''Jungler'' is an arcade maze game developed by

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

and released in 1981. Distributed by

Stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...

in the United States beginning in 1982, the game has players controlling a multi-segmented creature attempting to destroy similar enemy creatures by either shooting them or eating them. A sequel titled ''Battle Jungler'' was planned for the

PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, though ...

on 1992, but was cancelled.

Gameplay

In ''Jungler'', the player controls a white, multi-segmented animal inside a blue maze. Also inside the maze are three enemy creatures similar to that of the player. The object of the game is to eliminate the enemy creatures before one of them eliminates the player. When all three enemies are defeated, the player advances to the next maze. The enemy creatures appear in one of three colors: red, yellow or green. Red creatures are longer in length than the player, and as such a collision with the creature will cost the player one life. Yellow creatures are the same length as the player, thus posing no harm upon a collision. Green creatures are shorter than the player, and will be devoured by the player's creature if they collide. The player can shoot at the creatures, with each hit reducing the number of segments by one. As segments are removed, the creatures are able to move faster, thus making them harder to catch and eliminate. Points are scored for shooting the creatures, as well as for collecting pieces of fruit that appear in the maze at random locations. These fruits will also add an extra segment to the player's creature.

Ports

The only contemporary home system ports of ''Jungler'' were by Emerson for the

Tomy Tutor The Tomy Tutor, originally sold in Japan as the and in the UK as the Grandstand Tutor, is a home computer produced by the Japanese toymaker Tomy. It is architecturally similar, but not identical, to the TI-99/4A, and uses a similar Texas Instrum ...

in 1981 and also for Emerson's

Arcadia 2001 The Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit home video game console released by Emerson Radio in May 1982 for a price of US$ 99, several months before the release of ColecoVision. It was discontinued only 18 months later, with a total of 35 ga ...

console in 1982.

Gakken is a Japanese publishing company founded in 1947 by Hideto Furuoka, which also produces educational toys. Their annual sales is reported at ¥ 90 billion ($789 million US). Gakken publishes educational books and magazines and produces other ...

made a tabletop handheld game of ''Jungler'' in 1982 as part of a series of flip-top games with

VFD VFD may refer to: * Factory Workers' Union of Germany, (german: Verband der Fabrikarbeiter Deutschlands, link=no), a former trade union in Germany * Vacuum fluorescent display, a display device on consumer electronics equipment * Variable-freque ...

screen and magnifying

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

Legacy

Much in the way that ''

Space Panic is a 1980 arcade game designed by Universal. Predating Nintendo's ''Donkey Kong'', and lacking a jump mechanic, ''Space Panic'' was the first game involving climbing ladders between walkable platforms. The genre was initially labeled as "climbi ...

'' remained obscure, but a home clone from

Broderbund Broderbund Software, Inc. (stylized as Brøderbund) was an American maker of video games, educational software, and productivity tools. Broderbund is best known for the 8-bit video game hits ''Choplifter'', ''Lode Runner'', ''Karateka'', and '' ...

was a hit in the guise of ''

Apple Panic ''Apple Panic'' is a game for the Apple II programmed by Ben Serki and published by Broderbund Software in 1981. ''Apple Panic'' is an unauthorized version of the 1980 arcade game ''Space Panic'', the first game with ladders and platforms. While ...

'', the ''Jungler'' concept found success in a computer clone, also from Broderbund: '' Serpentine''. ''Squirm'' is a 1984 clone for the Commodore 64 by

Mastertronic Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was one of the largest software publishers in the UK, achieved b ...

World record

In May 1983, Joe Startz of

Kenosha Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosh ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

set the ''Jungler'' world record with a score of 180,720 points.

References

External links

* {{KLOV game, id=8259
''Jungler''
at Arcade History 1981 video games Arcade video games Konami games Maze games Konami arcade games Video games developed in Japan