is a 1982

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 and released by

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 ...

as an

arcade video game An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-oper ...

. It is based on the comic strip of the same name created by E. C. Segar and licensed from

King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is an American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product License, licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, columnist, newspape ...

. Some sources claim that

Ikegami Tsushinki () is a Japanese manufacturer of professional and broadcast television equipment, especially professional video cameras, both for electronic news gathering and studio use. The company was founded in 1946. History Ikegami introduced the first ...

did programming work on the game. As Popeye, the player must collect hearts thrown by Olive Oyl from the top of the screen while being chased by Brutus . Popeye can punch bottles thrown at him, but can only hurt Brutus after eating the one can of spinach present in each level. Unlike Nintendo's earlier ''Donkey Kong'' games, there is no jump button. There are three screens. The game was licensed by Atari, Inc. for exclusive release in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in an Atari-designed cabinet. Nintendo ported the game to 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 ...

, and

Parker Brothers Parker Brothers (known as Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. It remained family owne ...

published versions for other home systems. '' Popeye no Eigo Asobi'' is an English

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the of an educational institution. Teaching is closely related ...

spin-off released for the Famicom on November 22, 1983.

Gameplay

The object of the game is for Popeye the Sailor to collect a certain number of items dropped by

Olive Oyl Olive Oyl is a cartoon character created by E. C. Segar in 1919 for his comic strip ''Thimble Theatre''. The strip was later renamed ''Popeye'' after the sailor character that became the most popular member of the cast; however, Olive Oyl was a ...

, depending on the level—24 hearts, 16 musical notes, or 24 letters in the word "HELP"—while avoiding the Sea Hag,

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...

, and other dangers. The player can make Popeye walk back and forth and up and down stairs and ladders with a 4-way joystick. There is a punch button, but unlike similar games of the period, no jump button. Brutus chases Popeye and can jump down a level, reach down to the next lower level, and jump up to hit Popeye if he is directly above. Popeye can attack Brutus after eating the can of spinach found in each level. Spinach makes Popeye invincible for a short period, during which Brutus runs away and can be temporarily knocked out simply by running into him, and doubles the point value of items dropped by Olive until its effects wear off. Popeye punches to destroy harmful items such as bottles, vultures, and skulls. He loses a life when hit by Brutus or any flying object, or if he fails to collect a dropped item within a certain time after it reaches the bottom of the screen. On the first screen of each cycle, Popeye can hit a punching bag to knock a bucket off a hook; if it falls on Brutus's head, he becomes stunned for several seconds and the player earns a score bonus. Other licensed ''Popeye'' characters in the game are Olive Oyl, Swee'Pea, and Wimpy.

Development

''Popeye'' was designed by Genyo Takeda and

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, video game producer, producer and Creative director#Video games, game director at Nintendo, where he has served as one of its representative directors as an executive since 2002. Widely regarded as one o ...

. Previously, Nintendo had originally intended to make a video game based on the ''Popeye'' characters, but had trouble accurately depicting them, so the characters of

Mario Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...

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 ...

, and Pauline were developed as replacements for ''

'' (1981). After the success of ''Donkey Kong'', Nintendo revived plans for a ''Popeye'' game, partially as a replacement for their unreleased 1981 game '' Sky Skipper''.

Ports

ported the game to the

Atari 8-bit computers The Atari 8-bit computers, formally launched as the Atari Home Computer System, are a series of home computers introduced by Atari, Inc., in 1979 with the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The architecture is designed around the 8-bit MOS Technology 650 ...

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 ...

Atari 5200 The Atari 5200 SuperSystem or simply Atari 5200 is a home video game console introduced in 1982 by Atari, Inc. as a higher-end complement for the popular Atari Video Computer System. The VCS was renamed to Atari 2600 at the time of the 5200' ...

Intellivision The Intellivision (a portmanteau of intelligent television) is a home video game console released by Mattel Electronics in 1979. It distinguished itself from competitors with more realistic sports and strategic games. By 1981, Mattel Electronic ...

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

TI-99/4A The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments (TI) in 1979 and 1981, respectively. Based on TI's own TMS9900 microprocessor originally used in minicomputers, the TI-99/4 was the first 16-bit home computer. The assoc ...

, and

ColecoVision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer expe ...

. It is one of the few games ported to the

Magnavox Odyssey² The Magnavox Odyssey 2 (stylized as Magnavox Odyssey2), also known as Philips Odyssey 2, is a home video game console of the second generation that was released in 1978. It was sold in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil and Peru as ...

. On July 15, 1983, ''Popeye'' became one of the three launch games for the

, along with ''

'' and '' Donkey Kong Jr.''.

Reception

In the United States, ''Popeye'' topped the '' Play Meter'' arcade chart for street locations in April 1983. ''

Electronic Games ''Electronic Games'' was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz. History The h ...

'' wrote in 1983 that the arcade version of ''Popeye'' at first appeared to be "yet another variation of a theme that's become all too familiar since ''Donkey Kong'' ..But there are some nuances, not the least of which are the graphics and sound effects, that tend to allow the game the benefit of the doubt in execution. ..''Popeye'' does offer some interesting play that is more than complemented by the cosmetics." The ''Arcade Express'' newsletter scored it 7 out of 10 in January 1983, calling it "the closest thing to a videogame cartoon seen yet in an arcade", but also that "game play, unfortunately, doesn't come up to visual standards." Michael Pugliese writing for ''The Coin Slot'' described ''Popeye'' as "a visually stimulating and exciting game that will go well in any location ..it contains all the challenges and character appeal to make it a solid earner for a long time." ''

Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...

'' magazine gave the arcade game a generally favorable review. ''

Antic Alphanumeric Television Interface Controller (ANTIC) is an LSI ASIC dedicated to generating 2D computer graphics to be shown on a television screen or computer display. Under the direction of Jay Miner, the chip was designed in 1977–1978 b ...

'' wrote that the Atari 8-bit version "is a thoroughly entertaining challenge for gamers of all ages" and that its mechanics unique among climbing games gave it above-average replay value. ''Computer Games'' magazine gave the ColecoVision and home computer conversions an A rating, calling ''Popeye'' a "terrific cartoony climbing game, much better than ''Donkey Kong''".

Legacy

'' Popeye no Eigo Asobi'' is an English teaching spin-off for

, released on November 22, 1983. A board game based on the video game was released by

in 1983. In 2008, Namco Networks released an

enhanced remake A video game remake is a video game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game with updated graphics for newer hardware and gameplay for contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software sh ...

for mobile phones. The gameplay is largely the same, plus an enhanced mode with a bonus stage and an extra level that pays homage to the short ''A Dream Walking'' where Popeye must save Olive from sleepwalking. Tokens are earned to buy old comic strips. On November 4, 2021, ''Popeye'' was released for the PS4 and

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 ...

as a 3D

reimagining A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the arcade game. It was met with poor

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

scores. It was delisted in 2023. Ben Falls earned the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

score of 3,023,060 on December 20, 2011, according to the

Twin Galaxies Twin Galaxies is a social media platform and video game database. Twin Galaxies is the official supplier of video game records to ''Guinness World Records''. History In mid-1981, Walter Day, founder of Twin Galaxies, Inc., visited more than 1 ...

International Scoreboard.

Notes

References

External links

*
''Popeye''
a
NinDB
* {{Shigeru Miyamoto 1982 video games Arcade video games Atari 2600 games Atari 5200 games Atari 8-bit computer games Cancelled ZX Spectrum games ColecoVision games Commodore 64 games Game & Watch games Intellivision games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo games Nintendo arcade games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Research & Development 1 games Parker Brothers video games Platformers TI-99/4A games Video games based on Popeye Video games developed in Japan Video games designed by Shigeru Miyamoto Video games directed by Shigeru Miyamoto Magnavox Odyssey 2 games Multiplayer hotseat games