Pooyan (Japan)

In Pooyan, the player controls the main character, a mother pig (Mama Pig), whose mission is to protect her piglets from evil wolves. The game is set in a forest, where the mother pig stands on an elevator platform that can move up and down on the left side of the screen.

The core gameplay of Pooyan alternates between two distinct phases. In the first phase, wolves appear from the top of the screen, clinging to balloons as they slowly descend. The player's task is to shoot arrows upwards to pop their balloons. When a balloon is popped, the wolf falls to the ground and disappears. If a wolf manages to reach the ground at the bottom, they will attempt to kidnap a piglet. The player has a certain number of lives, usually represented by the number of remaining piglets.

The second phase of the level occurs when wolves begin climbing up from the right side of the screen via ladders or ropes. At this point, the mother pig moves to a different, higher position, and the player needs to shoot large rocks downwards to eliminate them before they can reach the top. The wolves can also throw rocks back at the mother pig, requiring the player to dodge or shoot down their projectiles.

Additionally, Pooyan features special bonus stages where wolves will throw fruit down. The player must hit these fruits to earn bonus points, while simultaneously avoiding rocks they throw. Score is a crucial element in Pooyan; players will strive to achieve the highest score possible. The game's difficulty increases with each level, presenting more wolves, faster movement, and more frequent rock throws, demanding good reflexes and strategy from the player.