is a

platform video 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 ...

released by

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...

for the

Family Computer 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 U ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

only in 1989. It is a sequel to the 1983

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 game of skill, games of skill and in ...

Mappy is a 1983 platform video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It runs on Namco's '' Super Pac-Man'' hardware modified to support horizontal scrolling. The name "Mappy" is likely derived from , a slightly pejorative Japanese sl ...

and the fourth game in the Mappy series''

Plot

The player controls the son of Mappy named Happy who wants to marry Picky. However, she will not marry him unless he has a house, which Happy doesn't have. Mappy encourages him to travel through Mappyland and collect money and valuables so he can build his house. At the end of each level, there is a

slot machine A slot machine, fruit machine (British English), poker machine or pokie (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. A slot machine's standard layout features a screen disp ...

. Pulling the lever to the slot machine may allow the player to earn extra lives, items, gain or lose money. To receive it, the player must win a

mini game A minigame (also spelled mini game and mini-game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short game often contained within another video game. A minigame contains different gameplay elements and is often smaller or more simplistic than t ...

first. After the mini-games, players access a shop, where they can buy various things with the money that they find during the game.

Gameplay

The game is a 2D

platformer 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 ...

, where the player must reach the end of the levels while avoiding various obstacles and enemies. The character is controlled with two buttons: a jump button and an attack button. While in mid-air, repeatedly pressing the jump button will make the character briefly hover and slow its descent. The attack button (a short-ranged kick) can be used to defeat enemies, open treasure chests, or remove breakable blocks. The player can find various collectibles inside the levels. Most of them are treasures (either 100-Yen coins found on the overworld or more valuable items found inside some chests) which increase the players wealth and can be spent in a shop at the end of each level on various furnitures to embellish the character's home. The other chest items are power-ups which can either give the player a temporary speed boost, temporary invincibility, an extra life, or retrieve some health. The player possesses a health bar and a set amount of lives. If the character is hit, it will lose a hit point, be sent rolling backward a sizable amount and will lose a bag of money (that can be retrieved). When the character's health reaches 0, the player loses a life and is sent back at the beginning of the level. When the player has no more lives, the game is over. The game also contains a competitive 2-player mode, where Happy and his twin brother Rappy have to compete to get the better house by taking more money than the other. The brothers also compete in the minigames like in the first player mode, where Rappy replaces the Meowkies. Whoever has the better house wins the heart of Picky

Legacy

''Mappy Kids'' was released on the ''Namco Museum Collection 1'' cartridge for the

Evercade The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by British company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. The Evercade was released on 22 May 2020, and ...

in 2020 and received an official English translation. It was one of the few games that were released through ''Mappy'' franchise.

References

External links

''Mappy Kids''
at

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* {{Platform-videogame-stub 1989 video games Mappy Multiplayer and single-player video games Namco games Nintendo Entertainment System games Video games about mice and rats Video games developed in Japan