Numan Athletics (World)

Numan Athletics is a fast-paced, four-player sports game released by Namco in 1993. This unique title blends athletic competition with fantastical elements across eight distinct tournaments. Players will find themselves engaging in varied challenges like intercepting missiles launched from a ship, performing perilous jumps across Niagara Falls, and even stopping runaway trains with magical powers—each demanding precise timing and button combinations. Gameplay involves utilizing an 8-way joystick and three buttons to control athletes through events inspired by track and field competitions as well as more unusual scenarios. Rapidly alternating between the run buttons builds speed for races or charges power for feats like redirecting a train, while strategic use of the fire button is essential for success in challenges like missile defense and monster hunting. Certain character choices trigger amusing visual alterations during gameplay—a quirky touch to the competitive action. The game runs on Namco System NA-2 hardware and was followed by a sequel, Mach Breakers - Numan Athletics 2, in 1995. A soundtrack from the game was released as part of Namco Video Game Graffiti Vol.10 later that year.