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Pooyan

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In Pooyan, you play the role of a pig, protecting its piglets from wolves. The first screen takes place near the pigs' home. Mrs. Pig rides up and down in a cable car, shooting at wolves, who are riding balloons downward, towards the ground. If the wolves land safely on the ground, then they c...

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Developer
Konami

Released on
1982

Size
1–2 Players

Version
Arcade

Requirements
Arcade

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

In Pooyan, you play the role of a pig, protecting its piglets from wolves.

The first screen takes place near the pigs’ home. Mrs. Pig rides up and down in a cable car, shooting at wolves, who are riding balloons downward, towards the ground. If the wolves land safely on the ground, then they can climb a ladder, near the cable-car, and catch Mrs. Pig. But if she shoots their balloons, they splat on the ground instead.

The wolves shoot acorns at the pig. But Mrs. Pig has a food-based weapon too. If she gets to the top, she can get meat, to toss at the wolves and make them jump off their balloons in pursuit. Each wolf taken out this way is worth bonus points (on a doubling scheme: 400, 800, 1600…)

The second scene takes place at the wolves’ lair. Here, the wolves have reinforced balloons–it takes multiple hits to make them fall. Here they float upwards toward a big rock, which they push on top of Mrs. Pig, when seven wolves are present. Additionally, an alpha wolf (wolf leader) appears and summons wolves in packs.

Pooyan

Overview & History

Released by Konami in 1982, Pooyan is a delightfully quirky fixed-shooter arcade game that subverts traditional dark themes into a vibrant, fablesque battle between a mother pig and a hungry pack of wolves. Developed during Konami's golden age of arcade innovation, the game stands out for its charming aesthetic—complete with a whimsical, loop-based rendition of the traditional Hebrew song 'Ma'oz Tzur'—and its inventive, dual-layered stage design. Unlike standard shoot-'em-ups, Pooyan requires players to master trajectory, physics, and timing across alternating level archetypes, cementing its status as a distinct cult classic of the early '80s arcade era.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Players control Mama Pig stationed inside a vertical rope-operated elevator on the right side of the screen, tasked with defending her defenseless piglets from waves of balloon-riding wolves descending from the treetops. Mama Pig is armed with a bow and arrow, but she can also utilize chunks of meat to knock out massive clusters of adversaries in one heavy strike. The game features distinct stage variations: the standard vertical descent phase, a mirrored phase where wolves attack from cliffs using rocks, and a climactic boss stage featuring a massive balloon-shielded mother wolf. Success demands precise spatial awareness, as running out of arrows requires catching dropped ammunition, and letting wolves reach the ground allows them to construct ladders to ambush you from behind.