Ponpoko is a 1982 arcade platformer developed by Sigma Enterprises, released in Japan that November and brought to North America the following January as a Venture Line conversion kit. You play a hungry tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog) raiding a farmer’s fields, climbing ladders and hopping across platforms to gather every fruit and vegetable in each pattern before your hunger meter runs out. It plays like a cousin of Donkey Kong and Mario Bros., built around the same climb-and-collect platforming with an added starvation clock keeping the pressure on.
How to Play
Clear each screen by collecting every piece of food before the hunger timer expires or an enemy catches you. Colorful caterpillars crawl back and forth across the platforms, and mystery pots scattered around the level can release either a bonus item or a deadly snake when disturbed — falling from too great a height is also fatal. In your browser: use the arrow keys to move and climb ladders, Z to jump, Shift to insert a coin, and Enter to start. Up to two players can take turns.
Tips
- Watch the hunger meter, not just the enemies: starvation kills as surely as a caterpillar does, so keep moving toward uncollected food rather than stalling in a safe corner.
- Treat mystery pots with caution: only disturb one when you have room to retreat, since it can just as easily release a snake as a bonus.
- Use ladders to dodge, not just climb: ducking onto a ladder mid-pattern is often the fastest way to sidestep a caterpillar without losing ground.
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