is a 1980 vertically scrolling video game developed by Nihon Bussan and published by Nichibutsu for arcades. In North America, the game was also released by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, Toy, toys, arcade cabinets, and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, Vending machine, vending machines, and Juk ...

. Ports for the Arcadia 2001 and

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...

were published in 1982, followed by the

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

in 1986 and

X68000 The is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan. The initial model has a 10 Megahertz, MHz Motorola 68000 Central processing unit, CPU, 1 Megabytes, MB of Random Access Memory, ...

in 1993. With the goal of scaling a series of

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

s using two joysticks (one controlling the left side of the character's body, the other the right) ''Crazy Climber'' was the first in a "climbing games" genre which includes

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

's 1981 ''

Donkey Kong is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. It follows the adventures of Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla, and other members of the List of Don ...

''. The genre eventually became better known as platform games and is defined by jumping and traversal between platforms, neither of which are found in ''Crazy Climber''. ''Crazy Climber'' was the third highest-earning arcade game of 1980 in Japan while also being a commercial success in North America. A lesser-known sequel, ''Crazy Climber 2'', was released for arcades in 1988.

Gameplay

The player assumes the role of a climber attempting to reach the top of four

s. The climber is controlled via two joysticks.

Reception

In Japan, ''Crazy Climber'' was the third highest-grossing arcade game of 1980, just below ''

Pac-Man ''Pac-Man,'' originally called in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. The pla ...

'' and ''

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of alien ...

''. ''Crazy Climber'' was also Japan's eighth highest-grossing arcade game of 1981. In North America, ''Crazy Climber'' was among the top ten highest-earning arcade games in the summer of 1982.

Legacy

* In 1981,

Bandai is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...

Electronics manufactured a hand-held VFD version of the game. * A 3D Board Game was released by Bandai in 1981, exclusively in Japan. * A 1985 sequel titled ''Crazy Climber '85'' was produced, but it was put into storage by Nichibutsu in favor of '' Terra Cresta''. This unreleased sequel was eventually included in on the PlayStation version of ''Nichibutsu Arcade Classics''. * A Japanese-only sequel, '' Crazy Climber 2'', was produced in 1988. The game was essentially identical to ''Crazy Climber'' in gameplay but featured more sophisticated graphics and a few new features. * On February 3, 1996, ''Hyper Crazy Climber'' was released only in Japan for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

. It has similar gameplay to that of the original game but also a few differences. Players can choose between three cartooney characters, each with their own strength/speed attributes. Several buildings can be selected from a ''Bomberman''-style map screen, including an underwater building, a medieval clock tower, a haunted skyscraper, and a beanstalk. Power-ups are also used. It was also released for Windows on November 30 the same year. * On March 2, 2000, ''Crazy Climber 2000'' was released for the

. This is more of a remake of the original arcade game using 3D graphics for the first time. A notable feature is the ability to turn corners and access different sides of the buildings, which now have a variety of designs (including one with a cylindrical, tower-like shape). The game included the original port of the arcade ''Crazy Climber'' and a scan of the instruction panel. Like ''Hyper Crazy Climber'' which released for the same console 4 years earlier, ''Crazy Climber 2000'' was released only in Japan. * Japanese publisher Hamster Corporation released the arcade version of ''Crazy Climber'' under their '' Oretachi Gēsen Zoku Sono (オレたちゲーセン族)'' classic game line for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

on July 21, 2005. * ''Crazy Climber Wii'' was released for the Wii in Japan on December 20, 2007. * The arcade game was released on the

Virtual Console The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of handheld systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on pa ...

in Japan on February 23, 2010. * The game was released for the

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

by Hamster Corporation as the first installment of their

Arcade Archives is a series of emulated arcade games from the late 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s developed and published by Hamster Corporation. A sub-series called focuses on re-releasing Neo Geo titles in their original arcade format, unlike many s ...

series. It was also released for the

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

in February 2018.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{atarimania, id=11572
''Crazy Climber''
at