Over the last few months, one thing I’ve enjoyed is trying out titles again that I didn’t give too much attention to when I was younger. Some good examples include early Namco titles that were released on the Nintendo Famicom. After playing Pac-Man (Review) and Xevious (Review), I now come to another old school Platformer that was released in 1984, Mappy. The original version of the game was released in the arcades in 1983.

Premise and Gameplay

In Mappy, you play as the title character, who is a police mouse seeking to retrieve stolen treasures from a group of thieving cats. They’re led by Goro, who’s a big cat that chases you around the level along with some other kittens. As indicated by the game’s background, you are running through a large mansion that is made up of five floors. Once you grab a treasure, you earn points that increase your score. After collecting all 10 items in the building, you go on to the next. As is typical of games from this era, the main goals are to increase your score and go on to the next stage. Although most would assume this, I’ll also add that Mappy doesn’t have any continues or passwords.

As you play, you move between floors by landing on a trampoline and using it to bounce high in the air. While doing so, you can then move to the left or right to get to a higher floor. However, you cannot hop to another floor while falling down; only when going up. Beyond this unusual means of traversal, trampolines also aid you in one other major way: cats can’t hurt you when you are in the air. Although, this technique cannot be abused for too long; bouncing on a trampoline repeatedly without landing on a floor will cause it to break. The risk of this happening is indicated by the changing color of the trampoline as you jump on it.

A key point about this mechanic is that even though Mappy features a horizontally-scrolling playfield, it feels more like a single-screen Platformer with significant verticality to it. Perhaps this isn’t surprising since the game was originally designed to run on a modified Super Pac-Man arcade board that supported horizontal scrolling (Wikipedia).

In addition to the trampolines, another aspect that is important is that Mappy cannot jump! As such, if two cats are chasing you from both directions on a floor, there’s nothing you can do to survive unless there’s a door nearby. Admittedly, this lack of a jumping ability can be frustrating. Nevertheless, if you learn how to manipulate the AI, and jump from the floor to a trampoline at the appropriate time, then you can run circles around the cats effectively. It just takes a good deal of practice.

Graphics

Considering the game’s initial difficulty, I really liked how cute everyone was in it! I point this out because when Mappy is touched by a cat on the ground, he spins around, stops with his head upside down, and then shakes. It reminds me of the animation for when Donkey Kong Jr. (Review) loses a life as well. Another commonly seen animation is when Mappy flaps his arms rapidly. He does this when he goes up or down the screen after hitting a trampoline. The fact that the game is adorable helped me to keep playing it after I was quickly defeated the first few times I tried it.

Technically, the title isn’t impressive visually. It’s nice that the scrolling is smooth and the sprites don’t have a lot of flicker, though. The biggest stand out for the graphics is just how charming everything is. Even the way that Mappy moves his feet fast as he walks is funny! It’s a great looking early game for kids or fans of cute gaming aesthetics.

Music and Sound Effects

Mappy’s sound design is what I expect for an early NES or Famicom title. Especially in the lack of diversity when it comes to the number of music tracks and sound effects. Now, I will say that I have been irritated by such limitations in the past. Yet, in the case of this game, such a concern feels like a mere quibble.

I say that up front because, like the cute graphics, the music in Mappy is chipper and a lot of fun! Moreover, I was also impressed by just how long some of the compositions were. Where games like Mario Bros. (Review) and Pac-Man (Review) had enjoyable little ditties, Mappy is the first game from this time period where I felt like it had an actual musical composition that progressed for a sustained period of time (more than just 5 seconds).

Both the main level theme and the bonus stage music are lively and enjoyable, and add a lot to the tone of the title.

Although they don’t stand out against the music, Mappy’s sound effects are pleasant enough and not abrasive. The little “twang!” that plays when bouncing off a trampoline is effective and not irritating to hear during a longer play session.

Power Doors and More

Speaking of effective, there are a few more aspects of the gameplay that I’d like to discuss. The most important is how the doors are a big part of the game’s mechanics. Shockingly enough, you’re able to open and close doors without even being close to them. If you just press an action button, the door that Mappy is facing toward will close or open as needed. You can even do this if you are on the other side of the screen. You can even do it repeatedly! All that’s required is for you to be facing the door you want to open or close.

This means you have a lot of power to impact the actions of the various cats. You’re able to open doors on cats even if they are on the other side of the screen. Doing so when they are close to the door knob will cause them to fall back and be stunned for a few seconds. Additionally, the game features “Power Doors” that send out shockwaves in the direction of the door handle. For the felines that are caught in it, they will be sent all the way across the screen and you’ll earn a bunch of bonus points if multiple cats are captured at the same time.

Additional score multipliers can be earned by grabbing the treasure in the mansion that is flashing. Grabbing them in succession without losing a life can net you a hefty bonus of 5x or more.

Finally, I like that the game’s level designs become more complicated as you play. Eventually the attic will open up, giving you another area to run around in. Furthermore, flashing areas in the middle of floors, and bells on either side of the mansion, also appear.

Final Thoughts

With all that in mind, I have to say that I grew to really enjoy Mappy! While it can be frustrating with its difficulty, and the graphics are far from amazing, I like a lot of other aspects about it. Specifically the cute art style, the music, and the inventive gameplay with the door mechanics. Because of those reasons, I’m giving Mappy a positive rating.

Honestly, I did consider giving it a Very Positive rating, but I think it misses that goal just a little bit. Besides, I think the next old-school NES game I review is better than this one.

Even so, I liked Mappy so much that I’m also including some brief thoughts on a PICO-8 port of the title that can be played in a browser. You’ll find those comments down below.

Additionally, I’ve also watched the online animated series, Mappy: The Beat, which began airing online in 2013. I’ll be reviewing it later, but you can find a playlist of all the episodes and bonus content for it by clicking here.

Title: Mappy (Price Charting)
Genre: 2D Platformer
Year Released: 1983 in the arcade, and 1984 on the Nintendo Famicom.
Developer: Namco
Available On: Arcade, Famicom, with the latter version also available on a multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch 1 & 2, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S and Steam through the Namco Museum Archives Volume 1. The arcade version was released through Hamster’s Arcade Archives series of releases for multiple consoles, and on the PS1 with the Namco Museum Volume 2. There’s even a recent PICO-8 interpretation of the game that’s playable in a web browser.
Price Paid: $0.39 for the game, or $4.22 for Namco Museum Archives Volume 1.

Remember, we can have different opinions about the games we play. If you like something more (or less) than I do, both of our perspectives are valid. Please see my Review Rating Scale to know more of how I rate games.

Review of the PICO-8 Version of Mappy

While doing research for Namco’s Mappy, I learned that there was also a PICO-8 demake of it released a few years ago. It’s playable in a web browser for free, and in the interest of providing a comparison between two versions, I’m sharing my thoughts on this one as well.

Some Immediate Differences

To begin, it’s important to recognize that this version is a conglomeration of multiple releases of the game. It isn’t just the Famicom game. This is readily noticeable rather quickly since it has an abbreviated version of the intro from the arcade game. It shows Mappy chasing the kittens and Goro from the right side of the screen to the left. In the arcade game, Mappy then falls through an opening in the wall, bounces onto a trampoline, and the opening in the wall closes. Finally, Mappy looks toward the trampoline with a “?” shown on the screen before the gameplay begins. In this PICO-8 edition, there’s no opening in the wall or bouncing animation of hitting the first trampoline. However, it does show our hero face toward the trampoline with a “?” in the air, along with the previously mentioned chase.

Once gameplay begins, another aspect that stands out is just how difficult the game is compared to the Famicom port. Here, the kittens seem much more aggressive, and the first couple of times I played it I barely made it to the other end of the mansion before losing all my lives. Like before, this was initially frustrating, but from my own experience, the challenge can be overcome in time.

After making it to the first bonus stage, I noticed that the number of balloons were more numerous than on the Famicom, too. I don’t know if this is more accurate to the arcade original or not, but it is another difference between the versions.

Graphics

Despite the game’s lower resolution, some of the original charm still remains. However, I didn’t like how Mappy is represented as much here. At least it’s still easy to tell what everything is as you play.

One graphical oddity was the change to the waves that fly out from the power doors. While they are still useful against the cats, instead of the effect being a wave, they look more like a swirling circle that goes across the screen. Perhaps there is some graphical limitation in the PICO-8’s fantasy hardware that makes such a change necessary. But at least the animation looks smooth, as does the way the trampolines move after hitting them. Both of these effects remind me of some of the neat animations found in Galactic Wars, which is another PICO-8 title I reviewed last year. Although, be aware that it is nothing like Mappy.

Music and Sound Effects

In my review above, I was clear in saying that I really like Mappy’s music. Yet, while the pleasant tone of it is found here as well, the pieces sound significantly simpler than their Famicom counterparts. The PICO-8 probably has at least one fewer sound channel than the NES, which contributes to the music sounding worse. This is admittedly a shame since I like the other renditions so much.

I don’t recall any issues with the sound effects in this version. I think I was distracted by the lower quality music and the more aggressive enemies instead.

Control and Gameplay

Beyond that increase in difficulty, also be aware that since this version is typically played in a web browser, know that the expected “controller” for it is a keyboard. You use the arrow keys to move Mappy around and X to open and close doors. Thankfully, the game detects if you have a controller plugged into your computer, so playing with a keyboard is not required.

Outside of the game’s difficulty, the biggest change in this version is that you need to be near doors to open them. While such a change is not surprising, I was slightly disappointed that your “super power” of opening doors across the screen was gone. It does make me wonder if it was a glitch in the Famicom game, though.

Final Thoughts

As I come to the end of this second review, I want to say that I was prepared to give this version of Mappy a Positive rating like the Famicom one discussed above. I consider most of the port’s shortcoming to be due to limitations of the PICO-8 hardware. Especially the game’s resolution and music quality. In the sense of demaking a game down to weaker hardware, this version succeeds well.

However, as I played the game again to test the controller input, I couldn’t help but notice that I had significantly less fun with this port versus the Famicom game. The AI is just way aggressive and more frustrating than what we can play easily today on Steam or elsewhere.

Still, I am glad that this version exists, and I think it is valuable in the sense of allowing people to try a version of the game before deciding to buy it on another gaming platform. Although, because I can’t really recommend it, I am giving this PICO-8 version a Mixed rating.

Despite that, I look forward to trying out other games from this developer if I’m able to do so.

Title: Mappy (Webpage)
Genre: 2D Platformer
Year Released: 2023
Developer: pahammond (Itch.io)
Available On: For this version, it’s available on Itch.io, which I’ve linked above. You can also find it online here. Please see the bottom of the previous review for more links to other ports of the game.
Price Paid: None, it’s available to play for free in a web browser.

Remember, we can have different opinions about the games we play. If you like something more (or less) than I do, both of our perspectives are valid. Please see my Review Rating Scale to know more of how I rate games.