is a

puzzle video game Puzzle video games make up a broad genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles can test problem-solving skills, including logic, pattern recognition, Sequence, sequence solving, Spatial ability, spatial recognition, ...

developed and published by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

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 ...

in March 1990, and a spin-off of the ''

Gradius is a series of shooter ( shoot'em up) video games, introduced in 1985, developed and published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper. ...

'' video game series. The game derives its themes from

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

; the player controls a sentient

moai Moai or moʻai ( ; ; ) are monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in eastern Polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but h ...

statue (which is an enemy in the ''Gradius'' series) that must rescue other moai and escape each stage via a door before the timer expires. Although platforming elements are present, the primary challenge is to find a way to manipulate the objects in each stage to reach the distressed moai and rescue them while still leaving an avenue of escape to the exit door.

Gameplay

Each stage is a single screen with a variety of platforms, enemies, and obstacles. The protagonist moai has limited jumping abilities, but may also smash certain blocks and enemies using a head-butt, or drop bombs found in certain stages to destroy blocks below him. Although some stages will test the player's platforming abilities by requiring careful jumps, most will instead require careful planning of each move via moving or destroying blocks, and not only its immediate consequences but the long-term effects as well. For example, a block pushed against another object can no longer be moved, which may ultimately prevent the final solution of the puzzle. Typically each stage has only a single solution (or several very similar solutions), and an incorrect move risks making the stage impossible to solve from that point forward. The player may reset the stage by pressing select at any time, though doing so costs the player one life. Successfully completing a stage awards the player one

extra life An extra life is a video game item that gives the player another life. Extra Life may also refer to: * Extra Life (fundraiser), a fundraising event * Extra Life (band), an experimental band from Brooklyn * '' Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter' ...

. In addition to voluntarily resetting the stage, the player may lose a life by touching an enemy, falling into a pit, landing on hazards, being crushed by falling objects, or running out of time. The game features 56 unique stages, and allows the player to continue the game via use of a

password A password, sometimes called a passcode, is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of password-protected services t ...

. The graphics and themes are largely derived from Easter Island imagery, with many backgrounds taking cues from island landscapes and objects and enemies frequently resembling primitive stones or statues. Fantasy elements are present, with many stages taking place in the clouds and enemies using magic.

Release and reception

''Moai-kun'' was released in March 1990 in Japan for the Family Computer system. Although it never received a North American or

PAL Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a color encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields (25 ...

release, virtually all of the game's text is in English, with only the title screen graphic in Japanese. It received generally favorable reviews on release, with reviewers praising the brain-teaser variant on platforming.

References

{{Gradius series 1990 video games Japan-exclusive video games Moai Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Puzzle video games Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan