''Cratermaze'', known in Japan as , is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

released in 1989 for the TurboGrafx-16

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...

. The game was re-released by

Hudson Soft was a Japanese video game company that released numerous games for video game consoles, home computers and mobile phones, mainly from the 1980s to the 2000s. It was headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo ...

for the

Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...

on August 13, 2007 in North America, and on August 17, 2007 in Europe and Australia. ''Cratermaze'' is a variation of the Japanese games ''

Booby Kids is an action video game for the Nintendo Family Computer. This video game is the home conversion of Nichibutsu's arcade game, , that was originally supposed to be named ''Booby Kids''. In 1993, Nichibutsu released for the Game Boy a similar g ...

'' (released for Famicom) and ''Kid no Hore Hore Daisakusen'' (1987), an

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

released by

Nihon Bussan was a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in Kita, Osaka. In the past they had also manufactured and sold yachts. The main video game brand of the company was Nichibutsu (日物、ニチブツ), with adult video games (ma ...

. A number of contemporary reviews compare the maze-like gameplay to Hudson's '' Bomberman'' series.

Overview

In the game, the hero Opi (

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

in the Japanese version) is traveling through time with four of his friends when they are captured by the villain Zenzombie. He travels through various eras in time (modern,

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

, future,

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and prehistory), collecting treasure to open doors to the next era, and kills enemies by digging holes and burying the enemies. Every 15 of the game's 60 levels, Opi rescues one of his friends. Levels 30 and 60 are

boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...

levels where an enormous enemy floats around the screen and can kill Opi with a single touch. In the Japanese version,

replaces the titular character Opi, while Opi's friends are replaced with other ''Doraemon'' characters.

References

1989 video games Doraemon video games Maze games TurboGrafx-16 games Video games developed in Japan Virtual Console games {{maze-videogame-stub