How to play Sky Skipper online
- Fly the plane: arrow keys (up, down, left and right)
- Drop a bomb: Space bar
- Choose game 1, 2 or 3: F11 (Select)
- Plane speed: F4 (left difficulty switch; A is faster, B is slower)
- Start a new game: F12 (Reset)
Gameplay
The gorillas have locked up a cat, a turtle, a rabbit and a duck. Fly over a gorilla and drop a bomb to knock it off its feet; that opens the cage doors nearby. You then have only a short time to fly down and pick up the freed animals before the gorilla recovers and the cages shut again.
Your plane has to stay inside the flying course. Hitting a wall, a gorilla or one of the white clouds that appear in your path destroys it, and so does running out of fuel. A yellow bar shows your fuel, which drains the whole time you fly. Rescue one of each animal in a row and the tank fills up completely. You start with four planes and earn another every 10,000 points. Once you have rescued all the animals, play starts again with a new set at a harder level.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Knocking down a gorilla | 10 |
| Rescuing an animal | 100 |
| Rescuing one cat, turtle, rabbit and duck in a row | 500 |
Game 1 is the easiest and gives you just the tricky flying course. Game 2 adds clouds in the sky, and Game 3 adds clouds and a faster plane.
Tips
- Collect in sets. A cat, turtle, rabbit and duck in a row is worth 500 bonus points and refills your fuel, so plan your route around the next animal type you need.
- Be ready to dive. Drop the bomb only when you can reach the open cage quickly; the gorilla does not stay down for long.
- Start on switch B. The slower plane speed makes the narrow passages much easier while you learn the course.
- Treat clouds like walls. Touching any part of a cloud is a crash, so give them plenty of room.
The story behind Sky Skipper
Nintendo released Sky Skipper in Japanese arcades in July 1981, the same month as Donkey Kong. Parker Brothers secured the rights to a home version as part of its licensing deal for Popeye, and released the 2600 cartridge in April 1983. The home port is simpler and blockier than the arcade game. Modern reviewers have found it fun for chasing high scores but short on variety. The cartridge was also sold in several other countries, including Brazil, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Similar games to play next
- Popeye – the Nintendo licence that brought Sky Skipper to Parker Brothers
- Donkey Kong – Nintendo’s other 1981 gorilla game
- Barnstorming – Activision’s biplane race through barns
- Sky Jinks – low-level flying around obstacles
- Super Cobra – another Parker Brothers arcade port with a fuel gauge