About this game
On July 17, 2000, Ryoji Amano answered his fans on the message board of A-Max, the Tokyo game studio he headed. Human Entertainment, the company where he used to work, had gone bankrupt that January. One fan had written that a job at Human had once been a dream. Another wrote that, as far as he knew, Amano had worked on some of Human's soccer games, and that it would be better to hear it from Amano himself. Amano answered them in a single post: "Human. That brings back memories. It has come to an unfortunate end now, though..." And: "I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to make public the details of my work from my Human days, so I will refrain from commenting. My apologies."
Final Match Tennis was part of that work. Amano was its programmer. Human released it in Japan on March 1, 1991, on a HuCard, the credit-card-sized game card used by NEC's PC Engine console. Its sixteen players are modeled on real stars such as Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker and Björn Borg. The PC Engine had only one controller socket, so a four-player doubles match needed a multitap, an adapter that lets several controllers share that socket.
In July 2008, the French magazine Pix'n Love ran a feature on Final Match Tennis. It included an interview with Amano.
Gallery
The Story Behind
The company that became Human was founded in May 1983. Through the 1980s it mainly developed Famicom games under contract for companies such as Nintendo and Bandai, without its name in the credits. In June 1989 it released its first game under its own name, Fire Pro Wrestling Combination Tag. The music of Final Match Tennis was composed by Hironori Tanaka. In Germany, Heinrich Lenhardt of Video Games (issue 2/91) and Martin Gaksch of a Power Play special issue (3/91) both scored it 91 percent. The Human Entertainment chapter of John Szczepaniak's 2015 book The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers, Volume 2 contains an interview with Amano.
Tricks & Tales
All sixteen players are men. Human later made a women's version, Final Match Tennis Ladies, for Human Sports Festival, a compilation it released on PC Engine Super CD-ROM² on February 28, 1992. Human Entertainment would later co-found HuneX with NEC Home Electronics in 1992, one year after this game's release. The HuCard has a capacity of 4 megabits (512KB). Final Match Tennis was released only in Japan. Players outside Japan who wanted it had to buy an imported Japanese copy.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The PC Engine (Japan) and TurboGrafx-16 (North America) share the same physical HuCard slot shape but are not compatible with each other's software. NEC deliberately reversed the data bus wiring between the two regions: data pin D0 on the PC Engine corresponds to D7 on the TurboGrafx-16, and so on through all eight lines. Beyond the hardware wiring difference, most North American HuCards contain region-checking code that detects a Japanese console and immediately crashes. Converters that electrically flip the data bus do exist and allow cross-region play. CD-ROM² discs themselves carry no region protection and play freely on both systems—however, the System Cards required to boot CD software are region-locked in the same way as HuCards, so a Japanese System Card cannot be used in a TurboGrafx-16 and vice versa.
Maintenance Tips
HuCard contacts are the most common maintenance point on the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16. The card's edge connector oxidizes over decades of storage, causing failure-to-read and graphical glitches. Cleaning with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab—gently wiping the gold contacts on the card itself—resolves most contact issues; stubborn oxidation responds to dedicated contact cleaners such as DeoxIT. Never blow into the card slot with your mouth, as moisture accelerates the very corrosion you are trying to remove. On systems equipped with the CD-ROM² or Super CD-ROM² add-on, the optical drive is subject to the same age-related laser and sled degradation seen in any CD system of that era; the laser assembly uses a KSS-220a-type unit on the Super CD-ROM² and replacement parts remain available.
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 Final Match Tennis copies regularly.
Does Final Match Tennis save tournament progress?
No. Final Match Tennis has no passwords and does not save, so a world tour has to be played through in one sitting. A HuCard normally holds no battery, so there is no save battery to wear out or replace.
Is Final Match Tennis region-free?
No. A Japanese HuCard will not run on a North American TurboGrafx-16 as it is, because the two systems' cards are wired differently. Playing it needs a Japanese PC Engine, a card converter, or a modified console. The game was released only in Japan.
How should I maintain a PC Engine HuCard?
Clean the gold edge contacts with a cotton swab dampened in 90%-or-higher isopropyl alcohol if the game fails to boot. PC Engine HuCards are physically robust but sensitive to dirty contacts. Never blow into the card slot or onto the card. The moisture in breath corrodes the contacts over time. Store the HuCard away from direct sunlight and heat, as UV exposure can yellow the plastic shell and degrade the label over decades.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Final Match Tennis
A short checklist for buying used PC Engine software 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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Make sure it fits your console
Japanese PC Engine HuCards and CDs are not compatible with the North American TurboGrafx-16 — the formats differ. Use a Japanese PC Engine system.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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HuCard or CD-ROM² — know which you're buying
PC Engine games come on HuCard chips or on CD-ROM². CD titles also require the right CD system and a working System Card.
Confirm the format in the listing, and for CDs check the disc surface and that saves are supported.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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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.
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Rooms this game lives in
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Memories from around the world
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Cite this page
Taisei Shimizu. "Final Match Tennis." Enjoy Game Japan Museum. Updated August 4, 2026. https://museum.enjoygamejapan.online/en/games/final-match-tennis/