Whomp 'Em
Encyclopedia
Whomp 'Em, known in Japan
as , is a platform game
released on the NES
in March of 1991.
Whomp 'Em is an action platformer, akin to many games at the time. It is notable for being one of the few video games to feature a Native American
as the protagonist
, though the Japanese version did not do so. After completing the first stage, the player can play the other six in any order. Each of the stages revolve around elements, such as fire and water. After each stage, the player gains a new weapon, much like in the original Mega Man series, which was extremely popular at the time.
Both Whomp 'Em and the prior Saiyuki World (which was an adaptation of Wonder Boy in Monster Land
) are based on the Journey to the West
novel.
The title, "Whomp 'Em" is a pun, based on wampum
, white beads used by Native American tribes primarily for trading.
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 , is a platform game
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...
released on 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...
in March of 1991.
Whomp 'Em is an action platformer, akin to many games at the time. It is notable for being one of the few video games to feature a Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
as the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, though the Japanese version did not do so. After completing the first stage, the player can play the other six in any order. Each of the stages revolve around elements, such as fire and water. After each stage, the player gains a new weapon, much like in the original Mega Man series, which was extremely popular at the time.
Both Whomp 'Em and the prior Saiyuki World (which was an adaptation of Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Wonder Boy in Monster Land is an action role-playing platform video game developed by Westone. It was released by Sega for the arcades in 1987 and for the Sega Master System in 1988; Activision released the game for the Amiga, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Atari ST...
) are based on the Journey to the West
Journey to the West
Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...
novel.
The title, "Whomp 'Em" is a pun, based on wampum
Wampum
Wampum are traditional, sacred shell beads of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of the indigenous people of North America. Wampum include the white shell beads fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell; and the white and purple beads made from the quahog, or Western North Atlantic...
, white beads used by Native American tribes primarily for trading.