Nuts & Milk
Encyclopedia
is a platform-style puzzle game developed and published by Japan
ese software developer Hudson Soft
in 1983. The game was released initially on the FM-7
, MSX
, NEC PC-8801
, NEC PC-6001
, and later to the Nintendo
Famicom
in Japan
. It was the first third party video game to be released on a Nintendo
console.
for several home computers in Japan, Nuts & Milk became the company's first Famicom
video game. The game itself borrows elements from Lode Runner
, an earlier Hudson project, and other arcade
-styled platformers such as Donkey Kong
, and even emulates the title screen of Nintendo
's early 80s releases. While the game retains stylistic similarities to other games published at the time, it is unique in being an arcade-styled game that was never released on an actual arcade system.
Two unique versions of the game were created: one for the Famicom, and one for the home computers.
Nuts & Milk was released for the home computers and Nintendo's Famicom at roughly the same time, and although both versions are very similar to each other in overall goal, there are a few differences in presentation. The Famicom version is played from a sideways angle typical of 2D
sidescrollers with the player walking and jumping from one area to another horizontally. Conversely, the computer version is presented in a top-down fashion with all platforming elements removed, with the player instead moving in four directions. This version also and contains a slight degradation in both sound and graphics
, due to the comparatively less powerful hardware
of personal computers at the time. Additionally, while the Famicom version makes use of the standard Famicom 2-button controller, the computer releases instead rely on a keyboard
.
era. The service was later extended to other parts of the world in January 2004 by TF1 i-games.
An unauthorized version of Nuts & Milk was released in several parts of the world in late 2004 by NRTRADE for their Power Player Super Joy III
game system, which contained clones
of several NES & Famicom-era video games and emulated NES hardware. This version had its title screen removed to save space on the device, and was mis-labeled as "Milk & Nuts".
On December 22, 2005, Hudson released Nuts & Milk along with other classic puzzle games for the Game Boy Advance
in Hudson Collection Vol. 4: Nazotoki Collection exclusively in Japan.
scattered throughout each one. By gathering all the fruit on a particular screen, the player will gain access to a previously unopened house door containing Milk's fiancée. When the player makes contact with the female blob, they are advanced to the next level to start the process anew. Movement through these levels is accomplished by using the directional pad or keyboard to move Milk across the stage while avoiding pitfalls and other obstacles, most notably the character's rival, Nuts. If contact is made at any time during game play with Nuts or other harmful objects such as miniature blimp
s, the player will lose a life and have to repeat the current level, with all fruit reset back to their initial positions. Once all three of Milk's lives are lost in this fashion, the game ends.
In the Famicom version, Milk can jump a short distance vertically or horizontally, allowing him transverse pits or quickly gain access to an adjacent platform. If the player falls from too great a distance, Milk will become momentarily dazed and unable to move until the player joggles him awake with the jump button. Rope bridges are suspended in mid-air on most levels, and by using the directional pad, the player can climb them up or down as well as walk across them once they reach the top. In all, 50 individual levels exist on the Famicom version, and each one can skipped freely by pressing the select button. Once a player has cycled through all fifty, who will return to the first level and restart the sequence until all of Milk's lives are lost.
The Famicom version also contains a level editor mode where the player can freely edit the first stage of the game by placing objects or enemies on the screen for Milk to interact with. This stage then takes the place of the first level in normal game play until the console is reset.
world, Nuts & Milk follows the story of a pink male blob Milk who must find his fiancée, a similar pink blob with a red hair bow, and rescue her from Nuts, a teal blob who also vies for her affection. The journey will take Milk through several levels where the process of finding and saving his love will repeat itself several times as Nuts mounts an ever-present resistance against his quest for romance.
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...
ese software developer Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
in 1983. The game was released initially on the FM-7
FM-7
FM-7 is a home computer released in 1982 in Japan.The Fujitsu FM-7 was Fujitsu's first entry into the Japanese home computer market, and for their debut computer, they chose to come out with a 6809-based personal computer very similar to Radio Shack's Color Computer.-Hardware:*Two MC 68B09 CPUs @...
, 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...
, NEC PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
, NEC PC-6001
NEC PC-6001
The NEC PC-6001 was the first of the NEC Corporation personal computer line. There were several versions of the PC-6001, including the PC-6001 MK2, the PC-6001 MK2 SR, and the PC-6801. There was also an American version, called the NEC TREK, or NEC PC-6001A...
, and later to the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Famicom
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...
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...
. It was the first third party video game to be released on a Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
console.
Creation
Originally developed by Japanese software company Hudson SoftHudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
for several home computers in Japan, Nuts & Milk became the company's first Famicom
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...
video game. The game itself borrows elements from Lode Runner
Lode Runner
Lode Runner is a 1983 platform game, first published by Brøderbund. It is one of the first games to include a level editor, a feature that allows players to create their own levels for the game. This feature bolstered the game's popularity, as magazines such as Computer Gaming World held contests...
, an earlier Hudson project, and other arcade
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...
-styled platformers such as Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong (video game)
is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...
, and even emulates the title screen of Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's early 80s releases. While the game retains stylistic similarities to other games published at the time, it is unique in being an arcade-styled game that was never released on an actual arcade system.
Two unique versions of the game were created: one for the Famicom, and one for the home computers.
Version differences
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
sidescrollers with the player walking and jumping from one area to another horizontally. Conversely, the computer version is presented in a top-down fashion with all platforming elements removed, with the player instead moving in four directions. This version also and contains a slight degradation in both sound and graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
, due to the comparatively less powerful hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
of personal computers at the time. Additionally, while the Famicom version makes use of the standard Famicom 2-button controller, the computer releases instead rely on a keyboard
Computer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
.
Ports
A version of Nuts & Milk resembling the Famicom release has since been ported to mobile phones as a download service beginning September 1, 2003 in Japan by KG Telecom as part of their "GameMaster" compilation, which contains other Hudson Soft games from the 8-bit8-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...
era. The service was later extended to other parts of the world in January 2004 by TF1 i-games.
An unauthorized version of Nuts & Milk was released in several parts of the world in late 2004 by NRTRADE for their Power Player Super Joy III
Power Player Super Joy III
The Power Player Super Joy III consoles are a line of unauthorized handheld Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom clones manufactured by NRTRADE that are sold in North America, Brazil, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The system resembles a Nintendo 64 controller and attaches to a TV set...
game system, which contained clones
Nintendo Entertainment System hardware clone
Owing to the popularity and longevity of the Nintendo Entertainment System , the system has become one of the world's most cloned video game consoles...
of several NES & Famicom-era video games and emulated NES hardware. This version had its title screen removed to save space on the device, and was mis-labeled as "Milk & Nuts".
On December 22, 2005, Hudson released Nuts & Milk along with other classic puzzle games for 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...
in Hudson Collection Vol. 4: Nazotoki Collection exclusively in Japan.
Gameplay
Both versions of Nuts & Milk involve the player moving through various levels while collecting an assortment of fruitFruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
scattered throughout each one. By gathering all the fruit on a particular screen, the player will gain access to a previously unopened house door containing Milk's fiancée. When the player makes contact with the female blob, they are advanced to the next level to start the process anew. Movement through these levels is accomplished by using the directional pad or keyboard to move Milk across the stage while avoiding pitfalls and other obstacles, most notably the character's rival, Nuts. If contact is made at any time during game play with Nuts or other harmful objects such as miniature blimp
Blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
s, the player will lose a life and have to repeat the current level, with all fruit reset back to their initial positions. Once all three of Milk's lives are lost in this fashion, the game ends.
In the Famicom version, Milk can jump a short distance vertically or horizontally, allowing him transverse pits or quickly gain access to an adjacent platform. If the player falls from too great a distance, Milk will become momentarily dazed and unable to move until the player joggles him awake with the jump button. Rope bridges are suspended in mid-air on most levels, and by using the directional pad, the player can climb them up or down as well as walk across them once they reach the top. In all, 50 individual levels exist on the Famicom version, and each one can skipped freely by pressing the select button. Once a player has cycled through all fifty, who will return to the first level and restart the sequence until all of Milk's lives are lost.
The Famicom version also contains a level editor mode where the player can freely edit the first stage of the game by placing objects or enemies on the screen for Milk to interact with. This stage then takes the place of the first level in normal game play until the console is reset.
Story
Set in a fantasyFantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
world, Nuts & Milk follows the story of a pink male blob Milk who must find his fiancée, a similar pink blob with a red hair bow, and rescue her from Nuts, a teal blob who also vies for her affection. The journey will take Milk through several levels where the process of finding and saving his love will repeat itself several times as Nuts mounts an ever-present resistance against his quest for romance.