In June 1995, Hiroyuki Kobayashi bought a PlayStation with his first Capcom bonus, and Jumping Flash! along with it.
In 2012, by then a producer at Capcom, Kobayashi picked Jumping Flash! as a game he remembered fondly, in an interview with the Japanese site 4Gamer. The interviewer asked what had drawn him to buy it. He says (translated from Japanese):
"If I remember right, it came as a freebie with PlePle [a CD-ROM magazine from Sony] or something. I played the demo and thought, this is a really fun action game. That's what made me buy it."
Of the game itself, he says:
"The best thing is how good the jump feels, being able to leap high into the sky. But you could also move smoothly from one stage to the next, the boss fights were fun too, and as an action game it had a nice, solid feel."
Asked whether young people who don't know the game would enjoy it today, he says:
"Compared with today's games, there are parts where the graphics can't compete. Still, I think the heart of this game, jumping and flying through the sky, is as much fun as games today, so I'd like young people to give it a try too."
"Not that I made it (laughs)."
About this game
You play Robbit, a robot rabbit, and you see the whole game through his eyes. The worlds are pieces of land floating in the sky, so you spend most of the game high above the ground. Robbit can jump again in midair, and when he does, the view tips down toward the ground, so you can see how far there is to fall.
Key Features
Robbit can jump three times before he has to land. The stages are open, three-dimensional spaces. You also shoot enemies as you go. The colors are loud and the world is whimsical.
Hear it from the source
- ▶ 4Gamer (2012-03-29): Capcom's Hiroyuki Kobayashi on Jumping Flash!, his memorable game, in Japanese
- ▶ Famitsu (2025-04-28): Jumping Flash! 30th anniversary article, in Japanese
- ▶ Next Generation No. 5 (May 1995), Alphas: Jumping Flash (archive.org text)
- ▶ Guinness World Records: First 3D platform videogame
Gallery
The Story Behind
Jumping Flash! went on sale in Japan on April 28, 1995, then in Europe that September and in North America that November. In its May 1995 issue, Next Generation magazine reported that one of the first graphics demos for the PlayStation, in early 1994, had been a 3D platform game with the working title Spring Man, and that it was now coming out as Jumping Flash.
The game was developed by Exact and Ultra. Looking back in 2025, Famitsu describes Exact as a company that made software by gathering computer-store clerks who wanted to make games.
Tricks & Tales
Is it the first 3D platform game? Guinness World Records, in its Gamers' Edition 2009, gave that record to Alpha Waves, from 1990. A sequel, Jumping Flash! 2, came out in 1996 with the same first-person jumping and more complex stages. Takeo Miratsu wrote the music.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Japan (April 1995), Europe (September 1995), North America (November 1995). All versions are functionally identical.
Maintenance Tips
Standard PlayStation disc care. Uses memory card for save data.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Jumping Flash! copies regularly.
Will this Japanese PlayStation disc work on a North American or European PlayStation?
No. The PlayStation enforces regional lockout through the disc region code and the console BIOS. Japanese discs (NTSC-J) will not play on North American (NTSC-U/C) or European (PAL) consoles without modification such as a mod chip or swap method. Playing Japanese PlayStation software requires a Japanese console or a modified unit. The disc format itself is standard CD-ROM, but the region check also reads a signal pressed into licensed discs (the 'wobble'), so the lockout is not purely software.
Do I need a memory card to save progress?
Yes. The PlayStation has no internal save storage. A PlayStation Memory Card must be inserted into the console's memory card slot to save game data. Without a memory card, all progress is lost when the console powers off. Each memory card holds 15 blocks; check the game manual for how many blocks this title requires. Official Sony memory cards are recommended for reliability over third-party alternatives.
How should I inspect and care for a PlayStation disc?
Examine the data side (shiny underside) under light. Light surface scratches are generally readable; deep scratches running in a circle along the track are more damaging than ones running straight from the center outward. To clean, wipe from the center outward in straight radial strokes with a soft lint-free cloth — never in a circular motion. If the console struggles to read an otherwise intact disc, the PlayStation laser may need cleaning or adjustment, which is common in aging PS1 hardware.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Jumping Flash!
A short checklist for buying a used PlayStation disc wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Check the disc for scratches
Deep scratches on the playing surface cause freezes and read errors. Light surface marks are usually fine.
Ask for a clear photo of the disc's underside. A seller who tested it will confirm it loads and plays through.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese PlayStation disc. The PS1 is region-locked, so a Japanese disc needs a Japanese console or a region-free setup.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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Saves use a memory card — no battery to worry about
PlayStation games save to a separate memory card, so there is no in-cartridge battery to fail.
Just make sure you have a memory card with free blocks for your saves.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what we have in stock →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Jumping Flash! sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
Share your memory ↑From the Museum's Screening Room
Jumping Flash — Max Explains