Mappy

Mappy is a maze arcade game developed and published by Namco for the NES, first released in the mid-1980s. It brings the fast-paced action of its arcade predecessor to the home console.

In Mappy, you take on the role of Mappy, a police mouse tasked with recovering stolen goods from a group of cats known as the Meowkies. The game unfolds across a series of single-screen mazes spread across multiple floors. Your primary goal in each stage is to collect all the precious items – like bags of coins and rings – that the cats have pilfered. You move Mappy using the directional buttons, navigating the corridors of each floor.

A key mechanic involves interacting with doors. Mappy can open or close doors, which serve as a temporary barrier against the pursuing cats. When Mappy opens a door, the cats will often follow, but Mappy can quickly close it to trap them or slow them down. Trampolines are also essential for traversing the vertical space, allowing Mappy to bounce between different levels of the maze. Sometimes, Mappy can pick up items like slippers or radios to throw at the cats, stunning them for a brief period, which helps in collecting the goods or escaping.

Successfully clearing a stage by collecting all items triggers the next, more challenging maze. Mappy also features an occasional bonus stage where the objective is to collect as many items as possible within a time limit, offering a different kind of challenge and a chance for extra points. The simple yet strategic gameplay makes each level a puzzle of movement and timing.