Arcade Castle

In the first episode of Onomatocodeia, Arcade Castle looks at the first board game adaptation of a video game in the form of Crazy Climber, the board game by Bandai from 1981 as part of their Party Joy board game series. Crazy Climber ( クレイジークライマー ) is an arcade title released by Nichibutsu in 1980 in Japan and 1982 in the United States via Taito. The arcade title has you, the player, climbing a series of towers, navigating hazards, and attempting to reach the hovering helicopter at the roof. Crazy Climber has seen a number of ports over the years (including the Famicom, Sharp X68000, Playstation 2, Playstation 4, and the Nintendo Switch), as well as a number of sequels (Crazy Climber 2, Hyper Crazy Climber, Crazy Climber 2000, and Crazy Climber Wii). However, in 1981, the board game adaptation was released in Japan. With a cardboard skyscraper that nearly reaches two feet in height serving as the game board, players will be encountering one another as often as they encounter th