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ColecoVision

Carnival

ColecoVision

ColecoVision

The goal of the game is to shoot at targets, while carefully avoiding running out of bullets. Three rows of targets scroll across the screen in alternating directions; these include rabbits, ducks, owls, and bonus items. If a duck target crosses the bottom row without being shot, it will come to ...

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Developer
Coleco Industries

Released on
1982

Size
1–2 Players

Version
ColecoVision

Requirements
ColecoVision

Downloads
Shooter

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

The goal of the game is to shoot at targets, while carefully avoiding running out of bullets. Three rows of targets scroll across the screen in alternating directions; these include rabbits, ducks, owls, and bonus items. If a duck target crosses the bottom row without being shot, it will come to life and begin flying down toward the player. Any ducks that reach the bottom of the screen in this manner will eat some of the player’s bullets. Objects also periodically appear among the targets that will give the player extra bullets or points when hit. A spinning wheel with eight pipes sits above the rows of moving targets; these pipes and all targets must be shot in order to complete the round.
At the end of each round, the player receives bonus points for all bullets remaining in his supply. He then plays a bonus round, where a large white bear with a target walks across the screen. Each time the bear is shot, it rears up for a second, then begins walking more quickly in the other direction. The object is to shoot the bear as many times as possible until it escapes off the screen. Following the bonus round, the next wave begins. Later bonus rounds add more bears to the screen.
In higher levels, there are more duck targets and fewer extra bullet targets, putting a premium on accurate shooting. The game ends when the player runs out of bullets.

Carnival

Overview & History

Released by Coleco in 1982 for the ColecoVision, *Carnival* is a masterful home port of Sega’s 1980 arcade classic. While early video games often revolved around space combat or maze navigation, this title brought the vibrant sights and sounds of a traditional shooting gallery straight to the living room. Utilizing the ColecoVision's impressive hardware capabilities for the era, the game captures the colorful aesthetic of a traveling fairground, complete with mechanical ducks, bonus targets, and an insatiable tally counter. Unlike many arcade conversions of the time, the ColecoVision edition retains the urgent pacing and cheerful yet haunting chiptune rendition of "The Carnival of Venice," creating an immersive, arcade-authentic experience that challenged players' reflexes and ammunition management.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core objective of *Carnival* is to shoot down a moving procession of targets across multiple scrolling tiers while carefully monitoring a limited supply of bullets. Players control a gun positioned at the bottom of the screen, firing upward at rows of wooden ducks, galloping horses, owls, and elusive bonus letters spelling out "BONUS." Strategically, every shot depletes the player's ammo reserve, which can be replenished by hitting specific coin slots or the rotating bonus wheel. A mischievous bear character periodically waddles onto the screen to eat the targets—and eat into the player's precious bullets—introducing an extra layer of panic and tactical prioritization. Each completed round pushes the player into increasingly frantic bonus stages and speeds up the mechanical menagerie, testing absolute precision under pressure.