''Circus Caper'', known as in Japan, is the title of a side-scrolling

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

where the player controls a young boy on a quest to save his sister who has been kidnapped by the circus. The game was released in 1989 by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the produc ...

and received poor reviews.

Plot

In Circus Caper, a boy named Tim takes his sister Judy to a circus show. However, the two siblings can't afford to enter. A clown offers the children tickets if they beat him in a dice game. After beating him, the clown says there is only one ticket left, so Tim lets his sister go in. After the show, Tim goes to pick up his sister, and is greeted by Mr. Magic, who has kidnapped her. Tim then enters the circus to try and rescue his sister. At the end of the game, Judy reveals to Tim that she was going to be used as a knife-throwing target, and the two go home. In the Japanese version, based on the anime Moeru! Oniisan, Yukie has been kidnapped by Dra Gon, a dragon. It is up to Kenichi and his friends Hidou, Rocky, and Shiranui to save her. Many characters from the anime appear in the show, including Duck Nicholson, as well as the Narrator talking in the cutscenes. At the end of the game, it is revealed Dra Gon was actually Duck Nicholson in disguise.

Gameplay

The single-player, side-scrolling action game takes the player through various levels, each with a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and uni ...

theme, fighting various enemies and bosses until he finally defeats the ringmaster and saves his sister. The player starts out in the game with little life, and few

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, ...

s, but he can collect various icons to increase how many direct hits that he can withstand,

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

s to open doors, along with various circus items to shoot as projectiles. Many of the levels can be avoided altogether by just walking backwards and back through the curtain from where the player begins. This will take him right to that level's boss battle. Bonus levels include guiding a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...

to jump over flames, avoiding

boulders In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

in a car, using

Rodan is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film '' Rodan'', produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous en ...

as target practice and meeting

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produ ...

at the circus grounds.

Release

The Japanese version's title screen features the theme song from the anime, Dreamy Dreamer by Yuko Ishikawa, played in the key of B, rather than the key of D. The USA version has a number of changes from the Japanese versions. Mainly minigame and

RPG RPG may refer to: Military * Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon **''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade laun ...

elements were removed, the stages were modified and the setting was changed to a circus. The Japanese version also features several credits screens at the end which were removed from the USA version. The soundtracks also differentiate (for the most part). In the Japanese version, instead of weapons, your character shouted quote bubbles and the stages are in a different order.

References

{{Godzilla video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Platform games 1989 video games Video games developed in Japan Toho Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Single-player video games Godzilla games