Clu Clu Land

Clu Clu Land is built on a single movement idea that nothing else at the time used: you cannot walk. Bubbles swims through the level and the only way to change direction is to grab a post, swing around it, and let go facing the other way.

That makes every screen a routing problem rather than a shooting one. The level is full of gold bars, and collecting them all reveals the hidden shape drawn underneath - which is why the levels look like abstract patterns until you clear them. A timer punishes dithering, and the Unira urchins expand their spikes when you pass near them, so swinging into a post that an enemy is sitting on is a real risk. Bubbles can also fire a short pulse to stun enemies, which is the only defensive option and has to be used before a swing. It is a first-party Nintendo game from the Famicom's first year, with a two-player alternating mode, and it holds up better than almost anything else from that launch period.

• ▸Direction only changes by swinging around posts - there is no walking
• ▸Clearing the gold bars reveals a hidden shape in each stage
• ▸Unira enemies expand their spikes as you approach
• ▸A stun pulse as the only defence, on a fire-and-commit basis