This obscure 1984 release from Ocean Software is basically a clone of Sega‘s classic arcade game, Pengo, but with an extra level tacked-on at the beginning. Similar in many ways to Ocean‘s Mr. Wimpy, which was BurgerTime with an extra level tacked on at the start. As if it would confuse the copyright police… “These are not the clones you are looking for… It is a completely different game… Look… [waves hand like Obi Wan]”
Tag Archives: Obscure
Panzadrome, ZX Spectrum
Developed by The RamJam Corporation and published by Ariolasoft in 1985, Panzadrome is an overhead maze shooter involving tanks, and it is not a bad game, as far as Speccy tank/maze games go.
Chinese Hero, Arcade
Chinese Hero is an overhead fighting game that was developed by Nihon Game (later to become Culture Brain) and manufactured by Taiyo System in 1984.
It is the first game in the so-called “Super Chinese” series and features simultaneous two-player action set on a single screen play area.
Little Ninja Brothers, NES
Little Ninja Brothers is the second game in the “Super Chinese” series* and the predecessor of Super Ninja Boy on the SNES. It was developed and published by Culture Brain in Japan in 1989. North America got it in 1990 and Europe in 1991.
It is an excellent one or two-player level-grinding RPG, with random battles, but instead of turn-based combat you get real time beat ’em up action instead, and works very well.
Super Ninja Boy, Super Nintendo
Super Ninja Boy is an action role-playing game developed by Culture Brain and released on the SNES in 1991 in Japan, and in 1993 in North America.
It’s a sequel to Culture Brain‘s previous title, Little Ninja Brothers for the NES, and it’s not a brilliant game the truth be told, but it does hold a special place in my heart because it was one of the first games I ever reviewed as games journalist.
Pengo, Megadrive/Genesis
Pengo on the Megadrive is an excellent remake of the classic Sega arcade game, Pengo, and it was published on cartridge (unfortunately in Japan only) in 1995.
Do-Re-Mi Fantasy, Super Nintendo
Published in Japan by Hudson Soft in 1996, Do-Re-Mi Fantasy is a cute and colourful platform game that is actually the sequel to the Famicom game Milon’s Secret Castle.
Do-Re-Mi Fantasy doesn’t really look like Milon’s Secret Castle – or play like it for that matter – but it does share the same bubble-blowing DNA as its predecessor.
Milon’s Secret Castle, NES
Hudson Soft‘s 1986 NES release, Milon’s Secret Castle, is a platform game with a focus on uncovering secrets. Either by shooting walls and platforms with bubbles, or by headbutting certain tiles.
Arabian, Arcade
Released into arcades by Sun Electronics (aka Sunsoft) in 1983, Arabian is a platform game in which you play a prince on a mission to rescue a princess from a castle in which she is being held prisoner.
Moonlight Madness, ZX Spectrum
The sequel to the classic Booty was published by Bubble Bus Software in 1986. It was again designed and programmed by John F. Cain.
The King of Grabs 