Mikie

Mikie
ZX Spectrum cover art
Developer(s)	Konami (Arcade), Imagine Software (Home Ports)
Publisher(s)	Konami (Arcade), Imagine Software (Home Ports)
Platform(s)	Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, SG-1000
Release date(s)	1984
Genre(s)	Labyrinth/Maze
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players alternatively playing
Cabinet	Upright

Mikie, known in Japan as Shinnyuushain Tooru-kun (新入社員とおるくん, lit. Highschool Graffiti Tooru-kun^?), 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's soundtrack features The Beatles songs A Hard Day's Night, and Twist and Shout (though the songs are not credited, so there is no evidence they had permission to use them).

Overview

The game starts at Mikie's classroom. Mikie must bump the students out of their seats to collect the hearts they're sitting on, while simultaneously avoiding the classroom teacher. Once all hearts are collected by the player he is allowed to leave the room and enter the school corridor.

The school corridor is where Mikie will be chased by the janitor and his classroom teacher, who follows him outside. This is the way to gain access to the rest of the school building, each room representing a different challenge or level. Mikie will be cued to the proper door to enter by a large, flashing "In" - opening any other door will result in Mikie being punched by a coiled boxing glove or hairy foot, stunning him. One of the doors, however,contains a scantily clad girl: opening this door is worth 5,000 points. Mikie can also pick up extra points by picking up lunch boxes, and opening a grate that contains a burger and soda. In addition to head-butting, enemies (the janitor and the classroom teacher) can also be stunned by slamming doors in their faces.

The second room is the locker room, where the objective is to break the lockers to get the hearts, while being pursued by a janitor, a cook, and the classroom teacher. In addition to the head-butting, there are three bins of basketballs located around the room, which Mikie can pick up and throw using the action button. Each bin holds three basketballs.

Room three is the cafeteria where Mikie is pursued by two cooks and, again, the classroom teacher. One cook who stands at the top of the room occasionally throws a leg of meat directly at Mikie. On each table are roasts (3 per table) which Mikie can hurl at his enemies.

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, who are guarding the hearts he must collect, attempting to reach his girlfriend, Mandy.

Variations

A clone of the game, subtitled "High School Graffiti", provided less violent action, in which Mikie's physical attack was changed from a head butt to a paralyzing shout, and Mikie's "death" animation was changed from rolling around on the floor to sobbing in contrition.^[1] The glass jars, which Mikie had to head butt three times to retrieve the heart inside, were replaced with bundles of three hearts, providing the same game play effect without requiring your character to head butt glass. In the first level, the writing on the blackboard reads "Failure Teaches Success", instead of "E=MC2". Mikie's shout has no effect on his classroom teacher.

After each completed Step (level) the enemies speed up, and some even gain new abilities.

Home Ports

Several ports were released in the UK by Ocean Software subsidiary, Imagine Software for the Amstrad CPC, Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MSX and ZX Spectrum. The SG-1000 was released only in Japan by Sega.

References

1. ^ Retro Gamer, issue 76. Retrorevival ... Mikie (pages 90-91).

External links

• Mikie at the Killer List of Videogames
• Mikie at Retrogames.com
• Mikie at MobyGames