Mappy was first introduced to the world of gaming in 1983 when he debuted in his self-titled
action platforming game, brought to us by the good folks at Namco. While never quite
as iconic or popular as Pac-man, Mappy was a big hit at the time of its release, and
the cat-busting police mouse is one of the company's most beloved characters. A port
of the game was made for Nintendo's Famicom in 1984, which unfortunately was never published
outside of Japan, but in all honesty it's not that much of a loss, since Mappy has also
been ported to seemingly every gaming platform ever made, in some form or another.
A few sequels made in the 80s expanded upon the franchise further, one of which was the
console-only Mappy Land. Published for the Famicom in 1986, this game jazzed things up
a bit in terms of graphics and gameplay mechanics, but without straying too much from the basic
setup of the original Mappy. And unlike its predecessor, Mappy Land did eventually see
an international release for the NES in 1989...in North America, anyway. While Americans and
Canadians were finally getting a chance to enjoy that game, a second console-exclusive
sequel was published in Japan, where it would sadly remain.
Mappy Kids for the Famicom marks a huge departure from the formula established with the original
Mappy and Mappy Land. It's still an action platformer, but has more in common with games
like Super Mario Bros. or Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers than its prequels. In fact, I'd say
the only thing that really links it with the other Mappy games is its cast of characters.
That's not to say it's such a bad thing, as the drastic change in gameplay and design
ended up being for the best in my opinion, and Mappy Kids is a lot of fun and a solid
8-bit platformer.
Rather than starring Mappy, this game is all about Happy, Mappy's son, hence the “Kids”
part of the title. Happy is quite nimble and has a variety of moves in his arsenal that
makes his policman dad look kind of like a fat, lazy joke in comparison. While Mappy
was pretty much limited to just running around and...hopping on and off trampolines, Happy
can run, duck, and jump, and repeatedly mashing down the jump button makes him slow down his
descent with some tail spinning action. And unlike his old man, who could only combat
his adversaries indirectly with the help of microwave power doors, whatever that means,
Happy takes his enemies head on with a mighty little kick that sends most baddies flying
off screen. This attack will take down anything it hits with a single strike, though it takes
a little getting used to with the timing for some foes.
The pint-sized hero's adventure takes place over 15 levels set in a large, human world,
and the goal of each one is to collect as much money and jewelry as possible before
reaching the end of the stage. That might sound a bit like Capcom's Duck Tales, but
there is an actual point in collecting the cash here in Mappy Kids, which we'll talk
about in just a minute. All levels only scroll left and right, and aside from enemies and
money, are filled with environmental hazards, some which strike without warning, as well
as a variety of different power ups and items to be picked up. Kicking open little pink
treasure chests will reveal one of three things—a ring or a jewel, which add to the money pool,
or a pair of rollerskates that increase movement speed and the distance of jumps. Destroying
blocks will sometimes yield a t-shirt that makes Happy invincible, life hearts which
restore health, a money bag worth big bucks, or the classic Namco special flag icon, which
acts as a 1-up. Additionally, there are 100 yen coins scattered about in each level which
are acquired by simply touching them.
Getting hit by an enemy or stage hazard will send poor Happy tumbling around, causing him
to lose health and a decent chunk of cash as well. Thankfully, you have the chance to
get back your lost money after recovering...in most cases. There is no time limit, so playing
these levels can be taken at your own leisure. All of the stages are pretty well-designed,
though some of the visuals are kind of bland or questionable. For example, this poster
featuring a football player named “Mr. Sweetness.” I'm not a big sports guy, but I do know that
Chicago Bears running-back Walter Payton's nickname was “Sweetness,” his jersey number
was “34,” and he's definitely not a white guy.
Anyway, back on topi. You may be wondering why collecting money is such an important
component to Mappy Kids. Well, one day Happy receives a letter from his father stating
that he wants to introduce him to a cute, young mouse girl named Picky for him to marry,
and to come on over to his place where he and the bride-to-be are waiting. He also has
one other request, however, and that is for Happy to build a splendid house, presumably
for him and Picky to live in after they wed.
Happy starts off with an empty plot of land and must gradually build up his house over
the course of the game by purchasing parts at a store in between each stage. What store
is run by animals, accepts human money and deals in tiny mouse-sized house parts is beyond
me, but hey, it's a video game. Some parts are pretty cheap, like dandelions and a picket
fence, but others are quite pricey, including a car, the house itself, and even the sun!
Again, it's a video game.
Collecting each piece of jewelry, money bag, and yen coin in every stage will cover the
costs for all these parts and then some, so this task's easy, right? Well, NO, and here's
why. Before Happy gets the chance to visit the store and purchase anything, he must participate
in a mini game, conducted by Mappy's old nemesis Nyamko, known as "Goro" internationally. There
are three different types—a game where players must follow Nyamko's commands raising and
lowering red and white flags—a booty bumping sumo-style wrestling match which involves
mashing down the A button to attack and holding B to defend—and a spot the difference game
featuring a couple of classic Namco characters.
A slot machine will select one of three different cat opponents, and each is particularly skilled
in one of the mini games. Challenging a cat in the mini game he or she specializes in
will make winning a lot tougher than if facing one of the other two. The prize at stake is
also determined by a slot machine, and there are some good rewards, like receiving 50,000
yen, bonus lives, or a house part, but the most common prize is a single 100 yen coin.
Lame.
As they say, "the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away." And in Mappy Kids, Nyamko is
lord. Because of that, losing in any mini game carries a heavy penalty. Depending on
what reward is up for grabs, Happy can lose a lot of cash, in some cases the entire bank,
as well as hard-earned house parts. Stopping on a skull icon is an instant penalty which
takes away 20,000 yen or causes an earthquake that randomly destroys house parts, the latter
being really frustrating if and when it happens.
Adding to the frustration is that if you don't
know what you're doing in the mini games, you're going to lose often, and that means
no completed house. The spot the difference game is really easy in my opinion, and booty
sumo matches usually just devolve into pushing right and mashing the A button mindlessly.
But sometimes that's not enough, and learning the ins and outs of the block technique is
necessary. And just kiss your money and house parts good-bye if you play the flag raising
game and don't read Japanese. Even if you do read Japanese, it can still be a little
tricky.
Mappy Kids is a pretty short game, and completing it will only take about one hour. Reaching
the end of the game with an incomplete house results in the bad ending, where Picky lives
up to her name and rejects Happy, and Mappy berates his son for his shortcomings as a
man. However, if Happy's house is complete...
All parties are satisfied and you are rewarded with a happy ending. But honestly, is it really
a happy ending? Can our hero Happy really be content with someone as shallow as this
hussy Picky, who only wants to be with him because of his nice things? Nah...I'd say
the bad ending is the better one, personally. In the immortal words of the late, great rapper
Big L...
Big L: 'Cause when you're on top everything's OK, but when you broke you gets no play.
If you don't got endz you won't be gettin' no skinz, and if you don't got money, you
won't scoop a honey, if you don't got cash you won't be gettin' no ass, and if you're
not clockin' loot you won't be knockin' no boots.
Girls in the 90s ain't nothin' but crooks...
Aside from the single player campaign, there's a split screen 2 player mode where one person
takes control of Happy, and the other his twin brother Rappy. Mappy Kids pits the brothers
against each other in a competition to win the heart of Picky in the ultimate sibling
rivalry, tearing up the concept of “bros before hos” completely in half. The levels
are now filled with even more treasure boxes, money, and enemies, and sometimes there's
so much happening on screen that this mode feels like complete chaos. The brothers can
attack each other with their kicks, and when one of the tiny mice is knocked over, the
other has the opportunity to steal his dropped money. You can even kick enemies at the other
player to attack, which in turn can be kicked back to you. Player 2 now takes over for the
CPU during mini games, and the prizes have been changed to allow the players to trade
or steal house parts from each other. The 2-player campaign is a little shorter than
the main one, and the brother who has the nicer house at the end wins the girl.
Overall, Mappy Kids is a short, sweet game that I recommend to anyone with a Famicom.
It's got a lot of charm, and most importantly, loads of fun to be had, especially with the
multiplayer. The package design is really well done—gotta love that clamshell case
and the wonderful cover art! It even comes with a sheet of stickers that you'll never
dare to use. If you want this game but you're a cheapskate—
Big L: I wouldn't give a chick ten cent to put cheese on a Whopper!
--no worries, because Mappy Kids is relatively inexpensive, and a complete-in-box copy shouldn't
set you back more than 20 US dollars. The cartridge is a little bigger than standard
Famicom ones, due to a sound chip inside that enhances the game audio, so if you use an
adapter to play Japanese games on the NES, be aware of that. And speaking of enhanced
audio, big thanks to my buddy Niko the Wii Guy for providing the stereo remixes of the
Mappy Kids soundtrack used in this video. You can hear some great stereo versions of
your favorite 8-bit gems on his main channel, or check out his Gaming Going Gone one for
more in-depth video gaming content, similar to what I do. For the love of science, DO
IT!
Anyway, this is Jimmy Hapa from Import Gaming FTW, and I hope you enjoyed this episode.
As always, thank you for watching and until next time—take care.