Journey to Silius

ラフワールド (Rafu Wārudo)NES, Switch, PlayStation1990

  1. JP1990
  2. NA1990
  3. EU1990
  4. RU—

Journey to Silius was released in Japan as Rough World (ラフワールド); the North American version shows the hero's face, while the Japanese and European versions put him in full armor. Today it is easiest to play legally in the Nintendo Switch Online NES library, where it has been since December 2019.

Journey to Silius is a run-and-gun game developed and published by Sunsoft. It came out on the Famicom in Japan on 10 August 1990 as Rough World, in North America in September 1990 and in Europe and Australia the same year.

The game was originally conceived as an adaptation of the 1984 film The Terminator, but Sunsoft lost the license during development and changed the plot and graphics. In the finished game Jay McCray takes revenge on the terrorists who killed his father across five stages, with a handgun and five special weapons.

The soundtrack by Naoki Kodaka stands out: it used the NES digital channel for a sampled bassline and the triangle channel for a kick drum. In Japan the game was later included with Hebereke in the PlayStation compilation Memorial Series: Sunsoft Vol. 5, and it was added to Nintendo Switch Online in December 2019.1

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Journey to SiliusEnglish Wikipedia also says the American version was released first NES September 1990 Sunsoft 1
NA Journey to SiliusNintendo Switch Online (Nintendo Classics) NES library Switch Dec 12, 2019 Nintendo 2
JP ラフワールドRafu WārudoFamicom NES Aug 10, 1990 Sunsoft 3
EU Journey to SiliusAlso released in Australia in 1990 NES 1990 Sunsoft 1
JP ラフワールドRafu WārudoNintendo Switch Online Switch May 20, 2020 Nintendo 3

Also known as: ラフワールド JP3Rough World JP1ラフ JP3

Box art by region

  • Journey to Silius box art, North America release
    NA Journey to Silius
  • Journey to Silius box art, Europe release
    EU Journey to Silius

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • GraphicsNES (NA)Famicom (JP)NES (EU)

    The North American version shows Jay's face; the Japanese and European versions redesigned him so that his whole body is covered in armor.1

  • ContentAll versions

    The game was planned as an adaptation of The Terminator. The license was lost during development and the plot and graphics were changed, but T-800-like enemies and music resembling the film's remain.3

Where to play legally today

  • Nintendo Switch Online Subscription

    Journey to Silius (NES)

    NES version

    Checked: 2026-10-134nintendo.com

Reception

Western reviews were mixed (Electronic Gaming Monthly gave 6, 6, 7 and 6 out of 10, GamePro 17/25, Micromanía 8/10), but the soundtrack has been widely praised.1

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2gameinformer.com
  3. 3ja.wikipedia.org
  4. 4nintendolife.com

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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