Game:

Pac-Man (1980)

Duration: 11:48

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"Pettan Pyuu" (known Internationally as "Banbam" or "BanBam") is an obscure, nifty little Arcade game that was originally released by Sun Electronics Corporation (Which would eventually go by Sunsoft) in 1984 and eventually (after MANY years) be ported to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 as part of the "Arcade Archives" series (most of which are handled by "HAMSTER Corporation") in 2020. The NS/PS4 version of the game only goes under the original title of Pettan Pyuu and costs 8$, which is pretty high for such an old game but worthwhile if you're into these kinds of things as the only other way to experience it is through an Arcade cabinet (VERY RARE) or MAME. It is featured on the Japanese music and DVD collection, "Legend of Game Music 2: Platinum Box", along with many other games (both obscure and iconic).

If you asked me if I ever wanted an Arcade game about a dapper tophat-wearing robot (Pettan) who flips tiles and crushes aliens while capturing the fancy of a beautiful female robo (Pettanko) in various locations, my weird self would say "HECK YEAH", so I'm glad this is a thing that exists. While the game borrows basic themes from other Arcade games of the early 80s with its maze-chase design and whimsical characters, it is nevertheless quite sophisticated for a game from 1984 with a simple one-button operation but challenging premise. Mr. Tophat will flip any tiles he passes but his main means of attack lies with standing panels which have various properties and can be pushed over or flipped several spaces. You have to be careful in confined areas as these flipped panels can crush you if you aren't careful, but they have other uses too -- if you need to make a great escape, you can stand on one in a pinch and fling yourself several spaces away (be careful to not fling yourself overboard) and they can even be used as a tractor beam to hold things in place (enemies defeated in this manner net more points, but you can even grab your girlfriend, so be careful).

There is one other means of attacking, but this will only temporarily ward them off; you can flip gray tiles with good timing and defeat them in this way as well for more points (they will travel to the nearest edge and respawn). You get a bonus if you have Pettanko with you as well as when you clear a stage (getting points for any panels that aren't flipped). The game also features challenge stages and a travelling flame that negates panels and goes straight for your jugular if you take too long on a stage. The game sports nice graphics and catchy tunes for its time and is also two players (with player two taking the role of the leading lady) with several rounds and is worth a play if you want to experience some of the earlier gems in Sunsoft's catalog. This is a video of the game in action going for the high score and showing various attract modes. Enjoy.

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