Mappy
Encyclopedia
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, modified to support horizontal scrolling. The name "Mappy" is likely derived from mappo, a Japanese slang term (slightly insulting) for a police
man.
through the mansion of the cat
s called Mewkies (Meowky in the U.S. version) to retrieve stolen goods. The player uses a left-right joystick to move Mappy and a single button to operate doors. The mansion has six floors of hallways in which the stolen items are stashed. The items are:
The items come in pairs; should Mappy get paired items one after another, the point values of the second matching item gets a multiplier. The more the player retrieves matching items without dying, the bigger the multiplier gets. Therefore, ideally a player will start with the lowest value item (100 + 100 × 2) and proceed to the highest value items (500 + 500 × 6) in order to get the highest value items with the biggest multiplier, for a total of 8500pts. The second item of a pair will blink if retrieving it will yield a multiplier.
Mappy and the cats move between the floors by bouncing on trampolines at various places in the house. Both Mappy and the cats can only land on a floor on the way up, but not on the way down. When they pass in the air, Mappy is unharmed by the cats, but should Mappy run into a cat anywhere else, he will lose a life.
The trampolines will break if Mappy bounces on them four times in a row. The trampolines change color depending on how many times Mappy has used them without a rest: green (zero bounces), blue (one bounce), yellow (two bounces), red (three bounces). A red trampoline will break if Mappy attempts it again. If a trampoline breaks and there is another trampoline below, Mappy will live. If there is either nothing or a floor under the broken trampoline, Mappy will lose a life. To reset a trampoline, Mappy must touch a floor. Bouncing on a trampoline is worth 10pts.
In addition to Meowkies, the boss cat Nyamco also roams around. The name "Nyamco", besides being a play on "Namco", comes from nyanko, the Japanese equivalent of "kitty cat". Nyamco was renamed "Goro" in the U.S. release. He is faster, but less aggressive than the Mewkies. Throughout the levels, Nyamco hides behind the different objects to recover. Should Mappy recover an item which Nyamco is hiding behind, the player gets a bonus of 1000 points for having caught Nyamco in the act. He only hides behind an object for three seconds, though. Nyamco is always a single cat in each level, but the Meowkies appear three to a group for the first set of levels before the first bonus stage, four to a group for the next set of levels in between bonus levels, five to a group for the next set of levels, and so on.
Many of the hallways have doors which Mappy can slam open or shut to temporarily knock out the Mewkies or Nyamco. Some of these are special "microwave doors" which release a wave which sweeps away any cat in its path off the edge of the screen and out of the house. The first two Mewkies are each worth 200 points, and each additional Mewky beyond the second is worth 400 points; Nyamco counts as a Mewky plus a multiplier of two. Any cat that is swept away reappears after a short while, jumping from the top center opening in the roof.
A level is completed when all the loot is retrieved. If Mappy tarries too long, a "Hurry" sign appears after which the music and the cats speed up, and more Mewkies are added (two will appear ready to drop as the Mewkies normally do immediately following the hurry message, and more Mewkies can arrive later on). If the player waits too long after this, the "Gosenzo" coin (a blue disk shape with Nyamco's face on it) will drop onto the top-middle platform and chase Mappy in a manner similar to the Mewkies, but more effectively. The "Gosenzo" coin can harm Mappy even if he is in the air.
The third level and every fourth level after that is a bonus round
. Mappy, unbothered by any cats, must bounce across a series of trampolines, popping fifteen different suspended red balloons, with a "Nyamco" along the way. A bonus is awarded if all the balloons are popped before the music ends, at which time the level will end as long as a player has not previously fallen through a trampoline onto nothing, which would abruptly end the bonus level. The Nyamco balloon will break any trampoline and will grab one balloon above him for Mappy. In addition to 10 points for each trampoline bounce, each red balloon is worth 200 points, the large blue Nyamco balloon is worth 2,000 points, and collecting all of the balloons is worth a bonus of an additional 5,000 points.
After every bonus round, a new feature is added to the gameplay. After the first bonus round (Level 3), the attics of the houses are available for Mappy to run inside (though there aren't anything in them). After the next bonus level (7), the following levels (eighth to tenth) have bells, which Mappy can hit so that it temporarily freezes any cats below, for 300 points each (1,000 points for stunning Nyamco). Starting from these stages, the "Hurry" sign will also appear earlier and earlier. After the third bonus round (11), small "rainbow floors" appear in some of the hallways. After Mappy runs on these mini-floors, they vanish, leaving a hole in the hallway. If the meowkies or Nyamco run over this newly formed hole, they fall down to the level below and are stunned, but if Mappy falls through, he'll die (because there is no trampoline below to catch him). In addition to these rainbow floors, dead-end hallways are also created. On both the left and right side of the houses, one hallway leads to a safe to retrieve, as well as the wall. If Mappy tries to get the safe but is cornered by a Meowkie, Mappy is assured certain death.
As there are 256 rounds, like in Pac-Man
and other 8-bit
arcade games, the last round's play is normal, but harder than usual. When the player finishes the round, which is also known as "round 0," the first round appears again.
(Japanese version of the NES
) and MSX
in 1984. This was followed by a video game console
-only sequel called Mappy-Land
in 1986 (released in the United States
by Taxan
). In 1998, it was released as part of Microsoft Revenge of Arcade for the PC
. Mappy also had several Japan
-only sequels, including Hopping Mappy
in 1986 for the arcades and Mappy Kids
for the Famicom in the late-1980s. There is also a version called Mappy Arrangement which was released in 1995 as part of Namco Classics Collection Volume 1
for the arcade. The Famicom version of the original Mappy was re-released in Japan
as part of the Famicom Mini Series in 2004. Mappy is included on the Ms. Pac-Man
collection manufactured by Jakks Pacific
. It is also featured in Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Collection, released on Xbox
, Nintendo GameCube
, PC
, and PlayStation 2
in 2005 (did not appear on the Game Boy Advance
version), and also appears on Namco Museum DS
. Mappy was also released as part of the Pac-Man's Arcade Party
arcade machine in 2010. Mappy is playable in the PlayStation Portable
version of Namco Museum Battle Collection
, and there is a Mappy game for the Palm OS
, by NI. Mappy was included as a Dot-S
set. It is also one of the first Arcade titles to have been released on the Virtual Console
.
1983 in video gaming
-Events:* A major shakeout of the video game industry begins. By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$3.2 billion to US$0.1 billion.* MCA Universal files suit against Nintendo, claiming that the latter company's video arcade hit Donkey Kong violated Universal's copyright on King Kong...
arcade game
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...
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it was manufactured and distributed by Bally/Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
. 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
Namco Super Pac-Man
The Namco 8-bit Super Pac-Man arcade system board was first used by Namco in 1982.-Namco Super Pac-Man specifications:*Main CPU : M6809*Sound CPU : M6809*Sound Chip : Namco custom 8 channel 4-bit WSG....
hardware, modified to support horizontal scrolling. The name "Mappy" is likely derived from mappo, a Japanese slang term (slightly insulting) for a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
man.
Gameplay
The player guides Mappy the police mouseMouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
through the mansion of the cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s called Mewkies (Meowky in the U.S. version) to retrieve stolen goods. The player uses a left-right joystick to move Mappy and a single button to operate doors. The mansion has six floors of hallways in which the stolen items are stashed. The items are:
- Radio (100 points)
- Television (200 points)
- Computer (300 points)
- Mona Lisa (400 points)
- Safe (500 points)
The items come in pairs; should Mappy get paired items one after another, the point values of the second matching item gets a multiplier. The more the player retrieves matching items without dying, the bigger the multiplier gets. Therefore, ideally a player will start with the lowest value item (100 + 100 × 2) and proceed to the highest value items (500 + 500 × 6) in order to get the highest value items with the biggest multiplier, for a total of 8500pts. The second item of a pair will blink if retrieving it will yield a multiplier.
Mappy and the cats move between the floors by bouncing on trampolines at various places in the house. Both Mappy and the cats can only land on a floor on the way up, but not on the way down. When they pass in the air, Mappy is unharmed by the cats, but should Mappy run into a cat anywhere else, he will lose a life.
The trampolines will break if Mappy bounces on them four times in a row. The trampolines change color depending on how many times Mappy has used them without a rest: green (zero bounces), blue (one bounce), yellow (two bounces), red (three bounces). A red trampoline will break if Mappy attempts it again. If a trampoline breaks and there is another trampoline below, Mappy will live. If there is either nothing or a floor under the broken trampoline, Mappy will lose a life. To reset a trampoline, Mappy must touch a floor. Bouncing on a trampoline is worth 10pts.
Many of the hallways have doors which Mappy can slam open or shut to temporarily knock out the Mewkies or Nyamco. Some of these are special "microwave doors" which release a wave which sweeps away any cat in its path off the edge of the screen and out of the house. The first two Mewkies are each worth 200 points, and each additional Mewky beyond the second is worth 400 points; Nyamco counts as a Mewky plus a multiplier of two. Any cat that is swept away reappears after a short while, jumping from the top center opening in the roof.
A level is completed when all the loot is retrieved. If Mappy tarries too long, a "Hurry" sign appears after which the music and the cats speed up, and more Mewkies are added (two will appear ready to drop as the Mewkies normally do immediately following the hurry message, and more Mewkies can arrive later on). If the player waits too long after this, the "Gosenzo" coin (a blue disk shape with Nyamco's face on it) will drop onto the top-middle platform and chase Mappy in a manner similar to the Mewkies, but more effectively. The "Gosenzo" coin can harm Mappy even if he is in the air.
The third level and every fourth level after that is a bonus round
Bonus stage
A bonus stage is a special level within a video game designed to reward the player or players, and typically allows the player to collect extra points or power-ups. Often a bonus stage will have no enemies or hazards, or may contain them but the player character is invulnerable to attack from them...
. Mappy, unbothered by any cats, must bounce across a series of trampolines, popping fifteen different suspended red balloons, with a "Nyamco" along the way. A bonus is awarded if all the balloons are popped before the music ends, at which time the level will end as long as a player has not previously fallen through a trampoline onto nothing, which would abruptly end the bonus level. The Nyamco balloon will break any trampoline and will grab one balloon above him for Mappy. In addition to 10 points for each trampoline bounce, each red balloon is worth 200 points, the large blue Nyamco balloon is worth 2,000 points, and collecting all of the balloons is worth a bonus of an additional 5,000 points.
After every bonus round, a new feature is added to the gameplay. After the first bonus round (Level 3), the attics of the houses are available for Mappy to run inside (though there aren't anything in them). After the next bonus level (7), the following levels (eighth to tenth) have bells, which Mappy can hit so that it temporarily freezes any cats below, for 300 points each (1,000 points for stunning Nyamco). Starting from these stages, the "Hurry" sign will also appear earlier and earlier. After the third bonus round (11), small "rainbow floors" appear in some of the hallways. After Mappy runs on these mini-floors, they vanish, leaving a hole in the hallway. If the meowkies or Nyamco run over this newly formed hole, they fall down to the level below and are stunned, but if Mappy falls through, he'll die (because there is no trampoline below to catch him). In addition to these rainbow floors, dead-end hallways are also created. On both the left and right side of the houses, one hallway leads to a safe to retrieve, as well as the wall. If Mappy tries to get the safe but is cornered by a Meowkie, Mappy is assured certain death.
As there are 256 rounds, like in Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
and other 8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
arcade games, the last round's play is normal, but harder than usual. When the player finishes the round, which is also known as "round 0," the first round appears again.
Ports and sequels
A Japan-only port of the game was released for the FamicomNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(Japanese version of the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
) and MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
in 1984. This was followed by a video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
-only sequel called Mappy-Land
Mappy-Land
is a video game console-only sequel to the 1983 Namco/Midway arcade game Mappy. The game was published and developed by Namco in Japan and Taxan in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System...
in 1986 (released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Taxan
Taxan
TAXAN is a subsidiary of Kaga Electronics, a Japanese electronics company. It was founded in July 1981, and in the late-1980s and early-1990s, the US division published several video games on the NES and Game Boy....
). In 1998, it was released as part of Microsoft Revenge of Arcade for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. Mappy also had several Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
-only sequels, including Hopping Mappy
Hopping Mappy
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...
in 1986 for the arcades and Mappy Kids
Mappy Kids
is a video game console-only sequel to the 1983 Namco/Midway arcade game Mappy.This game was released for the Famicom in Japan only....
for the Famicom in the late-1980s. There is also a version called Mappy Arrangement which was released in 1995 as part of Namco Classics Collection Volume 1
Namco Classics Collection Volume 1
Namco Classic Collection Volume 1 is a compilation arcade game that was released by Namco in 1995. It is a collection of three popular Namco arcade games - Galaga , Xevious and Mappy . In addition to the original games, there are "Arrangement" versions that are essentially sequels to the original...
for the arcade. The Famicom version of the original Mappy was re-released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as part of the Famicom Mini Series in 2004. Mappy is included on the Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man is an arcade video game produced by Midway as an unauthorized sequel to Pac-Man. It was released in North America in 1981 and became one of the most popular video games of all time, leading to its adoption by Pac-Man licensor Namco as an official title...
collection manufactured by Jakks Pacific
Jakks Pacific
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a range of products that feature numerous children's toy licenses...
. It is also featured in Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Collection, released on Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in 2005 (did not appear on the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
version), and also appears on Namco Museum DS
Namco Museum DS
Namco Museum DS is a classic arcade game compilation published by Namco Bandai Games. It features seven games: Xevious, Galaga, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Dig Dug II, The Tower of Druaga, and Mappy. Super Xevious and the old version of Dig Dug II are also included as secret games.There is also a remake of...
. Mappy was also released as part of the Pac-Man's Arcade Party
Pac-Man Anniversary Arcade Machines
On special anniversaries for Pac-Man and/or Ms. Pac-Man . Namco has released compilations of their classic arcade games as arcade machines....
arcade machine in 2010. Mappy is playable in the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
version of Namco Museum Battle Collection
Namco Museum Battle Collection
Namco Museum Battle Collection is a collection of Namco arcade games such as Dig Dug, Pac-Man and Galaga. It was released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on February 25, 2005 and contained eleven classic games from Namco's game history. The game was developed by Namco Tales Studio Ltd...
, and there is a Mappy game for the Palm OS
Palm OS
Palm OS is a mobile operating system initially developed by Palm, Inc., for personal digital assistants in 1996. Palm OS is designed for ease of use with a touchscreen-based graphical user interface. It is provided with a suite of basic applications for personal information management...
, by NI. Mappy was included as a Dot-S
Dot-S
Dot-S also known as Dot-Pin is a toy created by Japanese company Tomytec. The toys allow for the creation of pictures by placing colored pegs into holes in one or more boards. Many sets allow for the creation of various sprite characters from classic video games, with each peg representing one pixel...
set. It is also one of the first Arcade titles to have been released on the 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...
.
External links
- Mappy Maniac, cataloging all Japanese home conversions.
- Mappyland, a full webpage devoted to Mappy.