"He's strong to the finish 'cause he eats his spinach!"

America’s favorite sailor needed his own arcade game, don’t you think? After going overseas to fight against Nazis and the Japanese, Popeye would return home to amuse us with his domestic issues. Teaching his girlfriend, Olive Oyl, to drive proved to be a hilarious scenario. Trying to keep his father, Poopdeck Pappy, from frequenting dancehalls late at night also turned out to be a comical experience. Through times of war and times of peace, Popeye the Sailorman was adored by audiences, including me. Giving him his own game wouldn’t be such a bad idea. As it turns out, Popeye did get his own game… a pretty good one at that!

The game holds true to Popeye’s most distinguishing situation; the love triangle that involves himself, Olive Oyl, and the always mean spirited Brutus. As the game begins, you are treated to the storyline. Brutus boldly proposes to Olive but is given the cold shoulder, as she turns away to profess her devotion to our hero, Popeye, who holds a daisy to his beloved. For those of you who haven’t seen a Popeye cartoon (or were just born a couple years ago), Brutus doesn’t take kindly to rejection and usually vents his anger in the form of duking it out with Popeye. Now the game begins with Brutus bent on beating Popeye (you) to a pulp.

The stages are divided into floors that are connected via stairways or ladders. On the very top floor (which is inaccessible for Popeye or Bluto) stands Olive who will toss down various items such as hearts, musical notes, and the letters H E L P (she gets kidnapped on the last stage). While avoiding Brutus and the bottles he lobs (these can be punched and broken), Popeye must collect these various items. When enough are collected, Popeye can move onto the next stage. However, there are other threats to Popeye. Another one of Popeye’s enemies makes an appearance (to be honest, several appearances simultaneously) on the game. In addition to Brutus, the infamous witch known as the Sea Hag has come to make Popeye’s quest even more difficult. If you remember, the Sea Hag had a crush on Popeye, only to be rejected. I guess this makes the whole thing a love quadrilateral or something. Scorned and angry, she will magically appear onstage in groups of two or four to lob bottles at Popeye. Later, she’ll employ skulls that bounce around the stage floors. Also the Sea Hag’s vulture, Bernard is here. Not only does he kidnap Olive and strand her on the highest mast of the Sea Hag’s ship, but he’ll also swoop down Popeye. Another threat is losing Olive’s items. When the items fall to the bottom floor of all three stages, they begin to sink in the water. If Popeye doesn’t collect them in time, the item will be lost and so will Olive’s love. But fear not! Popeye has allies too! On the second stage, Sweet Pea and Wimpy (who will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today) make an appearance. Wimpy contributes to Popeye’s cause by catapulting him up to Sweet Pea, who is floating high in the air with a balloon. Touch Sweet Pea, and he’ll reward Popeye with extra points. And last but not least, is Popeye’s trusty can of spinach. After eating this, he will gain invincibility for awhile. It is then he can pound Brutus across the screen, and knock him into the water for a short time. Also during this time, the point totals for collecting items are doubled, so with Brutus temporarily out of the picture, Popeye can collect items for even more points. To think, Popeye must endure all this for the affection of a woman that has the body of a microphone stand. Oh well, I guess love IS blind.

:::RATINGS:::

Graphics- 8/10
What a great job in this category. All of the characters are represented as they are in the cartoons. Olive is thin, Brutus and Wimpy are hefty, Sweet Pea is adorable, the Sea Hag is ugly, and Popeye sports his huge arms, projecting chin, and most importantly his pipe. Nintendo, the maker of this game, was also good enough to capture their colorful costumes as seen on many of the feature cartoons. The level designs are also nifty. Olive’s house, the city streets, and the Sea Hag’s ship are all unique stages.

Sound- 8/10
The cartoon-like sound effects greatly compliment the graphics. I can’t describe them at the moment, but rest assured they are far superior than the bleeps and bloops of other games of its time. At the title screen, Popeye’s theme music is played, complete the double toot of his pipe at the end. A slower tempo version is played during the proposal scene at the beginning of the game. My favorite tune is the one played on the street stage when Popeye collects all of the musical notes.

Gameplay- 9/10
You’d have to play it to appreciate the fun that comes from the game. Simply looking at someone play it, and then pass it off as unentertaining is a gaming sin! This game’s mechanics are so simple that a minute or two of playing will prove to be advantageous to you. The challenge is also a good part of the game. With Brutus, Sea Hag, and Bernard trying to pulverize you, the game gets exciting. Getting caught between a volley of bottles from Brutus and Sea Hag requires a bit of fast acting with the punch button and the joystick. Seeing other King Features Syndicate characters like Sweet Pea and Wimpy add so much to gameplay, particularly when they can aid Popeye with points and escape routes. The difficulty does get tougher as Popeye advances, so an increase in brainpower is more than welcomed by any good gamer.

Overall- 9/10
This game was released to compliment the movie of the same name that starred Robin Williams (Popeye), Shelley Duvall (Olive Oyl), and Paul Smith (Brutus). It was a great movie, but the game is a more enjoyable experience. The characters with their original outfits, and the great gameplay are what make this game one of my arcade favorites.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/03, Updated 05/27/03