is an platform

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

developed and released by Taito in 1984. In the game, the player controls a small yellow creature, Chack'n, with the objective being to retrieve hearts from a cave, all while avoiding the enemies contained within them. Chack'n also has the ability to deploy bombs, which can kill said enemies, which can bring bonuses depending on if the all or none of the enemies have been killed. It is considered to be a spiritual predecessor of '' Bubble Bobble'' due to the shared characters and similar game structure. Home ports were released for the SG-1000,

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice-p ...

, Family Computer, Sharp X1,

NEC PC-6001 The NEC PC-6000 series is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced in November 1981 by NEC Home Electronics. There are several models in this series, such as the PC-6001, the PC-6001 MK2 and the PC-6001 MK2 SR. There is also an American versio ...

and

NEC PC-8801 The , commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan. The PC-8800 series sold extremely well and became one of the three major Japane ...

. The arcade version would later be included via emulation in '' Taito Legends Power-Up'', '' Taito Memories Pocket'', '' Taito Memories Gekan'', and ''

Taito Legends 2 ''Taito Legends 2'' is the sequel to ''Taito Legends'' and is a follow-up collection of 39 (or 43, see below) Taito arcade games for Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows. As the former collection, it has been derived from the Japan exclu ...

''. The Family Computer version would later be re-released on the Nintendo Wii and

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

via Virtual Console.

Gameplay

''Chack'n Pop'' is a platform arcade game. The player controls Chack'n, a small yellow creature with extendable legs, through a series of single-screen mazes. He is capable of walking on floors or ceilings but not walls. He can climb steps and traverse high walls by extending his legs until he is tall enough to pass onto the next step. He is also capable of throwing hand grenades to his left or right which, after a short period, explode into a cloud of smoke. Separate fire buttons control rolling to the left or right. Chack'n is killed if caught by the explosion cloud. He is delayed in this process by a series of solid walls. In order to get past the walls, he must free hearts from cages using his hand grenades. A further obstruction comes in the form of Monstas hatching from eggs. All or none of the Monstas in a level can be destroyed for a bonus at the end of the level. Each screen is played against a time limit, marked by a Mighta pushing a boulder along the top of the screen. The Monstas and Mightas would later appear as common enemies in ''Bubble Bobble''.

Release

''Chack'n Pop'' was released by Taito around April 1984 in Japan, despite the copyright notice of the game saying 1983.

Ports

Taito ported the game to the MSX, Family Computer, Sharp X1, NEC PC-6001 and NEC PC-8801.

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

developed and published a version of the game for the SG-1000. An emulated arcade version is included in '' Taito Legends Power-Up'', '' Taito Memories Pocket'', '' Taito Memories Gekan'', and ''

''. The Family Computer version was re-released on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo 3DS via the Virtual Console service. The Family Computer version is included on the MyArcade ''Don Doko Don Pocket Player'' unit, along with the Family Computer version of ''

Don Doko Don is a platform arcade game developed and released by Taito in 1989. In the game, the player(s) control two lumberjacks, Bob and Jim, with the objective being to clear the screen of all the enemies. Bob and Jim use their mallets to stun the enemies ...

'', as well as ''

Don Doko Don 2 ''Don Doko Don 2'' (ドンドコドン2) is a side-scrolling 2D platform game, developed by Natsume and published by Taito, which was only released in Japan in 1992. It is the sequel to the arcade game '' Don Doko Don''. The game was released a ...

''.

Reception

Retrospective views on ''Chack'n Pop'' have been mostly negative. A mini review of the game on a retrospective of '' The NewZealand Story'' found in an issue of '' Retro Gamer'' claimed the game "wasn't a great platformer" due to how complex it is. ''

PC Zone ''PC Zone'', founded in 1993, was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as ''PC Leisure'', ''PC Format'' and ''PC Plus'' had covered games but ...

'' said the game "isn't much fun", despite the ideas it presented for the time, and the fact that it was ''Bubble Bobble'''s predecessor. Rhody Tobin of ''HonestGamers'' slammed the Family Computer version of the game for its controls, gameplay, and presentation, and while admitting that the game is "vaguely interesting", ended that it is "best forgotten". A more positive review of the game came from Alex Kidman of '' Kotaku Australia'', where he briefly reviewed the Family Computer version of the game, and while he recommended it for fans of ''Bubble Bobble'', he noted that it is a very different game compared to ''Bubble Bobble''.

Legacy

''Chack'n Pop'' is often considered to be one of the spiritual predecessors to ''Bubble Bobble'', mostly due to the similar gameplay structure and shared characters. Chack'n and other characters from ''Chack'n Pop'' has appeared in various other Taito games as cameos, such as ''

Ben Bero Beh is a platform arcade game released by Taito in 1984. The player guides Dami-chan, a superhero, through an apartment complex which is on fire. Armed with a fire extinguisher, Dami-chan must make his way down the levels avoiding gas explosions, cru ...

'', ''Bubble Bobble'', ''

Bubble Memories is a video game by Taito released to arcades in February 1996. It is the sequel to ''Bubble Symphony'' and is the fifth ''Bubble Bobble'' game (although it is listed as being the third). Unlike ''Bubble Symphony'', this game stars only two dragon ...

'', and ''NY Captor''.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Bubble Bobble series 1984 video games Arcade video games Bubble Bobble FM-7 games MSX games NEC PC-6001 games NEC PC-8801 games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Switch games Platform games PlayStation 4 games SG-1000 games Sharp MZ games Sharp X1 games Taito arcade games Virtual Console games Video games developed in Japan Hamster Corporation games