The Great Mouse Detective
Still on its current Namco kick, retro publisher Hamster has dropped another of the developer’s coin-op classics into its Arcade Archives range. This week sees the arrival of ’80s platformer Mappy, now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
Hitting the arcade scene in 1983, Mappy sees a brave police officer mouse infiltrate the mansion of a gang of an all-cat gang known as “The Meowkies.” Mappy appears to be a beat cop, so it seems that he’s going well beyond his jurisdiction with this Rainbow Six-esque home invasion. Regardless, it’s Mappy’s task to recover a whole bounty of stolen goods, including computers, TV sets, and antiques — all while staying one step ahead of the gang and its leader, Goro.
You can check out the cheesy chump on assignment in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber Old Classic Retro Gaming.
In a sort of cute precursor to Hotline Miami, Mappy is able to defend himself by opening doors in the faces of his pursuers, somehow generating a “soundwave” that knocks the Meowkies senseless. “Oh, he fell, your honor.” The mansion is also inexplicably equipped with several trampolines, that help the player navigate the stage with strategic precision. Once Mappy gathers all of the Meowkies’ ill-gotten gains, the round is over. Every few stages, a balloon-popping bonus round offers the player an opportunity to rack up some big points before they move on to the next Meowkie mansion.
Mappy was something of a smash in its heyday, offering smart and fast-paced platform gameplay. It also features the pioneering pixel work of the dearly departed Hiroshi “Mr. Dotman” Ono, making its inclusion as this week’s Arcade Archives entry particularly poignant. Mappy is available to download now on PS4 and Switch, priced at around $8.