How to play Beany Bopper online
- Move the Bopper: arrow keys
- Fire the stun gun: Space bar – tap for a single long-range shot, hold for short-range rapid fire
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Choose option 1 or 2: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Pause and resume: F2 (the console’s Colour/B-W switch)
Gameplay
The stun gun fires in the direction the Bopper is moving. Hit a Beany and it is frozen for a moment; fly into it while it is stunned to capture it. Along the way, objects drop from the top of the screen, and these can be stunned and captured too. Later, Bouncing Orange Eyes join in and ricochet around the playfield. They are worth the most, but they are also the most dangerous.
Stunning anything earns a few points, but the real score comes from captures. A captured Beany is worth 100 points plus the current challenge level, falling objects are worth more the higher the level, and an Orange Eye is worth twice as much as an object. There are seven challenge levels, and you climb them by scoring points. You start with four Boppers and get a bonus one for catching four Beanies in a row without losing a life, up to three in reserve. The game ends when your last Bopper is destroyed.
There are two options. In option 1 the Beanies bounce off the blocks; in option 2 they fly straight through them, which makes them much harder to corner. The difficulty switches are not used.
Tips
- Shoot from a distance, then close in. A single tap reaches further than rapid fire, so stun first and then fly in for the catch.
- Chase the streak. Four captures in a row without dying gives you an extra Bopper.
History
Beany Bopper came out in September 1982. It was designed by Mark Turmell, then around 20 years old, and programmed by Grady Ward at Sirius Software, which developed the cartridge for 20th Century Fox’s games label. Reviews were mixed: a 1983 reviewer found it challenging and fun, while a later retrospective criticised its very simple graphics and sound.
Similar games to play next
- Fast Eddie – another Sirius Software game published by 20th Century Fox
- Alien – a Fox maze game with a similar mix of chasing and fleeing
- Berzerk – shoot in any direction while moving through a room full of enemies
- Wizard of Wor – another fast shooter in a field full of walls