Hopping Mappy
Encyclopedia
Hopping Mappy is an arcade game
that was released by Namco
in 1986. It runs on Namco System 86
hardware and, as the name suggests, it is the sequel to Mappy
, released 3 years earlier. The game was ported to the Wii
Virtual Console
in Japan on June 2, 2009.
breaks. There are eight treasures the player must grab to complete a level, except on the bonus level where the player will just want to grab all the balloons he can. The main intrigue here is getting past a blockade of Meowkies. What is the best way to sneak by?
The player's controls are really simple: he can bounce in any of the four directions, the only places he can land are the centres of the checkerboard squares (making for very few locations overall), and he will move at the same speed as the cats. If the player pushes the accelerator button and runs around, he will go twice as fast. This is not always good - he can run into a bad guy, or it is tougher to turn.
Regarding turning, the player may want to do this in advance, just after he started jumping onto the square he wants to land on, if he is running away from Meowkies or trying to reach a square with a treasure first. It will ensure no time is lost. But if the player is trailing then obviously he will want to slow down.
There's another case where the player will want to slow down. Say he jumps in one direction and wants to pull back. He can, as long as his shadow is not touching an enemy's.
Meowkies: There may be over ten of these in any level. They will either have patrols up and down or left and right, no variants. Once they reach a side/edge they bounce the other way - they don't bounce off it.
Nyamco: Nyamco always starts four blocks right of you. He goes up to the top, left, down, left and then zags back right once he gets to the side. Occasionally he will fall over, and that allows the player to jump on him for 100 points. But he may want to do so from behind in case he wakes up. Nyamco bounces 15 squares before he tires out, and after eight Meowky bounces quits his huffing and puffing and starts bouncing again.
The player gets a multiplier that starts at 1 and increases when he either jumps on the box that appears for the second time, or he picks up two of the same treasure in a row (the box does not figure as an actual treasure, but picking it up gives the player an extra multiplier, actually.) The best multiplier is 6, and your total points can thus be 10 + 10 x 2 + 20 + 20 x 3 + 30 + 30 x 4 + 50 x 5 + 40 + 40 x 6 = 790. The last is switched because the player can't save the box for last. Compared to the bonus levels that guarantee 3,000+ points this is really nothing and often the player will do rather worse. So definitely do not worry about getting all the items in order, and do not go after a tricky looking multiplier unless it is a matter of pride.
If the player gets killed between the first and second treasure, the box still appears even with the multipliers reset. But if the box pops up and the player dies, it is gone for that level.
These start off pretty close to the player but get further away as he goes along - the point is to make the player work. If the player gets the box to appear, then it will dispense items that bounce and patrol just like Meowkies, and the player can even get a nice boost for jumping on the box twice. However, the items bounce around randomly, so don't expect to track one down easily. Many items have pitfalls, so be careful playing with them.
Here is a list of the items:
The player also gets 765 for all cats after that. This can get the player more points than the level proper if he is careful although the red heart wears off sooner on later levels. Of course it is potentially worth more there as there are more enemies. Note that if the player feels he can get 6 cats it will on the whole be a better pointwise effort than getting the red diamond - with the mitigating factor being that the enemy paths get messed up. The best bet then is to do this near the end of the level, with just one easy treasure to pick up. Also for the red heart, the player will want to concentrate on levels where Meowkies are bunched together. Especially if they move when their pattern is extra short.
In general if the player has the luxury, the hourglass or the red diamond is the best, followed by the red heart, which is especially good if he's close to completing the level anyway. Then he doesn't have to pay much attention to regenerating enemies. NOTE: items wear off sooner on later levels.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
that was released by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
in 1986. It runs on Namco System 86
Namco System 86
The Namco System 86 arcade system board was first used by Namco in 1986. It was succeeded by the more powerful Namco System 1 arcade board.-Namco System 86 Specifications:Processors:* Main CPU: Motorola 6809 @ 1.536 MHz...
hardware and, as the name suggests, it is the sequel to Mappy
Mappy
is a 1983 arcade game by Namco. In the United States, it was manufactured and distributed by Bally/Midway. Mappy is a side-scrolling platformer that features cartoon-like characters, primarily cats and mice. The game's main character itself is a mouse. Mappy runs on Namco Super Pac-Man hardware,...
, released 3 years earlier. The game was ported to the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in Japan on June 2, 2009.
Gameplay
In Hopping Mappy players control the Micro Police mouse, Mappy, as he bounces on a pogo stick to run circles around pink cats, called Meowkies, which patrol either vertically or horizontally. There's also Nyamco, a cat who patrols in a zigzag pattern, but he needs to take occasionalbreaks. There are eight treasures the player must grab to complete a level, except on the bonus level where the player will just want to grab all the balloons he can. The main intrigue here is getting past a blockade of Meowkies. What is the best way to sneak by?
The player's controls are really simple: he can bounce in any of the four directions, the only places he can land are the centres of the checkerboard squares (making for very few locations overall), and he will move at the same speed as the cats. If the player pushes the accelerator button and runs around, he will go twice as fast. This is not always good - he can run into a bad guy, or it is tougher to turn.
Regarding turning, the player may want to do this in advance, just after he started jumping onto the square he wants to land on, if he is running away from Meowkies or trying to reach a square with a treasure first. It will ensure no time is lost. But if the player is trailing then obviously he will want to slow down.
There's another case where the player will want to slow down. Say he jumps in one direction and wants to pull back. He can, as long as his shadow is not touching an enemy's.
Cast
Mappy: The protagonist of the game.Meowkies: There may be over ten of these in any level. They will either have patrols up and down or left and right, no variants. Once they reach a side/edge they bounce the other way - they don't bounce off it.
Nyamco: Nyamco always starts four blocks right of you. He goes up to the top, left, down, left and then zags back right once he gets to the side. Occasionally he will fall over, and that allows the player to jump on him for 100 points. But he may want to do so from behind in case he wakes up. Nyamco bounces 15 squares before he tires out, and after eight Meowky bounces quits his huffing and puffing and starts bouncing again.
Treasures
There are five different types of treasures.- Fox maskKitsuneis the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume...
: (Kitsune) 10 pts - Lucky Cat StatueManeki NekoThe is a common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The sculpture depicts a cat beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses...
: (Maneki Neko) 20 pts - Daruma: 30 pts
- Snowman: 40 pts
- Box: 0 1st, 50 2nd
The player gets a multiplier that starts at 1 and increases when he either jumps on the box that appears for the second time, or he picks up two of the same treasure in a row (the box does not figure as an actual treasure, but picking it up gives the player an extra multiplier, actually.) The best multiplier is 6, and your total points can thus be 10 + 10 x 2 + 20 + 20 x 3 + 30 + 30 x 4 + 50 x 5 + 40 + 40 x 6 = 790. The last is switched because the player can't save the box for last. Compared to the bonus levels that guarantee 3,000+ points this is really nothing and often the player will do rather worse. So definitely do not worry about getting all the items in order, and do not go after a tricky looking multiplier unless it is a matter of pride.
What's in the Box
Generally the player will want to get matching treasures to get the box to appear. Which happens as follows:- On level 4x+1 grab the fox masks (10 points each)
- On level 4x+2 grab the lucky cat statues (20 points each)
- On level 4x+1 grab the Daruma doll (30 points each)
If the player gets killed between the first and second treasure, the box still appears even with the multipliers reset. But if the box pops up and the player dies, it is gone for that level.
These start off pretty close to the player but get further away as he goes along - the point is to make the player work. If the player gets the box to appear, then it will dispense items that bounce and patrol just like Meowkies, and the player can even get a nice boost for jumping on the box twice. However, the items bounce around randomly, so don't expect to track one down easily. Many items have pitfalls, so be careful playing with them.
Here is a list of the items:
- Red diamond: hit the button with the number scrolling and the player gets a random 3-figure number added to his score. The player must be ready with a move as soon as he's caught the diamond, as the game pauses obnoxiously for a bit.
- Red heart: all enemies stay in a pattern, but they are vulnerable. This is best when the player knows he can clear the board pretty soon and there are lots of bad guys. Beware that knocking them off disrupts the initial formation as the Meowkies do disappear. This is good if they are all in a line, but the player may have to adjust otherwise. The Meowkies are in a straight line at the start, and their bounces are synchronized, so they are more predictable. Pack them off and the player may be in trouble - unless he is willing to sit on the square where they will wind up. The player gets the same points for Nyamco or a Meowky. Here is a list of the scores:
- 1st cat: 10, 10 total
- 2nd cat: 20, 30 total
- 3rd cat: 40, 70 total
- 4th cat: 80, 150 total
- 5th cat: 160, 310 total
- 6th cat: 320, 630 total
- 7th cat: 640, 1270 total
- 8th cat: 765, 2035 total
The player also gets 765 for all cats after that. This can get the player more points than the level proper if he is careful although the red heart wears off sooner on later levels. Of course it is potentially worth more there as there are more enemies. Note that if the player feels he can get 6 cats it will on the whole be a better pointwise effort than getting the red diamond - with the mitigating factor being that the enemy paths get messed up. The best bet then is to do this near the end of the level, with just one easy treasure to pick up. Also for the red heart, the player will want to concentrate on levels where Meowkies are bunched together. Especially if they move when their pattern is extra short.
- Yellow diamond: hit the button with the number scrolling and the player gets a random 2-figure number added to your score. But the player must try to avoid this if he can - it is only 1/10 as good as the red diamond.
- Yellow heart: Meowkies stay in a pattern, but they are vulnerable.
- Blue ball: Nothing(?)
- Purple ball: Nothing(?)
- Blue hourglass: freezes all enemies
- Pink hourglass: freezes all Meowkies
- M-A-P-P-Y: Appears in place of the standard items. If the player gets all letters, he will receive an extra life (only on level 3.) Other 4x+3 levels are less reliable.
In general if the player has the luxury, the hourglass or the red diamond is the best, followed by the red heart, which is especially good if he's close to completing the level anyway. Then he doesn't have to pay much attention to regenerating enemies. NOTE: items wear off sooner on later levels.