Jack the Giantkiller

Jack the Giantkiller
Publisher(s) Cinematronics
Platform(s) Arcade
Release date(s) 1982
Genre(s) Maze, Puzzle
Mode(s) One or two players, alternating play
Cabinet Upright
Arcade system CPU: Z80
Display Raster graphics, standard resolution 224 x 288 (Vertical)

Jack the Giantkiller is an arcade game developed and published by Cinematronics in 1982, and is based on the 19th-century English fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk.

The player controls Jack, who must climb the beanstalk to reach the castle. Once there, he must – one at a time – steal a series of treasures from the giant and escape. While doing all of this, Jack must avoid falling from the beanstalk, clouds or platforms and dodge various obstacles to retrieve the treasures and return safely to the ground. The player may pick beans, which he can use for defense against various enemies – for instance, creatures such as caterpillars, moths and birds on the beanstalk stages – he encounters along the way.

The player uses an eight-way joystick to move Jack. Two buttons are available to allow Jack to jump or throw beans at enemies.

Gameplay

The cycle of screens includes:

The treasures to be stolen include a musical harp, a golden goose, a bag of gold coins and the princess. The player's objective is to retrieve these items on successive trips up the beanstalk, with the princess stage being the last in the four-stage level. A brief animated intermission featuring that specific treasure will play after the player successfully reaches the ground to end each stage. After taking the princess, the giant will awaken, and it is up to the player to descend the beanstalk and chop it down before the giant reaches the ground.

Completing a level results in a bonus and the player getting to repeat the cycle at increased difficulty (for instance, more critters to dodge, narrower steps and so forth).

External links