This article is about the game published by Namco for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sharp X68000. For the game published by MicroProse for the Amiga, the Atari ST and the Acorn Archimedes, see Tower of Babel (1989 video game).

is a video game developed and published 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...

 on August 18, 1986 only 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 is a platformer

Platform game

A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...

/puzzle hybrid that was first released for the Family Computer

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...

. Later, 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....

 adapted the title for play in the arcade as part of their Nintendo Vs. Series

Nintendo Vs. Series

The Nintendo Vs. System is a coin-operated video game platform designed for two-player competitive play using the VS. UniSystem or VS. DualSystem, arcade system boards based on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Many of these stand-up or sit-down arcade machines had two screens and controls joined...

, calling it Vs. Tower of Babel. An enhanced version of it was later ported to the Sharp X68000

Sharp X68000

The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, is a home computer released only in Japan by the Sharp Corporation. The first model was released in 1987, with a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM and no hard drive; the last model was released in 1993 with a 25 MHz Motorola 68030...

. In 1997, the game was included on a compilation made for the Game Boy

Game Boy

The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...

 known as Namco Gallery Vol. 3

Namco Gallery

Namco Gallery is a Japan-only compilation game for Game Boy containing Game Boy versions of console and arcade games from Namco. It is split into three volumes, and they are all enhanced when played on a Super Game Boy.-Volume 1:*Battle City*Galaga...

. In 1998, the game was also included on a compilation made for the PlayStation

PlayStation

The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...

 known as Namco Anthology 1

Namco Anthology

Namco Anthology is a two disc series of game compilations for PlayStation that have only been released in Japan in 1998. They are similar to the Namco Museum series except that the Anthology collections include games that have been developed on consoles originally...

where, like all of the Famicom games presented on the disc, an enhanced arrange mode was provided alongside the unaltered original game.

Plot

In the beginning, an archaeologist and explorer known as , is in search of the fabled air garden of Babylon. After reading some lost scriptures, he determines that the only way to see them is to travel to the very top of the 64 story Tower of Babel. Upon reaching the Tower, he discovers that the only way to access the floors above him are to solve some challenging puzzles involving loose L-shaped blocks that he finds throughout the Tower. To his great surprise, the blocks are capable of balancing very well on top of one another, in order to form staircases.