is a 1981 scrolling shooter

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

developed by Alpha Denshi under contract for Hoei Corporation. It was distributed in arcades by

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

in Japan and Europe, and by Rock-Ola in North America. The player controls a bouncing

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

-esque car (or "bug") in a forced scrolling world. The car can eliminate enemies by shooting them and collect money bags by landing on them. The world is divided into several separately themed areas which are seamlessly connected. ''Jump Bug'' was ported to the Arcadia 2001, Leisure Vision, and

PC-98 The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or simply , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit Personal computer, personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2003. While based on Intel processors, it uses an in-house architecture making it inc ...

home systems. ''Jump Bug'' is one of the earliest forced scrolling horizontal shooters, following in the wake of '' Scramble'' and '' Super Cobra'' from earlier in 1981. It is the first game in the nascent

genre to include horizontal and, in one segment, vertical scrolling. It uses a limited form of parallax scrolling, with the main scene scrolling while starry night sky is fixed and clouds move slowly, adding depth to the scenery. This was a year before '' Moon Patrol'' (1982), with its three moving layers.

Gameplay

The player controls a constantly bouncing car resembling a

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003. One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its pr ...

(which acquired the nickname "bug"). It drives through a city, mountains, a large pyramid, and a body of water with islands where the car is mostly underwater and moves more slowly . The height of the jump and speed of a fall are controlled with the joystick. The player can shoot various enemies that appea]. Points are gained by collecting treasure, killing enemies, and jumping on clouds. Each treasure collected adds to a meter; an extra life the first time it is filled. The game smoothly scrolls as the player's car moves to the right, but in the pyramid segment the game also scrolls vertically in a coarser manner. Here the player is able to move in any direction, including to the left, while looking for the exit.

Reception

In Japan, ''Jump Bug'' was tied with '' Scramble'' and '' Space Panic'' as the 14th highest-grossing 1981 game.

Notes

References

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External links

''Jump Bug''
at Arcade History 1981 video games ADK (company) games Arcade video games Banpresto games Multiplayer and single-player video games Multiplayer hotseat games NEC PC-9801 games Platformers Rock-Ola games Scrolling shooters Sega arcade games Video games developed in Japan