JAWS: Retro Edition

About JAWS: Retro Edition

JAWS: Retro Edition is a single player shooter game. It was developed by Limited Run Games and was released on February 13, 2026. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

This can’t be happening. There has never been a Great White in these waters before. Never. This is more than a coincidence. This shark is different. Relentless. As if it’s hunting you down… like it’s personal. You’d better prepare yourself and strike back before it’s too late. Will you use the mini-sub, seaplane, sailboat, or scuba gear? Maybe it won’t even matter. Remember, you’re dealing with a…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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Reviews

97%Audience ScoreBased on 36 reviews

gameplay3 negative mentions

Includes both the original NES game and an expanded Enhanced Edition, offering nostalgia and fresh content.
Enhanced Edition adds RPG elements, quests, upgrades, and tougher enemies, significantly deepening gameplay and extending playtime.
Runs well on modern platforms with useful features like rewind, save options, and CRT filters enhancing retro experience.

Some consider the price too high for what is essentially a rom hack and upgraded version of a very old game.
Enhanced Edition can feel repetitive or tedious late in the four-chapter progression and has some frustrations with upgrade loss on death.
Technical and presentation shortcomings such as limited new enemy variety, lack of developer extras, occasional bugs, and incomplete widescreen/HDR support.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 38% negative mentions
The enhanced version of the game significantly improves gameplay by adding new systems, progress mechanics, and a rewind feature that makes challenges more enjoyable. While the core gameplay remains somewhat simple, involving underwater shooting and upgrades, changes in enemy patterns and RPG-like elements in later phases provide deeper engagement. Overall, the updates transform the classic arcade style into a richer and more dynamic experience.
- “The rewind feature made a hard game more enjoyable, giving collectables new life as enemies, doing away with 1 hit 1 death gameplay and giving us more in-depth upgrade ability really added value to this game.”
- “Adding more gameplay and progress to the experience made this NES way better than it was before!”
- “The gameplay is admittedly still a bit one-dimensional in the sense that you're a diver who shoots marine life for money to upgrade your equipment.”
- “The enhanced edition uses those baseline mechanics, but in a way that is far similar to other RPGs at the time.”
- “However, in the enhanced gameplay, once you get to phase 2 you will see that the beast starts to change his attack patterns, as do all your enemies underwater.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75% positive mentions, -50% neutral mentions, 75% negative mentions
The story revolves around a repetitive gameplay loop of hunting minibosses and finding lost items through quests given by NPCs in ports. The enhanced edition expands the narrative with additional chapters and quests, significantly extending the game length and progression by unlocking weapon parts and upgrades.
- “The enhanced edition adds different chapters where you hunt specific enemies to unlock weapon parts or upgrades, extending the gameplay from 15 minutes to over 3 hours.”
- “The ports have NPCs who ask you to hunt down minibosses or find lost items, granting upgrades and story progression in return.”
- “You'll receive quests that unlock certain upgrades as you progress through the story.”
- “You play what is basically the Jaws game loop 4 times with some slight variance in the quests and such.”
- “The enhanced edition adds different chapters, where you have to hunt specific enemies to unlock a weapon part or upgrade, as well as costing money, turning a 15 minute short game into a 3+ hour game.”
- “The ports have people you talk to who ask you to hunt down minibosses or find lost items and give you upgrades and story progress in return.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Grinding introduces a few new elements but overall feels slightly more tedious, making the experience less engaging.
- “It has some new elements that are good, but otherwise it just feels like they made the game slightly more tedious.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The music aspect includes the original game soundtrack accessible through a music player, presented alongside the original box art and manual, offering a nostalgic audio experience.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Users have mixed feelings about the game's monetization, with some labeling it a cash grab while others are more neutral or accepting. Overall, the controversy suggests that the game's payment model may feel aggressive or overly focused on revenue to certain players.