WANTED: Feedback for K.C. Munchkin!

[Dauber]

I'm looking for feedback for the next episode of the Atari 7800 Homebrew Podcast (you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or use this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/homebrew78 )

What are your thoughts on K.C. Munchkin! on the 7800 or memories of playing it on the Odyssey²?

This game will be covered on Episode 2.

You can also e-mail text or audio to homebrew78 -at- fab4it -dot- com

[Trebor]

Having zero experience playing the original on the O2, my initial thought when first seeing the game and learning of its development was it is a 'cheap' Pac-Man clone.

Playing the game and getting a feel for it, and its play style mechanics, while there is an undeniable similarity with Pac-Man, this is a very good game in its own right with considerable and distinct differences.

Off the bat, there are no patterns that can be memorized as an easy way to complete any of the mazes. KC is more like Ms. Pac-Man in this regard, including a variety of maze layouts; like the aforementioned, there are four different ones.

The key though involves understanding that unlike any of the Pac-Man maze series of games, a player cannot change direction on a whim. KC moves in a grid-like pattern throughout the maze*. Once a direction has been selected, KC must complete moving into that next grid space before selecting a new direction.

For those familiar with the Arcade classic Q*bert in which once a direction is selected to hop to, Q*bert must land on that cube, in that chosen direction, before being able to select a new direction, KC moves with a similar movement rule set. There is no way of changing Q*bert's direction midair, and there is no way of changing KC's direction when travelling to the next grid space.

That gameplay movement mechanics coupled with the typical, trying to plan your movement ahead of time while the "munchers" are coming for you, is one of the ways it is very similar to, yet very different from, (Ms) Pac-Man.

Unlike the familiar Arcade games, KC only has twelve dots ("pills") in each maze. Three pills at a time come together at the start of a new maze to form four groups. The pills though, move throughout the maze. Last pill remaining is extra challenging as it moves at the same speed of KC and cannot simply be followed and eaten, it must be intercepted. There are flashing pills which turn the tables on the “munchers” in the same way energizers allow Pac-Man to turn the tables on the “monsters”.

Players have the choice of which of the 4 mazes they wish to play, or make it random. There is also a level editor for individuals to design their own maze. Last but not least, when and if one 'masters' the four mazes of the game, the invisible maze option ramps up the challenge considerably.

KC Munchkin goes above and beyond the O2 experience by not only providing gameplay mechanics that are spot on to the original**; additionally, there is the choice of graphics. Default graphics being the updated set for the 7800. Hold down the Pause button on the console while powering on the system, then throughout the BIOS check/logo, and the original O2 graphics will appear.

While it may not be for everyone, especially if one finds themselves insisting to try movement and planning just like (Ms) Pac-Man, if the game can be seen and appreciated as its own standalone experience, it is a rewarding one and worth the endeavor. KC Munchkin is a fun and addicting title.

Footnotes:

*Defender_2600 did an excellent job in illustrating the grid of KC Munchkin here.

**High praises for the game came from The Odyssey2 Homepage using terms to describe the 7800 port as:

"...impressively accurate...faithfully recreates...strikingly accurate.”

[Trebor]

Double post, sorry.

[Jinks]

As a player who sucks at all pac man variants example can only clear 3-5 boards on any pacman kc munchkin is brutally hard as it gives you only one life.

It is basically power up console 7 seconds later game over and repeat. I think I lasted 20-25 seconds once.

Movements, graphics, gameplay, sounds, all accurate and great.

It comes down to I suck at maze chase games. I was more of a donkey kong / pole position / scramble/ fighting game person and still am.

My favorite maze game is ms. pac man as the energizer pill sound is pleasant to the ears unlike pac man which makes the hair on my neck stand out. But anyways this has nothing to do with kc.

[+save2600]

Some random thoughts:

 

Had a friend BITD that had an O2. Didn't think much of KC Munchkin at the time, but gave it another go when I got into collecting years later. There's more to the game than meets the eye and am glad Bob ported it to the 7800 as it really is fun! Solid game for sure.

 

Even though movement is based on a grid, I don't remember the O2 version being as "sticky" as the 7800 version is. Have the impression the O2 version is a little more fluid somehow, but the slight difficulty in handling on the 7800 is largely overlooked as you get used to it.

 

I like the updated look of the characters, but appreciate the option to play with original graphics via the startup trick.

 

The choice to retain the name entry on the bottom of the screen, really helps in honoring the spirit of the Odyssey 2.

 

The O2 system itself is full of charm and to this day, has a small handful of games that are worthy of porting to other systems. Would really like to see KC's Krazy Chase next. Now that was a game I always liked and would be a nice companion follow-up to his KC Munchkin port.

[gambler172]

For me a solid game.....

[+sramirez2008]

I've never played the Odyssey and this is one of the few games from PMP that I don't own, so I can't offer any feedback, but will be interested in everyone's else's to determine whether or not to buy this game down the road.

 

Thanks for the podcast.

[BydoEmpire]

I sold my O2 collection a few years ago, and KC Munckin was one of the (few) games I missed, so I was very happy to pick up the 7800 port. The 7800 port captures the gameplay of the original, and i like the random maze option. Each maze feels very different in KC Munchkin. Because KC moves square-to-square, can't turn on a pixel like in Pac Man, but that's just part of the game. It's been a while since I've played the original, but if the 7800 version is a little stickier I don't think it's a big difference. I haven't had any issues playing it.

 

KC Munchkin doesn't have the polish and flair of other maze games, but it has a unique type of challenge and I enjoy it. The different mazes add a lot of variety, especially the "quadrant" maze.

 

I give it a solid.

[arcadegeek23]

I spent some time playing my copy on the 7800 and I enjoyed it. I do own a O2 and KC Munchkin on there as well but I really enjoy the 7800 port. I did also purchase the box upgrade for this game and really enjoy the artwork. The upgrades graphics are fun and colorful and add to the enjoyment on the more powerful 7800. As for gameplay, I will say I do suck at it however. My high score so far is 86. Need to keep practicing to get into a whopping three digits [emoji3]. I would give this a solid and recommend any 7800 owner pick up a copy.

[Dauber]

Thanks for your thoughts, everybody! Thursday, Jan. 12, noon CST will be the deadline for K.C. Munchkin! feedback, audio or textual. (You can submit video if you want, but this...is an audio podcast, so...kinda....would not translate very well!) Any feedback received after noon on Thursday will be addressed in the next episode, or if it's REALLY REALLY REALLY late (like, say, two weeks later!) I'll address it in an episode after the next!

[+S.D.W.]

I remember when it came out (it along with Pick Axe Pete!, UFO!, and Quest for the Rings) that it really made people take another look at the Odyssey2, it did generate a fair amount of buzz at the time. I remember thinking how much better it looked and played compared to the lame version of Pac-Man Atari released for the VCS. It was one of the few games (along with titles those I mentioned earlier) that made me jealous of that one kid in the neighborhood who had an O2. It was definitely one of the O2's killer apps. I also recall hearing at the time about the lawsuit brought against it by Atari and I thought that was pretty lame.

[toiletunes]

It's one less reason to search for an O2. It looks good and plays well.

Edited January 8, 2017 by toiletunes

[arcadegeek23]

 

The O2 system itself is full of charm and to this day, has a small handful of games that are worthy of porting to other systems. Would really like to see KC's Krazy Chase next. Now that was a game I always liked and would be a nice companion follow-up to his KC Munchkin port.

I second the request for some additional ports with KC's crazy chase and I would add to that Killer Bees, Pick Axe Pete and UFO.

[bikeguychicago]

I only played KC in my youth and then, only sparingly. One of my friends was the only kid in the neighborhood to have an Odyssey2 (as I was with the Intellivision) and he lived a few blocks away. From what I remember of the game, I found it a bit simpler than Pac-Man but also found that it had its own challenges. I especially liked the option of creating your mazes via the Odyssey keyboard.

 

My friend also had KC's Crazy Chase, which I found to be a bit more challenging and original than Munchkin.

 

I don't have the 7800 home-brew at present so I can't comment on that. However, if I were to acquire it, it would pretty much be a new experience for me at this point, having only clouded memories of the original.

 

Comparing KC against the 2600 Pac-Man, I really don't see that much in common with the 2600 game other than a character eating dots in a maze. Somehow I think if the lawsuit which Atari brought against Magnavox was heard in the courts today, Atari's claim would be thrown out and KC would live another day.

Edited January 9, 2017 by bikeguychicago

[bradhig1]

KC munchkin is awesome. A lot different then pacman. Now all we need is from Kc maze chase to be ported to the 7800

[Stun Runner 87]

I'm looking for feedback for the next episode of the Atari 7800 Homebrew Podcast (you can find it on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or use this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/homebrew78 )

What are your thoughts on K.C. Munchkin! on the 7800 or memories of playing it on the Odyssey²?

This game will be covered on Episode 2.

 

You can also e-mail text or audio to homebrew78 -at- fab4it -dot- com

To make things short and simple, KC Munchkin for the 7800 is an instant classic.

Fun, fastpaced, cool sprites, and very addictive.

Depending on your skills, it can be game over rather quickly, but it's a game you might play 30 times in 30 minutes. So keep the console real close to where you sit,because you'll need the reset button close.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Stun Runner 87

[PacManPlus]

Thanks for the kind words, guys That game (and Pick Axe Pete) always got play on my friend's O2. Please note that the movement by 'grid-like' pattern was purposely added in to make it as faithful to the O2 version as possible.

Also, by holding 'Pause' upon startup (until you get the title screen), you will see the original O2 graphics. ... BTW, I still don't understand the game-play mechanics of KC's Crazy Chase, having never played it.

 

P.S. - Sorry I haven't been on much lately, but I am working on a project. As soon as I am allowed to reveal what the project is, I will. It will most likely be at least a few months though.

 

Love to all!

Edited January 12, 2017 by PacManPlus

[bikeguychicago]

 

P.S. - Sorry I haven't been on much lately, but I am working on a project. As soon as I am allowed to reveal what the project is, I will. It will most likely be at least a few months though.

 

Love to all!

So is this the part we hijack the thread and post things like 'first' and 'Put me down for 23 copies'? Or is that only in the Intellivision Forum?

[Jinks]

So is this the part we hijack the thread and post things like 'first' and 'Put me down for 23 copies'? Or is that only in the Intellivision Forum?

We usually ask for a cart but we don't buy 5 copies each to hoard and resell like intellivision guys.

Can't wait to see what the project is!!