Tumblepop Arcade – Heroes With Superpowered Vacuums!
A classic arcade game, though unknown to many, Tumblepop is the title of the fantastic game released by Data East Corporation in 1991.
The world is under attack by all kinds of monsters and creatures. The fate of the Earth lies in the hands of two adventurers, armed with super vacuums, who will cleanse the planet of all the monstrous beings invading it.
“And that’s the story of why I’m not a millionaire now—because I spent all my money on Tumblepop.”
Tumblepop Arcade Gameplay
We start by selecting which part of the world we want to begin in: Russia, Egypt, France, the USA, Brazil, the South Pole, Australia, or Japan. No matter where we start, we’ll move through the other territories in order, with the game’s difficulty increasing each time. Each country or zone is divided into several stages, which get harder and more numerous as we progress.
We appear in the bottom-left corner of the screen if we’re the green player, or the bottom-right if we’re the yellow one. Each stage consists of platforms of different shapes, crawling with various enemies we must face. At the end of each country, we’ll fight a boss—corresponding to the initial list—including: a juggling clown with bombs, a genie that summons mummies, a robot with many hands, an octopus with multiple tentacles, a fire-breathing dragon, a giant snowman, a two-headed carnivorous plant, and a multi-story tower.
The controls are simple:
- One button to suck up enemies (hold it to keep them trapped in the vacuum bag—but be careful, because if you hold them too long, the bag will explode, costing you a life). Release the button to launch the creatures and destroy them.
- A second button to jump. Pressing jump + down makes us drop from the platform we’re standing on.
Throughout our adventure, we can collect all kinds of items, such as:
- Power Up – Increases the vacuum’s range.
- Speed Up – Lets us run faster.
- Plasma Gun – Turns our vacuum into a plasma weapon.
When we launch the enemies we’ve sucked up, they’ll leave behind diamonds, coins, and other useful items as they fly (all these items have preset positions in each level, so it’s easy to remember where they are after playing a lot).
Among the objects, we can find blue balls containing a letter. We need to spell out "TUMBLEPOP" to access a special level and earn an extra life.
When enemies are launched, they bounce off walls, continuing their trajectory. The more enemies we capture and throw, the bigger the combo we can pull off, and the more times they’ll bounce around.
Tumblepop is easy to play—it doesn’t require extreme skill to beat several worlds, though scoring high is another story (since losing a credit resets your score).
After defeating all the enemies on Earth, we’ll head to the Moon, where we’ll face an alien ghost. But that’s not all—we’ll then fight all the Earth bosses again, plus the Moon boss, and finally battle a scientist controlling a giant robot. Once we destroy it, we’ll have saved the world.
Graphics
Tumblepop follows the platformer graphic style of its time. The characters have few animations but are well-designed, with tons of shiny, spinning objects filling the screen while enemies shoot, jump, and move around. The coins and diamonds have a pseudo-3D look thanks to their glimmering, rotating effects, making them stand out. Shadows and textures are visually appealing, though this varies by level. Tumblepop is a world of light and color.
The stages consist of a background and platforms to walk and jump on. The background stays the same in each country, featuring details like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris or the Statue of Liberty in the USA. Maybe this could’ve been more polished—like changing the background per stage within the same country. The platforms also change slightly depending on the zone, but it’s not a big deal.
Music & Sound
The music in Tumblepop is a fantastic mix of styles. The main theme is catchy and fun, adapting to each country’s folkloric vibe. For example:
- In France, the theme transforms into the French national anthem, followed by accordions.
- In Egypt, the variations evoke the desert and pyramids.
Every zone has its own musical twist, so as we travel the world (and the Moon), we’re always hearing Tumblepop’s melody in different styles.
As for sound effects, we get a distinct vacuum noise, impact sounds, and item collection cues. At the end of each stage, the player shouts: “You did it!” (I’ve had many arguments with friends over what he actually says—some think it sounds like “Fujitsu!”). When collecting the Tumblepop letters, the character yells “TUMBLEPOP!” like it’s the greatest achievement of his life. The bosses’ screams are downright unpleasant—a kind of poorly done screech.
Overall, Tumblepop’s soundtrack is fun and charming.
Gameplay
Conclusion
Personally, I must say this is my favorite retro game. It has something about it that makes it completely magical and draws me in. I guess it’s one of those games you either love or hate—but it’s impossible to ignore once you’ve played it. I highly recommend giving it a try, as it’s a fun and entertaining experience.
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