Jungle Hunt

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Jungle Hunt
Developer(s)	Taito
Publisher(s)	Taito
Platform(s)	Arcade
Release date(s)	1982
Genre(s)	Action, Side-scrolling
Mode(s)	Up to two players alternating
Input methods	8-way joystick, one button
Cabinet	Upright
CPU	Z80
Sound	AY-3-8910, DAC
Display	Raster, standard resolution 256x224 (60Hz)

Jungle Hunt is a one- or two-player side-scrolling arcade game produced by Taito in 1982.

The player controls a jungle explorer who sports a pith helmet and a safari suit. The player must rescue his girl from a tribe of hungry cannibals. To do this, he must swing from vine to vine, survive a crocodile-infested river, jump or duck falling rocks rolling downhill, and release the girl before she "takes a dip" in the boiling cauldron.

History

Jungle Hunt was originally called Jungle King but Jungle King's prototype was called Jungle Boy.^[1] In these earlier versions the playable character was a bare-chested man with a loincloth who resembled Tarzan. Taito was sued by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate for copyright infringement for using the character's likeness. In Jungle Hunt, the following changes were made to the game:

• The character was replaced with a jungle explorer wearing a pith helmet and safari outfit.
• In the first scene, ropes replace the vines as the objects that the player has to swing on.
• The Tarzan yell was removed and cannot be heard throughout the game.
• Taito Brazil (Taito do Brasil) released a version of the game in Brazil in 1983 under the title 'Jungle Hunt' which included the bare-chested character and the Tarzan yell.

Yet another variant of the game was called Pirate Pete. Gameplay in this version was identical to Jungle Hunt but the character was replaced with a pirate (complete with eye patch) and the levels had a pirate theme.^[2]

Gameplay

The gameplay is split into four scenes, which have different objectives.

Scene 1

The player is required to swing from vine to vine that is located between a set of trees. The jump range is limited, so the player must wait until the time is right before jumping onto the next vine until he finally dives into the river for the next scene.

Scene 2

The explorer must navigate a crocodile-infested river, which presents several dangers:

• The hungry crocodiles. The only defense the player has against them is a knife, used to stab the reptiles in the belly (for bonus points), and only when their mouths are partially or fully closed.

• Air bubbles, which will invaribly drag the explorer into an approaching crocodile if he becomes caught in one.

Also, the explorer must avoid staying under water for too long; an on-screen meter allows the player to determine how long the explorer can safely remain under water. The meter replenishes itself when the explorer comes to the surface for air.

Scene 3

The main obstacle here are boulders - both small and large - which the explorer must dodge in some way. The player controls the explorer by moving the joystick either left or right, to have him move slower or faster. The small rocks can be avoided only by jumping over them, but to avoid the large ones, the player may either jump, run or duck by pulling down on the joystick.

Scene 4

The player jumps over and between the cannibals while their spears are down. After that, he jumps toward the woman when she has been lowered on a pulley's rope, to which he has to jump at just the right "height" to reach her.

After the player rescues the woman, the word "Congratulations!" appears, which is then followed by a cute intermission which features the explorer and his woman together along with a message saying "I Love You!!!" followed by the woman kissing the explorer.

Advanced levels

The scenes go right back to the start, but with increased difficulty, as follows:

• Scene 1 - Monkeys climb up and down some vines, becoming more numerous and aggressive at higher levels.
• Scene 2 - The crocodiles become more numerous and vicious. There are more air bubbles and your oxygen supply drains faster, requiring you to swim up to the surface more often.
• Scene 3 - The larger boulders are seen more frequently, and are closer together. The patterns of al boulders are more random, requiring a player to time the jumps more precisely.
• Scene 4 - The natives hide in the nearby tree, and throwing spears directly at the player character (one at a time, with the spears more accurate and thrown at a faster rate in subsequent levels).

Ports

Jungle Hunt was ported to the following platforms:

• Apple II
• Atari 2600
• Atari 5200
• Atari 400/800/XL/XE
• ColecoVision
• Commodore 64
• Commodore VIC-20
• IBM PC (via Atarisoft)
• PC (as part of Taito Legends)
• MSX
• PlayStation 2 (as part of Taito Legends)
• Texas Instruments TI-99/4A
• Xbox (as part of Taito Legends)

References

1. ^ System 16 - The Arcade Museum
2. ^ System 16 - The Arcade Museum

External links

• Jungle Hunt at the Killer List of Videogames
• Jungle Hunt guide at StrategyWiki
• Jungle Hunt at MobyGames
• Classic Game Reviews covers Jungle Hunt