Circus Charlie (サーカスチャーリー Sākasu Chārī) is an action arcade game published by Konami in 1984. The player controls a clown named Charlie in (depending on the versions) five or six different circus-themed minigames.
In the game there are six regular stages (five in certain home ports) you can choose to play in your preferred order (plus an extra stage that is unlocked if various minigames are played) of differing tasks that are to be completed by Charlie. Grabbing money bags, performing dangerous tricks, avoiding enemies, completing stages, etc., earns Charlie points. After the sixth stage is completed, the game starts over again but with a faster pace and more difficult (but exactly the same in terms of task to be completed) levels.
The game was ported to many home consoles and computers of its day, including MSX and Famicom. It is also available for the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch as part of the Arcade Archives series.
Tropes that can be found in Circus Charlie:
- 1-Up: There are various hidden ways to obtain one, but the most usual one is reaching a high score.
- Adapted Out: The trampoline third stage was cut off from the MSX and Famicom ports.
- Bonus Stage: If enough minigames are played, it unlocks a version of the third minigame but set on water and with dolphins as enemies. This is not present in the MSX and Famicom versions.
- Endless Game: The game doesn't have an ending. Once the player beats the first five levels, they will play the sixth level over and over until they run out of lives.
- Devious Dolphins: In the secret minigame, you must avoid these or else you will lose a life.
- Every 10,000 Points: Certain score milestones grant player extra life.
- Horse of a Different Color: The lion Charlie rides on the first minigame. Oddly enough, Charlie rides an actual horse in the fifth minigame.
- Press X to Not Die: A variation. Press the left button in the fifth minigame slows down the horse's speeds.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: The music comes from "American Patrol" by F.W. Meacham and "The Blue Danube" by Johann Strauss II.
- Replay Mode: You can replay until five times the same level.
- Ring of Fire: Charlie jumps these with his lion in the first mini-game.
- Scoring Points: The game has a point system complete with high scores.
- Self-Duplication: At the end of the last minigame, after reaching his girlfriend, Charlie multiplies into various clones of himself. Only in arcades though.
- Songs in the Key of Panic: The music speeds up when the time gets low.
- Springs, Springs Everywhere:
- The third stage from the arcade consists entirely on Charlie jumping thought trampolines. Jumping too many times in one trampoline sends him flying off the stage, costing a life.
- Horse riding stage has springboard that give points when bounced on. These give only a tiny bounce.
- Rope and trampoline stage has trampolines that launch the player in the air.
- Stock Money Bag: In one of the stages, there are dollar bags inside rings of fire.
- Tightrope Walking: The monkey minigame has Charlie walking in one of these while he avoids the monkeys on the rope.
- Timed Mission: The player always runs against the clock in clearing each stage. Finish the stage, and they will be awarded bonus points based on the time left. Fail to do so, and they lose a life.
- Video-Game Lives: The game uses a life system.
