Pooyan
Encyclopedia
is a classic arcade game
manufactured by Stern Electronics under license from Konami
in 1982. In it, the player controls "Mama", a pig
whose babies have been kidnapped by a group of wolves.
can be heard during the opening scene (in which the wolves kidnap Mama's babies). The first stage theme bears a very slight resemblance to the main theme music from Frogger
, another Konami arcade game. The song is a part of the Desecration Rag (An operatic Nightmare) by Felix Arndt
, the portion that mimics the beginning of Antonín Dvořák
's Humoresque Opus
101 Number 7. After the second stage is cleared a second time, a part of "Oh! Susanna
" can be heard.
1,609,250 points on the arcade version of Pooyan on December 16, 1983.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
manufactured by Stern Electronics under license from Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
in 1982. In it, the player controls "Mama", a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
whose babies have been kidnapped by a group of wolves.
Gameplay
Mama Pig defends her home and rescues her "Pooyan" (the kidnapped piglets) riding an elevator car moved by two "Buuyan" (controlled by the player with a Y-axis [up and down] joystick), and uses a bow and arrow with slabs of meat against the balloon-riding wolves and their boss (the latter being pink in color while the former are red). There are two stages. In the first, the wolves are riding to the bottom of the screen, and if Mama doesn't shoot them down, they will climb up the ladders and try to eat her. In the second (occurring after an "intermission" sequence), the wolves are riding to the top of screen, and if enough wolves get there, they will push a boulder on top of Mama, resulting in a life being lost. In both cases, the stage is cleared by shooting all the wolves, though in the second stage the boss must be shot down (which will take many shots unless the meat is used), otherwise the wolves will keep coming. After the second stage is cleared a bonus round begins. In one type, Mama must shoot all the wolves only using meat, while in the other she must use regular arrows on the fruits. Afterward, the game begins anew with higher difficulty. When the game starts, The Other Day I Met a BearThe Other Day I Met a Bear
"The Other Day I Met a Bear" is a traditional American camp song, sung as an echo song.-Anime and Japanese culture:...
can be heard during the opening scene (in which the wolves kidnap Mama's babies). The first stage theme bears a very slight resemblance to the main theme music from Frogger
Frogger
Frogger is an arcade game introduced in 1981. It was developed by Konami, and licensed for worldwide distribution by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one. To do this, each frog must avoid cars while crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of...
, another Konami arcade game. The song is a part of the Desecration Rag (An operatic Nightmare) by Felix Arndt
Felix Arndt
Felix Arndt was an American pianist and composer of popular music. His mother was the Countess Fevrier, related to Napoleon III....
, the portion that mimics the beginning of Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's Humoresque Opus
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
101 Number 7. After the second stage is cleared a second time, a part of "Oh! Susanna
Oh! Susanna
"Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster . It was published by W. C. Peters & Co. in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1848. The song was introduced by a local quintette at a concert in Andrews' Eagle Ice Cream Saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 11, 1847. Foster was said to have written...
" can be heard.
Ports and related releases
- Pooyan was ported to the Atari 2600Atari 2600The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, Atari 8-bit familyAtari 8-bit familyThe Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
, Color Computer 2, Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, SORD m5Sord M5The Sord M5 , was a Japanese home computer launched by Sord Computer Corporation in 1982.-Internal hardware:* CPU: Zilog Z80 , 3.58 MHz...
, MSXMSXMSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
, Apple IIApple IIThe Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, Tandy TRS-80TRS-80TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
and the FamicomNintendo Entertainment SystemThe 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...
. The Famicom port was also released for the WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual ConsoleVirtual consoleA virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
only in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Pooyan was also included on a comiplation disc, Konami Arcade Classics, for the Playstation 1. Most recently, Pooyan was released on Game RoomGame RoomGame Room is a gaming service for the Xbox 360 video game system, Microsoft Windows PCs, and Windows Phone 7. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room lets players download classic video games and compete against each other for high scores...
for the XBox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. However, all the music has been removed. - A board game was created by Ideal in 1983 incorporating a pinball-style shooting mechanism.
- There is a mission in Metal Gear Solid: Peace WalkerMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walkeris a video game produced by Konami and Kojima Productions that was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2010. Peace Walker is the fourth Metal Gear title for the PSP, although it is only the second to be considered part of the series' main canon, following Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops...
known as the Pooyan mission, which involves shooting Fulton surface-to-air recoveryFulton surface-to-air recovery systemThe Fulton surface-to-air recovery system is a system used by the CIA, United States Air Force and United States Navy for retrieving persons on the ground from an MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft. It involves using an overall-type harness and a self-inflating balloon which carries an attached lift...
balloons carrying abducted soldiers off into the air. Sound effects and music from the arcade game are used throughout the mission.
Highest score
Mark Kinter of Virginia, USA, scored a world recordWorld record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
1,609,250 points on the arcade version of Pooyan on December 16, 1983.