Fun House (video game)
Encyclopedia
Fun House is an action video and personal computer game which is based on the U.S.
version of the television
show Fun House
.
Released in 1991, it was marketed exclusively towards North American gamers. The systems that were intended to run this game were the NES
and the PC's MS-DOS
operating system (although it could work on Microsoft Windows with some effort). The DOS version was more faithful to the television program than the NES version (which simply was an action/shooter game with little connection to the TV series).
with a basic top-down view. Players must throw tomato
es skillfully at a series of easy-to-hit targets. Some elements of the game are indirectly taken from the classic arcade game Pole Position (except that the player does not have the option to play as a Formula One
vehicle).
In order to make it to the next level, the player must make it from the starting line to the finish within the time limit
with a young child on inline skates
. Otherwise, the player loses a chance and the player must start the stage over again. The host of the televised game show, J. D. Roth, congratulates players for winning a stage while taunting the player with late 1980s/early 1990s sarcasm when he loses a "chance." Icy floors and slime colored ramps offer an additional challenge to the player. There are 72 rooms in the entire Fun House; with targets that are either numbered or given a generic target graphic. Each room has a name that usually gives a clue about how the room's design is implemented.
Although the player is given three chances to successfully navigate the entire Fun House, collecting 25 silver coins acts as a 1-up
. Warp zone
s will allow players to access the more difficult levels of the Fun House at an earlier time; thus allowing gamers who are pressed for time a chance to beat the game with a higher level of risk.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
version of the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Fun House
Fun House (game show)
Fun House was a United States children's television game show that aired from September 5, 1988 to April 13, 1991. Two teams , each consisting of a boy and a girl, played messy games and answered questions to win a chance to run through an obstacle-strewn Fun House at the end of the show. It was...
.
Released in 1991, it was marketed exclusively towards North American gamers. The systems that were intended to run this game were the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and the PC's MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
operating system (although it could work on Microsoft Windows with some effort). The DOS version was more faithful to the television program than the NES version (which simply was an action/shooter game with little connection to the TV series).
NES version
The general gameplay concept is that each level is like a child's version of The Running ManThe Running Man (film)
The Running Man is a 1987 American action film loosely based on Stephen King's 1982 novel of the same name. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, María Conchita Alonso, Jesse Ventura, Jim Brown, and Richard Dawson....
with a basic top-down view. Players must throw tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
es skillfully at a series of easy-to-hit targets. Some elements of the game are indirectly taken from the classic arcade game Pole Position (except that the player does not have the option to play as a Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
vehicle).
In order to make it to the next level, the player must make it from the starting line to the finish within the time limit
Time limit (video game terminology)
A time limit is a phrase in video game terminology that is used to make gameplay faster on the threat of losing a life. A typical time limit can range from a single second to multiple amount of minutes. Although it is possible to have a Super Mario World level with zero seconds on the timer A time...
with a young child on inline skates
Inline skates
In-line skates are a type of roller skate used for inline skating. Unlike quad skates, which have two front and two rear wheels, inline skates have two, three, four, or five wheels arranged in a single line...
. Otherwise, the player loses a chance and the player must start the stage over again. The host of the televised game show, J. D. Roth, congratulates players for winning a stage while taunting the player with late 1980s/early 1990s sarcasm when he loses a "chance." Icy floors and slime colored ramps offer an additional challenge to the player. There are 72 rooms in the entire Fun House; with targets that are either numbered or given a generic target graphic. Each room has a name that usually gives a clue about how the room's design is implemented.
Although the player is given three chances to successfully navigate the entire Fun House, collecting 25 silver coins acts as a 1-up
1-up
1-up , pronounced "one up", is a term in console video gaming that commonly refers to an item that gives the player an extra life, to complete the game. In certain games, it is possible to receive multiple extra lives at once...
. Warp zone
Warp zone
A warp zone is usually an area in a video game where players can go from one place or level to another. They are sometimes used as cheats and sometimes as ways to avoid too much walking...
s will allow players to access the more difficult levels of the Fun House at an earlier time; thus allowing gamers who are pressed for time a chance to beat the game with a higher level of risk.