Kick (video game)

Kick / Kick Man
Kick / Kick Man
	The C64 port uses an alternate spelling.
Developer(s)	Midway
Publisher(s)	Midway (Arcade); Commodore (C64)
Designer(s)	John Pasierb
Composer(s)	Earl Vickers
Platform(s)	Arcade, Commodore 64
Release	NA: December 1981; 1982: C64
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single-player
Arcade system	Midway MCR-I

Short description: 1981 video game

Kick is an action video game where the player controls a clown on a unicycle catching falling balloons and Pac-Man characters on the clown's hat. It was released in arcades by Midway in 1981. The game was later renamed Kick Man (sometimes written as Kick-Man). Commodore published a Commodore 64 port in 1982 without the space in the title as Kickman.^[2]

Gameplay

The player controls a clown on a unicycle who moves left and right along the bottom of the screen. Balloons dislodge from several rows at the top and fall. The goal is to catch them on the clown's hat. As the stack of caught ballons grows taller, it becomes more difficult to catch them on the first try. If a balloon falls below the top of the stack, pressing the "kick" button when near the clown's feet launches it back into the air. The main character and ghosts from Pac-Man sometimes stand-in for balloons, having different effects. If an object hits the ground, then the player loses a life.

Kick also has a bonus stage.^[3]

Ports

In 1982, an Atari 2600 version of the game was commissioned by Midway as part of a planned attempt at entering the home video game market. Ultimately deciding against it, Midway sold the port to CBS Electronics, where, despite being nearly complete, it was cancelled for unknown reasons. In 2019, a prototype cartridge was discovered and the ROM was released online.^[4]

Reception

Electronic Games wrote in 1983 that the game had been unsuccessful despite "top-notch background graphics and special sounds for effects. Can you imagine a game featuring Pac-Man that didn't make it? Kick Man is it."^[5] The Commodore 64 version was somewhat better received, gaining a Certificate of Merit in the category of "1984 Best Arcade-to-Home Video Game/Computer Game Translation" at the 5th annual Arkie Awards.^[6]^:29