Flappy

is a puzzle game by dB-Soft in the same vein as the ''Eggerland'' series and '' Sokoban'' that is obscure outside Japan. It features Flappy, a somewhat mole-like character who must complete each level by pushing a blue stone from its starting place to the blue tile destination.

Flappy first appeared on the Sharp X1 home computer in 1983. This debut was soon followed by conversions to a number of popular Japanese computers in the early 1980s, including the NEC's line of PCs and the Fujitsu FM series. Ports for the MSX computer line and the Family Computer were released in 1985. dB-Soft produced a sequel with more difficult puzzles called ''King Flappy'' for the benefit of anyone who managed to clear the original 200 levels (or "sides" or "scenes" as the game calls them). A Nintendo Game Boy port was released exclusively in Japan in 1990 and was published by Victor Musical Industries.

Plot

The beautiful planet of Blue Star, home-planet to a young boy named FLAPPY, is invaded by Dark Emperor Ngalo-Ngolo. The proud inhabitants of Blue Star, wanting neither war nor the invasion, self-destruct along with the planet on a path of self-determination. FLAPPY, however, is boarded onto an escape capsule headed for neighboring Planet Seviras by his father and so survives. From his capsule he sees fragments of the exploded Blue Star rain down incessantly on Planet Seviras.

Wandering aimlessly about Planet Seviras, FLAPPY reaches an oasis where he suddenly hears a voice from the sky saying, 'Gather up the fragments of Blue Star, the Blue Stones, to this Blue Area. When all of them have been gathered...' FLAPPY, believing a miracle has just occurred, begins on a journey to gather all the Blue Stones.

Gameplay

Gravity, gaps in the floors, and wandering enemies stand in the way of Flappy reaching his goal. Flappy can pick up and throw sleeping mushrooms at the enemies to knock them out for a while, or drop stones on them to crush them permanently. There are, however, many obstacles along the way: brick walls you must work your way around, brown stones which you can crush but which can also crush you if they fall on you, holes or dead angles in which the blue stone becomes irretrievable if it falls into them, and moving enemies. The game features two enemies: Unicorns and Ebira. Unicorns are green creatures that move in mostly-repetitive horizontal patterns. Ebira are red crab-like enemies (the word "ebi" is a Japanese term for shellfish) that relentlessly chase Flappy both horizontally and vertically. Ebira tend to mimic Flappy's movements, so Flappy must be careful to avoid being charged by a persistent Ebira.

Ports

* Sharp X1 ・ PC-88 (1983)
* FM-7 ・MSX ・ PC-6001 ・ PC-8000 ・ Sharp MZ-80K/700/800/1500 (1984)
* Family Computer (1985)

Legacy

Sequels

*''King Flappy'', X1 ・PC-8801mkIISR ・PC-8001mkIISR (1985)
*''Flappy 2: The resurrection of Blue Star'', X68000 (1989)
*''Flappy Special'', Game Boy (1990)
*''Flappy for Windows'', Microsoft Windows (1995)
*''FLAPPY95'', Microsoft Windows (1996)
*''Flappy World'', Microsoft Windows (2001)

Clones

*''Flappy'', PMD 85 (1987)
*''Flappy'', Atari 8-bit family (1988)
*''Floppy'', Apple II (198x)
*''Beyond Floppy'', Apple II (198x)
*''Flappy'', i-mode (2004)
*''Flappy'', Yahoo! Mobile (2005)
*''Flappy'', Virtual Console (2007; emulation of the Famicom port)
*''Flappy'', Java (2014; clone of the Sharp MZ-800 port)
*''Tlappy'', Android (2017; clone of the Sharp MZ-800 port)

References

External links

Picture solution guide to all 200 Famicom levels (Japanese)
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823181540/http://www23.tok2.com/home/ta23chan/fw/502/502.htm , date=2016-08-23
*Video solution guide to all 200 Sharp MZ-800 scenes
part 1part 2special effects

1983 video games
DB-SOFT games
Nintendo Entertainment System games
Game Boy games
MSX games
NEC PC-6001 games
NEC PC-8001 games
NEC PC-8801 games
Sharp MZ games
Sharp X1 games
FM-7 games
Puzzle video games
Video games developed in Japan
Virtual Console games