Yeah, that blue cyclops-thing? That's you.
Mutant Night is a 1987 Run-and-Gun arcade game produced by UPL, and probably one of the most bizarre, surreal, and weirdest arcade games of it's type.
Players assume the role of Mutron-kun, a one-eyed Oni whom, if the opening cinematics is any indication, is an experimental subject from a human laboratory escaping from captivity. In the twisting, labyrinthine maze of a laboratory containing various environments, Mutron-kun gets to blast his way through assorted enemies thanks to his single eye having the ability to fire energy bubbles, collecting various power-ups as he faces against assorted enemy mech.
See also Bio Ship Paladin and Atomic Robo-Kid for similar arcade games proiduced by the same company.
Mutant Night contains examples of:
- Advancing Boss of Doom: In every random level, there's a giant fish mecha who pursues Mutron-kun while firing missiles behind. Unlike other bosses the advancing fish can't be killed, the level ends with Mutron-kun reaching the exit.
- Cyclops: Mutron-kun is a one-eyed Oni, and his sole blue eye is his only facial feature.
- Defeat Equals Explosion: A hilarious variation - defeated enemies explode into strings of coloured bubbles. More often than not, the "Time Bonus" indicator at the end of each level will be displayed against a background of multicoloured bubbles.
- Double Jump: Due to his supernatural nature, Mutron-kun can perform double jumps, triple jumps, quadraple jumps... he can pretty much fly by repeatedly tapping the jump button, a necessary move in levels where his only way is to travel upwards while avoiding enemies.
- Eye Beams: How Mutron-kun takes down enemies in front of him.
- Giant Equals Invincible: Giant Mutron-kun can keep tanking hits and trample over enemies without any damage to his health. It lasts for around ten seconds before the giant effects wear off and Mutron-kun is back to regular size.
- Goomba Stomp: Another method for Mutron-kun to defeat enemies. Including squashing them flat in his giant form.
- Jump Physics: The physics in thsi game is off the rails, with Mutron-kun literally flying by jumping, and floating downwards instead of falling. Justified because of Mutron-kun's supernatural nature.
- Mecha-Mooks: All the enemy mooks are robotic or mechanical in nature.
- Mole Monster: The game has spherical, mechanical critters with chains for tails (which visually resembles the Chain chomp) popping up from underground to attack Mutron-kun. As they appear from literally out of nowhere, with NO visual indicators of the direction they're popping from, it's best to keep on jumping when in any areas infested with this particular enemy type.
- No Plot? No Problem!: You're a one-eyed ghostly Oni battling robots, and that's all the plot there is to the game.
- Self-Duplication: One of the power-ups allows Mutron-kun to split into nearly a dozen copies of himself, all attacking a single target simultaneously. The copies are invulnerable, to boot, at least until the effect wears off the the player is down to one mutant again.
- Sizeshifter: Likely the most useful of all power-ups. Mutron-kun can collect blue dots that him enlarge some thirty times in size, and simply trample all over enemies and obstacles without getting harmed, although after a short while the giant effects will wear off.
- SkeleBot 9000: Robotic skeletal monkeys are another recurring enemy threat.
- Spread Shot: Another power boost allows Mutron-kun to fire eight bubbles from his eye in an arc.
