How to play Thwocker online
- Steer the conductor: left and right arrow keys
- Small bounces: hold the down arrow key
- High bounce: press the up arrow key as the conductor touches the ground
- Skip across the level: Space bar
- 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
The floors of each maze are springy, so the conductor never stops bouncing. Your job is to pick up the musical notes in the right order while musical instruments roam the maze as enemies. Bounce into the wrong kind of note and you rebound off it, often straight into an enemy. Once every note is collected, you grab the treble clef at the top of the maze and the song starts to play.
That is where the prototype runs out. There is no known way to leave the first level. The code that lets you destroy enemies after finishing the song also destroys the exit, so the game appears to be unwinnable. A look at the program suggests you were meant to “combine” the song’s two voices somehow before exiting, but nobody has found out how.
Tips
- Stay low near enemies. Holding down keeps your bounces short and easier to control in tight spots.
- Save your high bounces. Use them only when you need to reach an upper platform, since they are hard to steer.
- Check the note order first. Touching the wrong note throws you across the screen, so plan your route before you jump.
The story behind Thwocker
Thwocker was one of Activision’s lost 2600 projects. A prototype turned up in a thrift shop in 2001, together with other prototypes. Charlie Heath, who owns the only other known copy, has said the game was about 80% complete when it was cancelled. Along with Kabobber, it fell victim to the collapsing video game market of 1984.
