Puckman Pockimon:

The Greatest Pac-Man/Pikachu Team-up Ever Conceived?

Puckman Pockimon

Developer: Genie

Release: 2000

Platform: Arcade

Video games are a historian’s nightmare. Documenting every unique commercial release is difficult enough (over 478,000 games exist on the Google Play Store alone as of Sept. 2022), but when one considers the countless knockoffs, hacks, and homebrews that also exist, preservationists and curators alike face an almost unwinnable mission. Even the original Pong, regarded by most as the first commercially distributed video game, received a legion of sequels and ports, official or otherwise. Just documenting the history of this one scattered franchise is a potential ordeal.

Of course, pirate titles—unofficial games based on ill-gotten, unlicensed properties—complicate matters even further. These “works” can be anything, from sketchy Super Mario Bros. spinoffs to 8-bit Final Fantasy demakes, and come from developers often too shifty, dubious and numerous to research reliably. Most would shrug, of course, deeming these illegitimate releases as largely worthless anyway—odd curiosities of no real significance. Problem is, some of these illegal releases are actually good, even rivaling their official counterparts in both concept and creative scope. Others aren’t good, exactly…but still provide an entertaining glimpse into what could have been. Puckman Pockimon falls between these two extremes.

It’s obviously a Pac-Man clone, with the titular character (or facsimile thereof) roving through overhead mazes gobbling dots and similar vittles. Often obstructing his path are the four ever-roving, ghostly villains; avoiding this ghastly quartet while eating every crumb tosses Pac to the next maze where the fun begins again. Puckman Pockimon takes this premise…and stretches it into something charmingly weird.

While the ghosts monsters return for this “off-broadway” charade, their numbers are reduced to now incorporate, fittingly or not, two Pocket Monsters: Caterpie and (maybe) Marill of Pokemon fame. Outside their appearance, however, these doppelgangers bear the specters’ simplistic behaviors, moseying around the corridors and sometimes getting in the player’s way. In fact, the AI driving this mismatched foursome is undeniably lacking when compared to Pac-Man’s official titles; Namco’s games usually grant each ghost a distinct behavior, making some more dangerous than others. But in Puckman, the enemies have a more red light/green light mentality, either wandering or giving chase without much nuance between.

Where Puckman does excel, however, is in its level design and quirky powerup system. Each of the game’s 32 mazes is uniquely designed and bears colorful, cartoony motifs not unlike the worlds of Super Mario. Cityscapes, countrysides, and aquatic themes add a surprising amount of flair to what could have been a derivative affair, as do the free-roaming powerups that can either help or hinder progress. Some, like the “Speed Up Wings,” give Pac a temporary speed boost, while the “Poison Can” reverses the player’s controls, making progress nigh-impossible. Naturally, the traditional “turn-them-blue” Power Pellets (recoined Power Fruit here) are also available, usually residing in a maze’s four corners. Chomping one makes the enemies vulnerable for a moment, giving Pac the chance to catch them instead.

A two-player cooperative mode adds to the mayhem, but this is where the weirdness appears. The second character is not Ms. Pac-Man or some other Namco hero, but Nintendo’s Pikachu…who, as a disembodied head, floats around snarfing up foodstuffs like a furry Pac-Baby. It’s an inexplicable pairing; what do these two mascots have in common? Were they joined because…they’re both yellow? Because their IP names carry a similar cadence (Pac-Man/Pikachu/Poke-Mon)? What inspired such a mishmash of a team-up?

And yet, it gets stranger. After completing each stage, the player is “rewarded” with the photo of a comely Asian woman leering from the screen. The centerfolds begin to repeat midway through the game, but who wouldn’t want a second-chance glance at one of these impatiently waiting ladies? (Those expecting a Ms. Pac-Man pin-up will be left disappointed, though.)

This is the Pac-Man Franchise as only an outsider could imagine, a realm in which yellow balls and electric mice live alike, gorging on pills and Asian dessert. But, if one removed the pretty ladies, replaced the main characters, dropped the Ms. Pac-Man cribbed soundtrack (yes, it’s stolen verbatim from the original), and polished the gameplay a smidge more, this could have been a legitimate alternative to the “proper” maze-game everyone knows. The aesthetics are endearing, the map design is varied, the two-player mode is both fast and competitive, and there’s even a short, animated ending. All combined, this is bootleg booty worth a look. If not a trove of pirate gold, exactly, then it’s at least a pocket of crusty quarters. A title fun (and odd) enough to at least be recognized.

And worth being preserved.--D

If nothing else, Puckman Pockimon is aesthetically pleasing. Each series of stages bear their own signature "world" and stylings.

Here, Pikachu chomps around as player two. He's basically a Pac-Man with ears.

The game is even punctuated by the occasional bonus level. With the Speed Up Wings activated, players can strive for an extra life if they can navigate the maze in time.

Spoiler warning!

Curious about the pretty girls? Keep scrolling down!

Puckman's Gallery of Gazing Asians

Every amazing maiden is recorded here--strictly for historical purposes, of course!

Hmmph! They're not so great!

Fancy World: Earth of Crisis

Developer: Unico Electronics CO., LTD.

Release: 1996

Platform: Arcade

For all the unique, weird, and truly outrageous games that have decorated arcades throughout the years, it’s the off-kilter “underground” titles that often prove most interesting. Labeled, sometimes unfairly, as bootlegs or pirate-ware, these sketchy releases are usually left stigmatized as illegitimate hacks or trash. That is, if they’re remembered at all.

Fancy World falls into this weird, kitschy category, well-representing the triumphs, clichés, and pitfalls of the typical pirated product. It’s not good, exactly, but it is playable…and briefly, even a little fun. It’s also clearly cobbled from Tumble Pop, changing just enough of the core experience to be deemed, maybe, a unique creation.

There is a story, however slight, featuring a mad scientist-type threatening the male and female protagonists with world domination…or something. It’s badly translated, but serves its purpose in propelling the heroes across the globe, attacking inexplicable monsters in the Tumble Pop tradition. These creatures, from wandering mice to bone-tossing dogs, stand unique from Pop’s own zoo of critters, even if their behaviors are suspiciously similar. Environments are less creative—again following Pop’s lead—with static backdrops of world locations that add little to the atmosphere.

What makes Fancy more than just a reskinned copy, however, is its primary mechanics. No vacuuming up the minions here; rather, players simply lob glowing crescents (for the male character) or orbs (the female) at the baddies. The first hit stuns the target, the next two shots defeat it. A second ability, should the right powerup be procured, can be activated to stun every enemy on the screen. No further technique is needed or involved.

If this sounds overly basic, it is. But the unremarkable gameplay does lend the action a fast, almost run-and-gun feel; aggressive players will be able to clear screens with speedy efficiency. Only the four bosses offer a considerable threat—these beasts are large, resilient, and love stuffing the screen with their marauding minions, making maneuverability increasingly tight. For these skirmishes, death is almost inevitable without practice and some luck.

If the game’s rushed, pirated nature wasn’t evident before, the game’s lack of a proper finale might be the ultimate tip-off (and rip-off). Instead of facing a final boss for a climactic denouement, players must defeat the earlier guardians a second time around, the game’s inexplicable ending cueing right after the last cut-and-paste rematch concludes. And like many of these black-market titles, players are also treated to a flirtatious babe upon the completion of each location. These moments are laughably nonsensical—were these anime-style girls supposed to entice guys to spend more quarters?—but any effort is better than no effort. At least in theory.

Fancy, probably rightfully, is destined for history’s dust bin. Despite the quality pedigree from which it steals, the experience experience is soulless—a copy lacking the grace or substance of a better game. There’s no meta-layer, no deeper learning curve, no sense of discovery, no need to develop a style or technique. Lobbing shots at stupid critters is fun for a time, but the game ignores what makes the genre truly work—the means to act creatively and dynamically, building chains and traps and planning ahead. Here, it’s just run-jump-shoot. Or run, shoot, jump. Hardly inspiring...

The game is functional. It has a beginning and an end. It’s also completely inconsequential.

And lucky to receive even a footnote.--D

The bizarre opening, in which (Tumble Pop's?) mad scientist appears and literally holds the world at gunpoint, is the most insane moment in an otherwise very blase, forgettable game.

The second player controls a goofy martial artist as seen in the top right.

Bosses provide the only real challenge, both swarming the stage with minions while able to absorb massive damage before finally falling.

Should "BONUS" be spelled by collecting the appropriate letters, the rare bonus stage becomes unveiled. It's nothing notable, however.

The enemies at least show a bit of personality...

But where're the girls?! Keep scrolling below!

Fancy World's Gallery of Gals...

(ignore the inexplicable idiot in the left corner)

What makes them so special?

Bomb Kick

Developer: Sun Sung

Release: 1998

Platform: Arcade

Welcome to Bomb Kick, a bootleg mishmash so audacious in its outright appropriation of other games, it almost transcends its crimes to become something more. An artful amalgam. A dishonest homage. A patchwork collection of ROMS diced and pulverized, then spread across the motherboard of a completely different game.

So, Bomb Kick is what the name implies—players romp a character around a crowded arena, lobbing (by kicking) bombs into legions of enemies. These foes are constantly emerging from doors, portals, and other openings, forcing the player to choose between fighting the baddies or destroying the generators from which they emerge. Doing the former is necessary for survival, but destroying the portals means swifter progress to the next stage. And time is limited.

It’s not a bad gimmick, in theory. And the three playable characters all boast a unique ability. Toto, the athlete, favors speed; Jeny, a lithe fairy-woman, can double-jump; and Mola, the Polar Bear, has an evasive dash that allows him to pass through multiple enemies unharmed. Most will want the fairy, but truthfully, the bear’s power makes him the most useful.

Not that it really matters. Although six worlds are available to play in any order, the foes within each all sport the same annoyances—they quickly overcrowd the screen and take an onerous number of blows to defeat. Players can execute a special “aura” move that helps cut down the weeds of enemies, but these attacks are limited…and the enemies almost endless.

And that’s the game’s main problem. There’s no depth to the mechanics, no deeper nuance to anything beyond flinging bombs fast and furiously. It’s all button-mashing and quarter munching with nothing compelling in-between—nothing, more importantly, that’s redeeming.

And that blatant plagiarism! In some ways, the game feels like a precursor to the Adobe Flash fan-game movement so popularized in the early 2000s. Think that piano walkway in the background looks familiar? That’s because it’s ripped right from Rayman. That cannon ball-blasting horn? Also from Rayman. That catchy jingle? Why, that’s the Super Mario theme. And that Arabian warrior charging forward? That’s Aladdin, of course, from the Sega Genesis version of Disney’s Aladdin. The little monkey? Yep, that’s Abu ripped from the same game, out for blood and ready to be blasted. And, in truth, there’s a strange giggle in that.

Indeed, picking out the IP-infringing cameos becomes a kind of hidden metagame within a title that otherwise has no substance. Played with a friend, late at night, perhaps after a few drinks…this might be worth an incredulous laugh…despite an unseemly, even dirty feeling.

But really, just go play Rayman instead.--D

The three playable characters, to the game's credit, at least bear a unique ability. The inexplicable Polar Bear is probably the best choice.

Recognize the backdrop? That horn at the right? If you're going to steal your artwork, might as well take from the best--Rayman in this case.

The bosses are usually unique (not IP-infringing) beasts, except this one. The Genie from Disney's Aladdin has decided to go rogue.

The "developer" was even audacious enough to name the property it stole assets from for its world stage.