Moai-kun [Model KDS-M9]

????? © 1990 Konami Industry Company, Limited.
(Moai-kun)

Moai-kun is a cute action/puzzle game by Konami. Moai-kun, a monolithic and cute Easter Island statue that any fan of Gradius will almost immediately recognize, sets on a quest to rescue his friends from the clutches of the hideous Skull King and his minions. The goal of the game is simple - in each screen, Moai must rescue his trapped friends and then escape through an exit door within a time limit. As expected, the path forward is far from clear of obstacles and each level features a number of enemies and hazards to overcome. Additionally Moai Kun is entirely made out of stone and this greatly hampers his ability to jump... Despite his best efforts, our hero can only make tiny jumps and is barely able to reach platforms directly in front of him. Although jumping is not his best asset, his unique constitution allows him to use his incredibly hard head to move boulders, break blocks or head-butt his enemies. To further help him in his quest, Moai Kun can also carry a limited supply of bombs (usually scattered around each level) and use them to obliterate breakable blocks beneath him. The game of course features a full variety of gameplay elements, such as spikes, springs (hi-jumps), Earthquake Stones (stunt enemies for a short amount of time) or special blocks (such as indestructible, collapsing or icy platforms). Finally, it is also worth noting that Moai Kun is a puzzle game at heart and getting stuck is a common occurrence... For this reason, the game provides the player with an option to commit instant suicide. Moai Kun consists of fifty six increasingly mind-bending levels and the game awards the player with a short six-digit password (every four levels or so) in order to save his progress.