Namco’s Mappy is back, and this time, he’s Hopping Mad

Pogo like it’s a ’95 Sublime concert

While most video game fans of a certain age are aware of Mappy — the mouse-based platform that helped get Namco up and running — fewer people will be aware that the Five-Oh rodent actually bagged himself a sequel, Hopping Mappy, which is conveniently this week’s Arcade Archives release for Switch and PS4.

Hitting the arcade scene in the post-crash season of 1986, Hopping Mappy sees the Micro Police officer take to a pogo stick for another round of anthropomorphic crimebusting. The Meowkies are back, having embarked upon another robbery spree, only this time, instead of investigating manors and hideouts, Mappy is inexplicably bouncing around gardens, thwarting the villains and recovering the stolen goods.

Check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber Were1974.

Mappy must patrol each grid-based garden, bagging the treasures and staying one leap ahead of the Guard Meowkie, Goro. Don’t dally, however, as a “Hurry Up” mechanic will arrive in the form of a large coin, chasing Mappy down bringing an end to his call of duty. Oh, and a bonus stage simply involves gathering a fistful of balloons… Look, I don’t know what to tell you, except we didn’t care back then. Character Development, Schmaracter Revelopment. We didn’t need no Abby Anderson to get our kicks, just a quarter and a lot of impenetrable nonsense.

Hopping Mappy is available to download now on PS4 and Switch, priced at around $8.

Chris Moyse

Senior Editor – Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s. Former Saturday Night Slam Master. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse