Mikie

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Mikie

Developer(s)	Konami
Platform(s)	Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, SG-1000
Release date	1984
Genre(s)	Labyrinth/Maze
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players alternatively playing
Input methods	Joystick, 2 button
Cabinet	Upright

Mikie is a 1984 arcade game by Konami where the player must guide a student called Mikie around the school, classroom, and locker room to collect hearts which make up a letter from his girlfriend Mandy while being chased by various members of the school staff. To defend himself the game character can head-butt teachers and throw basketballs at them. The game is known as Shinnyuushain Tooru-Kun (Freshman Tooru-Kun) in Japan.

[edit] Overview

The game starts at Mikie's classroom, once all hearts are collected by the player he is allowed to leave the room and enter the school corridor where it will be chased by the janitor. This is the way to gain access to the rest of the school building, each room representing a different challenge or level.

The second room is the locker room, where the objetive is to break the lockers to get the hearts, while being pursued by a janitor, a cook, and a teacher.

Room three is the restaurant where Mikie is pursued by two cooks and a teacher, and one cook who stands at the top of the room, occasionally throwing a leg of meat directly at Mikie.

Room four sees the student in the Dance Studio, where he must avoid dancing girls who stun him, as well as the dance instructor and, yet again, his classroom teacher.

The final stage has Mikie avoiding football players in the garden outside of his school, attempting to reach his girlfriend.

A clone of the game, subtitled "High School Graffiti", provided less violent action, in which Mikie's physical attack was changed from a headbutt to a paralysing shout, and Mikie's "death" animation was changed from rolling around on the floor to sobbing in contrition. The glass jars, which Mikie had to headbutt three times to retrieve the heart inside, were replaced with bundles of three hearts, providing the same gameplay effect without requiring your character to headbutt glass. In the first level, the writing on the blackboard reads "Failure Teaches Success", instead of "E=MC2".

After each completed Step (level) the enemies speed up, and some even gain new abilities. On any setting but easy, this is an extremely challenging game.