How to play Pooyan online
- Move Mama Pig up and down: up and down arrow keys
- Shoot an arrow or throw the meat: Space bar
- Choose a game variation (1–8): F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Player 2 (in two-player games): T and G to move, A to fire
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
The game switches between two scenes. At the Pigs’ House, wolves drift down into the valley hanging from balloons. Pop the balloon and the wolf falls. Any wolf that lands safely climbs the steps and attacks Mama from behind, which costs you a life. In Wolf Valley the direction is reversed: the wolves float upwards, and if six of them reach the top they start dropping large rocks on Mama. When only five wolves are left in this scene, a boss wolf appears. Miss him and five more wolves float up.
The wolves fight back by throwing stones, and some carry shields. You can shoot the stones out of the air. From time to time a piece of meat appears at the top right. Move Mama up to it, let go of the joystick and push up again to take it, then throw it. A wolf that grabs for the meat lets go of its balloon, and knocking down a wolf this way scores four times as much as an arrow hit. You start with three lives and earn an extra one at 5,000 points.
| Target | Points |
|---|---|
| Balloon only | 5 |
| Stone | 10 |
| Wolf on a balloon (arrow) | 20 |
| Wolf on a balloon (meat) | 80 |
Game variations
There are eight games. Odd numbers are for one player and even numbers for two players taking turns. Games 1–4 have slow stones and games 5–8 fast ones. The variations also differ in how the stones travel: in some the wolves mix straight and curving throws, in others every stone flies in a curve.
Tips
- Start on the slow games. Games 1–4 have slow stones, which makes them the easiest way to learn the timing.
- Save the meat for groups. It is worth far more than an arrow, so use it when several wolves are close together.
- Don’t let wolves land. In the first scene, deal with the lowest wolf first, since he is closest to reaching the ground.
- Watch the count in Wolf Valley. Once you are down to five wolves the boss is on his way, and missing him brings five more.
- Shoot stones you can’t dodge. They are worth points and clearing one is often safer than moving.
History
The arcade original was designed by Tokuro Fujiwara, who later created Ghosts ‘n Goblins at Capcom, and was distributed in North America by Stern. On the 2600, Konami released Pooyan in North America alongside Strategy X and Marine Wars. In Europe, Gakken sold a PAL version, and in Germany it also appeared under the name Die Ente und der Wolf. The game was converted to many home systems, including the Atari 8-bit computers, the Commodore 64 and the Famicom.
Similar games to play next
- Strategy X – another 2600 cartridge published by Konami
- Marine Wars – Konami’s naval shooter for the 2600
- Kaboom! – quick reactions against things falling from above
- Carnival – a shooting gallery with targets that fight back
- Time Pilot – another Konami arcade game converted to the 2600