Tumblepop (Arcade)

Do you ever think about why a vacuum cleaner is considered a hideous threat by your pet dogs or cats? Surely they must have supra-cosmic imagination beyond our understanding. But apparently Data East do have imagination about vacuum cleaner can be legit weapons in its game: Tumblepop (1991)

Why Data east put googly eye inside of circle-shaped void of 'B', 'P', and 'O'? Maybe to show you that Tumblepop is cartoony or heart-warming arcade game. Though the title looks like tsukomogami of alphabet toys that can be found roaming inside a children room, and chatting how their owner treat them so funny or rough. That's just me, though. Thing for sure is: there will be many tumbling then goes pop here.

As soon as i start play the game, i have to  choose city to go. Everything look fine but one. I don't think there is a city in southpole in real life. Unless i didn't know about a city yonder that is inhabited by polar merman or icemen (like snowmen but made of ice). My knowledge is pretty much limited, you see. Anyway i choose a city in Europe first because It's in center of earth, more or less. I like median, just so you know.     

Apparently, this city has robot problem. I presume this is Europe-branch skynet's fault. But don't worry! I'm here to clean this mess. Yes, our hero here is looks like an express-cleaning-service crew. But instead of cleaning mold or dust, he clean evil presence where he goes. Also the vacuum cleaner isn't ordinary ones. It's able to suck any evil-doers and store them in its bag. Then it blow its content into tumbling lump of enemies that can crush your other enemies. Yes. It's Data East version of Snow Bros or Bubble Bobble. So you know the basic, right?!

There is one button to suck your enemies instead of throwing ice projectile that can make them turn into snowball and another button to jump. Holding the 'sucking' button will allow you to suck enemies forever and store them inside its bag. But you can't hold them very long, because they will struggle inside of it and break free resulting your demise. So you have to release the 'sucking' button to unload enemies with full force. Thus making your enemies into rolling & bouncing giantball that can be used to decimate other unsucked enemies. So the basic strategy will be: suck enemies as many as you can then release them when you are in most top ledge so they will most likely tumble into their fellows. At first, i kind of difficult to adjust this mechanism. But i admit it's far better than ones in snow bros.

 

I can suck enemy behind this double-wall! You can't shoot enemy in the same condition in Snow Bros, right?! By the way there are quite various enemies here. The ones who have body of iron ball and have antenna, just hop around slowly. The one who have whirling chopper on its head is move bit faster than the spherical ones. The one who has cannon on its head is the 'shooter' type enemy. While the big blue grumpy one is enemy generator/spawner. In the previous screenshoot, there is the blu-bot with big eyes and jet thruster for its feet which is just bit faster than hopper bots. By the way, a section of this stage music is kind of same rhythm with excerption from 'Dari Sabang sampai Merauke' national song. The one with"...berjajar pulau-pulau." to be precise. That's my feeling anyway.

Boss stage already? That was fast. This hideous-bot here spawns its six hands then launches them to kill the tumblepoper. But it doesn't compute that its homing hands are suckable and can be used to kill itself. What a moron.  

 

Kyle Reese and John Connor must be proud of us. So it's Sentai-Pose time!

 

Next is USA. Lady Liberty smiles lightly as she sees hope of freedom from Ctulhu's minions. In form of Japanese Cleaner, obviously.  

 

Wait! A kappa joins Ancient one's force. This guy is not only evil but also preposterous one. He spit downward everytime he is on top of me. Gotta tell Nitori Kawashiro about him.  

 

Well, the boss stage isn't ctulhu himself. But his red child take that role instead. What this ctulhu Jr. do: summon his followers and occasionally try to reach you with his tentacle. No hentai joke, please! I just use his attendant to hit his head. That's should leave big bump on it.

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Next stage: South America. Giant Statue of Jesus is witness of weird battle between a green-uniform cleaner Vs fire-themed creatures. The alphabets 's', 'e', 'n', 'n', and 'a' are score-up pickup. Usually they are hidden, but they will pop-(*sic*)-up by giant rolling ball of enemies. If you manage to collect letters of tumblepop you will go to bonus stage to  increase your score. At this time, i'm lacking 't', 'u', and another 'p' for that.

 

But then Data East's mascot: Karnov disintegrates me with his fire spit ball. I'll get you next time. -_-#

The boss of South American's stage: demonic fire dragon! That's really hot (*pun intended*)! He spew one-eyed fireball at me. But they are suckable and it goes without saying that i use them to defeat him. I think i feel Dejavu...

Yep! I have fought another fire dragon (which only shown neck & above) in Ghostbuster (Genesis). But unlike more-cartoony ones in Tumblepop, fire dragon ghost here is really difficult to be defeated. You can tell that from Ray's frowny expression here. He's about to get burned really bad.

 

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Next stop, South pole! 2 blue muppet-show monsters (the cousin of red ones in previous stage) are about to be contained within the dustbag, and 2 cute (yet evil) snowmen look at them with concern. Isn't that admirable?!

 

What happen if snowmen went through evolution that will make them have arms and feet? The answer is: they start to use shovel to clear paths from overly-thick snow or to throw snow at you. At least they're not brutal enough to use shovel as blunt melee weapon, like you know. Shovel knight, Red/Blu Soldier, Dead Island's protagonists, etc.   

 

Eventually, i manage all letters of 'tumblepop' that brings me to bonus stage like i have said before. It fills with score-up items and 1-up. By the way, you can use your vacuum cleaner to get any pickups with longer reach. Beside these pickups, there is other ones such as: power-up, invincibility, and speed-up which are common in any Snow Bros clone or Bubble-Bobble clone. If you're wondering why in much later screenshoots as if i already collect all letters of 'tumblepop' but i only go bonus stage this time. That's because the letters that i don't collect yet are flickering while the collected ones are not.

 

Oh great! It's giant evil snowman. As he doesn't develop arm and feet like the small but evolutioned snowmen, he is just hopping in place and doesn't make him noticeable threat until...

...he is damaged that he loses his one segment of his body. Then he start to hop around like someone who finally get pogo-stick and start to use it right away. At this state, you should keep an eye on him.

 

How can you 2 make that pose without tripping your legs on each other? Or maybe their legs are tripped already.     

Well i know that Australia's wilderness is dangerous, obnoxious, or whatever. But depicting Australia stage as habitat for primitive lives is still incorrect. Those piranha plants and cavemen are "borrowed" from another Data East's game: Joe & Mac. In fact...    

 

...Data East make another Snow Bros clone or Bubble-Bobble clone: Joe & Mac Returns. Unsurprisingly, the cavemen from both games are identical. Instead using vacuum cleaner, Joe use club that can make blaze to stun enemies and then grab them into leather sack like reasonable cavemen.

Well i didn't know before that there is a pickup that will summon giant vacuum cleaner that will absorb all enemies and some tourist's garbage apparently except the tumplepoper, of course. Stage is clear (and tidy)!

 

Crikey! That's the most abomination plant that i've ever seen. You know what to do to get rid of it, right?! Suck their newly-spit children then bounce them to their head. Soon, Australia's wilderness become safer place. Just a bit though.

Then cleaning accident happens. Careful with that thing, mate!  

 

Now, i'm in undead&yōkai-infested Japan. Other than Kaiju, Japan is always have problem with either undead or yōkai. Or both. But don't worry! Ghostbuster Tumblepoper is here!

 

Here's some platforming section: the cloud moves left-right above insta-kill spikes. So you have to ride it in order to go to the other side. Shallow but nice platforming section. By the way, the one-eyed ghost can teleport to avoid your cleaning or just iseng. Heh!   

 

The boss is just Daruma?! Lame. You can't hit it in its head. So knock its body first!

Then it grows feet and arms. Soon it jumps around between platform. Be careful!

Then another cleaning accident happens. No wonder, they get call for (real) cleaning job from many housewives. Not because they're lazy, they expect accidental-comedy like this happens.

I think Russia has illegal-circus performance here: teleporting invisible man, clowns, ghost(?) and *ugh* Karnov.

Oh, wow! The boss this time is: bomb-tossing and flying big clown. He's pretty difficult to be defeated because he's always juggling bombs to block your attack (which is his own bomb that you have sucked first, obviously). My suggestion is: aim for his feet. Soon, streets of Moscow are free from these wild performers.

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And now Egypt has undead problems too. Also sand rats. The sphinx don't care at anything as always. What a careless jerk! 

Then another Karnov appears. Darn!

The Egypt's stage boss is: A genie. He summons mummies and spits multi-way fire bubbles. Why a genie can command mummies that are former kings, queens or other royals? Because he is living being while the mummies are dead. It's simple-to-understand Hierarchy here.

You look in hurry. Where are you going, guys?

Into the outer space, of course! Now that Earth is clean (from evil creatures), it's space's turn. So my adversaries this time are: generic white aliens, cyan ctulhu's underling, green idiot-bot, and shooting astronauts, got it! If you think that i don't know anything about the astronauts. You're wrong. I know that they are copies of Chelnov the atomic runner. It's another appearance of character from other Data East's game.

Behold! It's Flatwoods monster. To me, he looks majestic and creepy at the same time. What he do: levitating around as he pleases and shooting yellow orb from his hand. No big deal!

"What did i miss, green?""Nothing. Just defeating big flying alien and stuffs"

It's boss rush time! That means i have to re-sink the Ctulhu's red youngling. On the other hand, how come there's a sea in space??

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Here's the final boss! An evil robotic scientist/professor that ride on his menacing robot yet soothing because of Lilac-color painting for its skin. Is it difficult to defeat the final boss? Not really. The battle against it is kind of same with other love-to-fly-around bosses. Albeit it can summon copter-bot from its back and launch its hands. All of them are suckable. So feel free to use them against The Robot here. Soon the scientist/professor ejects his seat that can fly around and shoot fire bubbles. All you need to do is: just suck him!    

There pop him wherever direction that you want. Making him a rolling villain mastermind #1.

See his pitiful expression on his face while wavering white flag! He is an embarrassment in Evil Mastermind Organization, now. That's for sure.

I know that you guys have saved the world from many many evil-doers. But no need to fight over close-up photo like this. See it turns bad!

My conclusion: I can tell that Tumblepop is Data East's successful Snow Bros clone or Bubble-Bobble clone. What's with super vacuum cleaner application instead of using projectile that makes enemies become snowball or trapped in bubble (which takes time to get used to it), nice musics, wonderful visual art, and Boss fights that beyond "Boss will gives you minion to use against himself". In short words: It gets the basic right yet unique/different than the predecessor. Even though some platform can be hectic to navigate (while fighting enemies, of course). But so the predecessors do. So if you fancy Snow Bros clone or Bubble-Bobble clone, I REALLY recommend this ones.