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Image: Hamster

I'm not particularly convinced that the final days of October offer the best opportunities to whack on your swim trunks and go for a dip, but Hamster Corporation care not, given that the classic gaming curator has released Tehkan's Swimmer to the Arcade Archives 2 range, available on PS5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Released in 1982, Swimmer has the distinction of being among the first aquatic sporting titles ever released commercially, with its setup of a freelance swimmer who, apparently not content with the chlorine-lined safety of his local pool, decides to take his front crawl to the deadly waters of the darkest of jungles. Performative, to say the least. (At least until the discovery of a treasure island awaiting at the journey's end)

Players guide our H2erO as he swims upstream, avoiding a variety of obstacles and numerous animals that perhaps wouldn't be so dangerous in the real world as they are in Tehkan's, with deadly crabs, turtles, and insects all out for the swimmer's blood. Upping the stakes a little is the introduction of alligators and piranhas, and with no sign of Robert Forster or Kevin McCarthy, you'd best stay out of their way.

Swimmer, previously available as part of the Arcade Archives range, is now available on Arcade Archives 2, which offers an additional Time Attack mode, Rewind functionality, and 4K resolution and variable refresh rates. Just what you need for a game from 1982. Better double dip. Pun not intended until I typed it.