Considering a lot of console games in the РІР‚В80s were conversions of arcade titles, this wasnРІР‚в„ўt an issue in the slightest when it came to the home versions.Р”В¬apcomРІР‚в„ўs NES conversion holds up incredibly well. Boss battles feature too, which mostly entail turning the bossРІР‚в„ўs lackeys into snowballs and launching them just at the right time.Р”В«eing an arcade game and all, Snow Bros.: Nick and Tom takes less than an hour to finish. The jaunty music changes from stage to stage, while new enemies are frequently introduced including demons that barf lava onto Nick and Tom from above. When a stage is cleared a few goodies appear (pieces of sushi, usually) before whisking the player off to the next level. The enemies are so efficient at patrolling their platforms though that this proves to be a tricky task, and thatРІР‚в„ўs despite the tight controls РІР‚вЂњ Nick and Tom somersault onto platforms in an amusing, and responsive, fashion. Logic dictates you should at least try and get to the top of the stage in order to maximise chances of hitting as many enemies as possible. This does wonders at keeping you on your toes, daring you to remain in enemy filled locations for longer than you ought to. Fail to fully cover an enemy with snow and theyРІР‚в„ўll soon shake it off, undoing your effort. Time your push just right and itРІР‚в„ўs possible to vanquish all remaining enemies at once, with most stages featuring around six enemies each. By firing short-distance projectiles at enemies they can be turned into giant snowballs, ready to be rolled into others. Nick and TomРІР‚в„ўs method of attack is a compelling one which instantly hooks. This was more than likely to make it appeal to a western audience. The box art for CapcomРІР‚в„ўs NES and Game Boy conversions omitted the brotherРІР‚в„ўs offbeat headwear, and itРІР‚в„ўs only here that they resemble your common garden variety snowman. Sporting fez hats and dungarees, Nick and Tom didnРІР‚в„ўt really resemble traditional snowmen. is heavily muted while the visual style is ripe with influences from Japanese folklore. ItРІР‚в„ўs however doubtful anybody outright mistook it for a Taito game like Rodland before it, as the colour palate in Snow Bros. ItРІР‚в„ўs clear right from the outset that Toaplan had studied TaitoРІР‚в„ўs handiwork very closely as it features many similar elements and ideas. ToaplanРІР‚в„ўs Snow Bros.: Nick and Tom from 1990 hit all the right notes too, and like Rodland soon found its way to home systems.

JalecoРІР‚в„ўs Rodland did come close though, to the point where itРІР‚в„ўs often mistaken as a Taito effort. Even the obscure ones.Р”В¬ertainly in the РІР‚В80s, nobody could beat Taito at their own game. These two games in particular were incredibly popular, eventually converted to just about every 8-bit and 16-bit system. And although more of a vertical platformer, trapping and crushing enemies under rainbows in Rainbow Islands was curiously compelling.

Capturing enemies in bubbles that floated to the top of the screen, ready and waiting to be popped, was a hoot in Bubble Bobble. In each Taito success story the main characterРІР‚в„ўs method of attack also played a key element.

The Japanese arcade giant had the formula to creating single-screen platformers perfected from out outset РІР‚вЂњ an irresistible combination of colourful visuals, jaunty music, tight controls and a smooth learning curve. In 1983 arcade legend Taito gave the world Chack РІР‚Вn Pop, a simple single-screen platformer that eventually lead to the creation of Bubble Bobble and its wealth of spin-offs and sequels.

Snow bros game grumps