Yes, living computer chips and sentient viruses.
Electronic Popple is a 1997 MS-DOS Beat 'em Up game made by Korean company ByteShock Software and published by Capcom. And it takes place inside a computer.
…no, we don't mean a digitalized, video-game environment generated by a CPU inside the computer which made up part of an arcade machine or video game console. We mean, in a literal computer - where everything is andromorphic and alive.
You are MIN and MAX, a pair of computer Anti-Virus microchips, tasked with defending a CPU from invading viruses, as you travel around the CPU world across numerous levels filled with sentient virus opponents as well as malfunctioning software and computer parts that needs repairing. By punching them into submission.
Electronic Popple contains examples of:
- Action Bomb: The computer virus bomb enemy late in the game (depicted as a sentient Cartoon Bomb) whose sole attack is blowing itself up. Getting blasted at point blank sends MIN and MAX flying across the screen while dealing a lot of health damage.
- Animate Inanimate Object: The game is set in a world where computer programs, software, and viruses are alive.
- Battle in the Rain: One of the stages is set in the middle of heavy rain, where MIN and MAX fights viruses and malfunctioning software amidst heavy downpour, despite being set inside a computer. Maybe it's Disc Defragmentation?
- Bottomless Pit Rescue Service: Early in the game, you can release a fellow Anti-Virus chip from his cell, and the chip promises to help you should you fall later on. From then on the chip will carry you back after falling offscreen, minus some health. Not saving him means falling costs you a life outright.
- Charged Attack: MIN and MAX can pull one off by holding the punch button, where they will cock back their fists before throwing a charged punch.
- Computer Virus: Sentient, andromorphic computer viruses, which forms majority of the game's enemies. They come in a variety of designs too, from worms and bugs and even bombs.
- Conveyor Belt o' Doom: There are levels containing conveyer belts leading to Bottomless Pits, that MIN and MAX must get off before they fall. They could get really fast in later levels.
- Edge Gravity: MIN and MAX will balance precariously when they're near an edge, trying not to fall. Keep them that way for too long and they will fall over. Mooks also have this animation on them at times.
- Floating Limbs: MIN and MAX, both being sentient computer chips, are depicted in this manner. Most of the regular virus mooks as well.
- Furry Confusion: The non-animal variety of this trope applies when you're a living microchip in a world where the internal CPU of a computer is alive, and yet there still exists control panels, circuit boards, levers and buttons to pres, capacitors and and other non-living computer software.
- Goomba Stomp:
- One of the possible ways of taking down virus mooks without punching or kicking. In fact, for Mini Mook-grade enemies, jumping and stepping on their heads is the only way to defeat them.
- The Giant Capacitor boss will attempt to pull this trope on you.
- Interface Screw: The cloudy level have dark, stormy clouds periodically floating over the screen blocking your view. Said level just happens to be filled with platforms, pitfalls and dangerous enemies, though at least your flying Anti-Virus buddy is around to grab you when you fall.
- Laser Blade: One of the later bosses have a lightsaber-like weapon which it use to slice you apart.
- Laser Hallway: One stage late into the game have laser-projectors (indestructible ones) at knee-level alongside a long corridor that must be quickly jumped over to avoid getting hit.
- No Body Left Behind: Defeated programs are "deleted", hence every eliminated mook simply puffs away without leaving any trace of existing.
- Non-Indicative Name: Despite their names, MAX is hardly larger than MIN - they're both roughly the same size in-game.
- Rolling Attack: One of the enemies (modeled after a giant nut) will roll itself forward as an attack, dealing far greater damage than punches. It's impossible to stop this attack once it's in motion, the best way is to jump or dodge and wait for it to slow down before retaliating.
- Shows Damage: Bosses will visibly crack apart and start breaking when their health is significantly reduced.
- Snowlems: Towards the end of the game when the computer's interior inexplicably start snowing, some viruses will take the form of snowmen before attacking.
- Spring Coil: You can obtain spring-coiled shoes for MIN or MAX to access hard-to-reach areas, or make the process of Goomba Stomp easier.
- Visual Pun: The "worm" viruses are designed to look like literal worms. There are also software bugs that looks like literal bugs.
- Weaponized Headgear: There's a mook resembling an andromorphic bolt, with a floating screw for a hat which it will throw at MIN and MAX as a special attack.
