Gee Bee is a classic arcade game from 1978 that blends block-breaking mechanics with pinball action. Originally developed by Namco as their very first in-house video game (designed by Toru Iwatani, who would later create Pac-Man), this version was published and distributed in North America by Gremlin Industries. Players control a set of paddles to bounce a ball around a playfield filled with bricks, pop bumpers, and other targets. Instead of spelling “NAMCO” to trigger bonuses like the original Japanese release, the Gremlin version features five “G” targets.
How to Play
The objective is to score points by deflecting the ball into bricks and bumpers without letting it drop past the bottom paddle. The arcade machine originally used a rotary knob, but here you can use the left and right arrow keys to move both the middle and bottom paddles simultaneously. Press Enter or Shift to insert a coin and start the game.
Tips
- Focus on the trajectory of the ball off the pop bumpers; they can unpredictably send the ball straight down between your paddles.
- Aim for the multiplier rollovers on the sides of the playfield to rapidly increase your score.
- Light up all five “G” symbols (replacing the “N-A-M-C-O” letters from the Japanese version) to earn a significant bonus.
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