Circus Charlie is a platform action game produced for the arcades by Konami of Japan in 1984. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1986.
This is one of the NES games I ever got to play during the late 1980s. I play this every time I got frustrated at not passing the levels of the other more challenging NES games just to cool off.
The Story
Charlie wished to join the circus, and it came true! Help him go through the difficult events by proving himself on the starter events, eventually doing the Trapeze Swinging which he always wanted to do. So, put on your best circus costume and guide little Charlie to his destiny!
The Graphics and Sound
The colors are cheery and child-friendly. They are quite simple and a bit silly, in fact, it is the basic theme of the game. It may look a little girly.
The background has a crowd and a circus elephant indoor. It is repetitive.
The music is so damn catchy and memorable! It goes in a loop but will stick in your brain. The other sound effects are just the basic fare needed for the action.
The Gameplay
The game has simple controls. You only need the “A” button to jump and the directional keys.
You are a young Clown that has to do a lot of Circus stuff. The tasks are simple: Jumping into Fire Rings, dodging Monkeys on a rope, jumping from giant ball to giant ball, and dodging other things while riding a horse while standing up.
The events are quite easy, and the thing is to do it as fast as you can. Most of the time you are holding the forward button while pressing jump, again until you got to the end. At that moment you are congratulated with bonus points and the crowd rooting for you.
The “B” mode is the harder part if you think the game is a silly piece of cake.
Playing the “2 player Mode” switches each time a player looses a life. The one with the better score at the end wins the game.
My Verdict
Circus Charlie is a simple, yet entertaining game but it won’t last for long. It can provide you with half hour of fun with the kids. Otherwise, avoid it if you hate its childish theme.
Go and enjoy it with the kids on the NES or on emulators.
Upvoted by HGC!