How to play Cabbage Patch Kids online
- Run left and right: left and right arrow keys
- Jump: Space bar (the joystick button)
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
You guide Anna Lee, a Cabbage Patch Kid, through a park in a side-scrolling obstacle course, a little like Pitfall!. Each level has ten scenes, and you must get through all of them before the timer runs out. In your way are bouncing balls, pits full of water, floating platforms, bees and fires. Trampolines let you bounce up into the trees, where hidden objects give you extra points.
Don’t be fooled by the friendly theme. The game is surprisingly demanding, and its origin explains why: the ColecoVision version was developed by Konami and adapted from Athletic Land, an existing game for MSX computers, rather than designed from scratch for young children.
Tips
- Learn one scene at a time. Save a state at the start of a tricky scene so you can practise it without replaying the whole level.
- Watch the timer, not just the hazards. The time limit covers all ten scenes, so don’t spend too long in one place.
- Treat the trees as a bonus. The hidden objects only add points, so skip them if time is short.
The story behind the prototype
Collectors knew for years that a 2600 version existed. Former Coleco programmer Ed English had mentioned it in an interview and was believed to own a copy, but he never released it. Then in 2008 a batch of Coleco EPROM chips was found at a flea market in California, and several held different builds of the game, from a non-playable demo dated May 1984 to final versions from 13 September 1984. They were made public soon afterwards.
The game appears to have been a victim of the video game crash: by the time it was finished, Coleco had stopped making 2600 games. Reviewers of the prototype were impressed. It keeps the gameplay of the ColecoVision version and even plays a background tune, which few 2600 games did.
Similar games to play next
- Pitfall! – Activision’s side-scrolling jungle adventure with a similar feel
- Smurf Rescue in Gargamel’s Castle – another Coleco 2600 game full of jumps
- Jungle Hunt – run, swing and jump through a series of scenes