Wave Race 64 may already be available on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pak, but there was always a sense that its weighty controls and low frame rate never quite captured the sensation of speed of real-life jet skis. In the mid-90s, gamers had only one other option for a high-speed water scooter experience, and it was at the arcades. Sadly, early 3D consoles were not always the smoothest. Wave Race 64 ran at a respectable 30 frames per second, but those in Europe using PAL hardware were limited to a choppy 25 frames per second. The best way to experience fast and fluid 3D graphics was in the arcades. Sometimes, arcade cabinets aimed to replicate simulated experiences with built-in seats and immersive controls that mimicked the real thing. Decades later, simulator cabinets are rare, down in the single digits, and the only way gamers can play these games is due to Hamster’s preservation efforts. How does this jet ski racer hold up without its custom cabinet?
Aqua Jet was originally played with a custom-built cabinet with a replica jet ski and handles. It made a powerful impression, and playing on it felt exciting and immersive. Obviously, this was crucial to the appeal, and there was no feasible way to translate the experience onto a controller. There is nothing Hamster could have done about the cabinet, and getting the game playable on a controller is the best anyone can hope for. Thankfully, Aqua Jet is very playable with a standard controller. It’s smooth and fluid like the waves the jet skis ride, while running at a crisp 60 frames per second without any hiccups.
Much like other early 3D racing games from the 90s, options are limited. Like Ridge Racer, Aqua Jet has only one track with a couple of alternate routes. There is only one racer/jet ski to drive, and the POV is strictly in first person, though the front bow of the vehicle is visible. The bright, neon 90s flair motif is as appealing as ever. The blues are intense, and character animations are larger than life. Textures are chunky yet readable, making the graphics almost timeless and appealing. This is still a good-looking game, and Hamster’s emulation is seemingly perfect. There are no sound or visual bugs at all, and controls feel punchy.
Unlike Ridge Racer, Aqua Jet has less going on in it. Jet skis don’t drift like the Mazda since it’s a watercraft, making the experience feel like a garden-variety racing game. There are only stand-up models since the cabinet was built around that specific craft, and its design doesn’t appear to be based on any existing real-life brands like Kawasaki or Yamaha. The jet skis resemble a generic futuristic water scooter with some flashy Namco decals.
With only one track and a much lower skill ceiling compared to other arcade racers, there isn’t any lasting appeal with Aqua Jet. There are Hamster’s expected bonus modes like in all of their Arcade Archive re-releases, but the foundation is too barebones to be anything more than a very quick and cheap thrill. It’s frustrating that these arcade games are not in a large compilation. It would be so much more fun to have a grab bag of different experiences where players can be shuffled randomly from game to game. Since it’s based on the arcade version, there is no versus racing; only single player. Aqua Jet was never made to be anything more than a novelty arcade experience built to extract quarters from a passersby for a quick adrenaline jolt and move on after the aggressive timer runs out.
