamu represents one of the company's lesser-documented releases from that era. By 1991, the arcade market was fiercely competitive, with players and operators demanding increasingly polished experiences following the widespread success of beat-'em-ups and puzzle-action hybrids. Hasamu occupies a niche within that landscape as a game built around a squeezing or sandwiching mechanic — the title itself is derived from the Japanese verb "hasamu," meaning to pinch, clamp, or sandwich something between two objects. This core concept drives the entire gameplay loop: players maneuver objects or forces on screen to trap and crush enemies or targets between two converging surfaces, requiring spatial reasoning and quick reflexes in equal measure. The controls are straightforward by arcade standards, designed to be immediately accessible to a casual player inserting coins while still offering enough depth to reward repeat play. Levels are structured in discrete stages, each introducing new enemy patterns, environmental hazards, or tighter spatial constraints that force the player to adapt their pinching strategy on the fly. The pacing escalates steadily, with later stages demanding precise timing to sandwich targets before they escape or retaliate. Irem's hardware expertise, honed across years of arcade development, gives Hasamu clean, responsive controls and visuals that were competent for the period, though the game did not push technical boundaries in the way that some of the company's more celebrated titles did. In its era, Hasamu was a modest arcade offering — the kind of game that found its audience in smaller arcades and game centers rather than commanding the prime floor space reserved for blockbuster titles. Its relative obscurity today is partly a function of limited international distribution and the absence of a home console port, which prevented it from reaching the broader audience that contemporaries with Famicom or Super Famicom releases enjoyed. Nevertheless, Hasamu stands as a genuine artifact of Irem's creative range during a period when the company was willing to experiment with unconventional mechanical premises alongside its more commercially driven franchises.
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Hasamu
Hasamu is an action arcade game developed by Irem in 1991. Players control a character wielding a sword through side-scrolling stages filled with enemies and obstacles. The game features fast-paced combat mechanics where timing and positioning determine success in encounters. Controls allow the player to move left and right, jump, and attack with the blade. The level structure progresses through multiple stages, each introducing new enemy types and environmental challenges. Hasamu emphasizes skill-based gameplay with direct melee combat as the primary means of defeating opponents.
- Developer
- Irem
- Released
- 1991
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Rating
- 4.4 / 5 (4.7K)
- Last updated
About Hasamu
Pro tips
- Focus on predicting enemy movement paths before initiating a squeeze — committing too early leaves you exposed and wastes your window.
- Learn the boundaries of each stage quickly; walls and edges are your best allies for setting up reliable sandwiches against faster enemies.
- Prioritize clearing clustered groups of enemies with a single squeeze rather than chasing isolated targets, as efficiency is key to surviving later stages.
- When new enemy types appear, take a moment to observe their movement pattern for one cycle before engaging — most patterns are consistent and exploitable.
- Conserve your positioning near the center of the play field where possible, giving yourself the maximum range of motion to react to threats from multiple directions.
Hasamu Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Hasamu on our in-browser Arcade emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
| Keyboard | Console button | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | Joystick Up | Move up |
| ↓ | Joystick Down | Move down |
| ← | Joystick Left | Move left |
| → | Joystick Right | Move right |
| X | Button 1 | Primary action (jump / confirm) |
| Z | Button 2 | Secondary action (attack / cancel) |
| S | Button 3 | Tertiary action |
| A | Button 4 | Quaternary action |
| Q | Button 5 | Fifth button |
| W | Button 6 | Sixth button |
| 5 | Insert Coin | Insert coin |
| 1 | 1P Start | Start / Pause |
Coin and Start are convention "Insert Coin: 5" and "1P Start: 1". Some arcade boards expect specific button mappings — check the in-game prompts on coin-up.
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Hasamu Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Hasamu on Arcade before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Hasamu" Arcade longplay 1991
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Hasamu released?
Hasamu was released in 1991 for the Arcade.
Who developed Hasamu?
Hasamu was developed by Irem, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
What type of game is Hasamu?
Hasamu is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Hasamu for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Hasamu runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Hasamu in the browser?
No. Hasamu streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Hasamu?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original Arcade cartridge supported.
Does Hasamu work on mobile devices?
Yes — the Arcade emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Hasamu this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Hasamu. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
How difficult is Hasamu for a first-time player?
Hasamu starts at an accessible difficulty but escalates meaningfully within a handful of stages. New players will find the early levels forgiving enough to grasp the core sandwiching mechanic, but the game demands sharper timing and spatial planning as enemy speed and stage complexity increase. Expect a moderate learning curve.
What is the best starting strategy for beginners?
Begin by focusing on slow-moving enemies near walls or corners, as these offer the easiest sandwich opportunities. Use these early encounters to build an intuition for the timing window required to trap targets before moving on to open-field squeezes against faster opponents.
Is Hasamu worth playing today for retro game enthusiasts?
For players interested in Irem's full catalog or in arcade action games built around unconventional mechanics, Hasamu offers a genuinely distinct experience. Its obscurity makes it a curiosity rather than an essential play, but the core mechanic is inventive enough to hold interest for a session or two.
What is a common mistake new players make?
The most frequent mistake is moving both sides of the squeeze simultaneously without accounting for enemy escape routes. Rushing the pinch before an enemy is properly cornered almost always results in the target slipping free, leaving the player out of position and vulnerable.
