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{{Short description|1983 video game}}
⚫ {{Infobox CVG
{{About||the Norwegian political incident|Bongo from Congo}}
⚫ |title = Congo Bongo <br> ''Tip Top''
⚫ {{Infobox video game
|image = ]
⚫ | title = Congo Bongo
|developer = ]
| image = Congo Bongo arcade flyer.jpg
|publisher = ]
| developer = ] <br> ]<ref name="Akagi">{{cite book |last1=Akagi |first1=Masumi |title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) |trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005) |date=13 October 2006 |publisher=Amusement News Agency |language=ja |location=Japan |isbn=978-4990251215 |pages=35, 131 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n36}}</ref>
⚫ |designer =
| publisher = {{vgrelease|JP/EU|Sega|NA|]<ref name="Akagi"/>}}
|release = ]
⚫ | designer =
|genre = ]/]
| release = {{vgrelease|JP|February 14, 1983<ref>{{cite web |title=Congo Bongo (Registration Number PA0000184737) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov/ |website=] |access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column|magazine=]|issue=209|publisher=]|date=1 April 1983|page=30|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830401p.pdf#page=16}}</ref>|NA|March 1983<ref name="Akagi"/>|EU|March 1983}}
⚫ |modes = Up to 2 players, alternating turns
| genre = ]
|cabinet = Upright
⚫ | modes = 1-2 players alternating turns
|arcade system = ] CPU @ 3.072 MHz <Br>] CPU @ 2 MHz <br>] audio @ 4 MHz
| platforms = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
|display = ], standard resolution (Used: 256 x 224 / Vertical) Palette Colors 256
|alt =
|input = ], 1 button
| platforms = ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
}} }}
'''''Congo Bongo''''' (]: {{nihongo|'''''Tip Top'''''|ティップタップ|Tippu Tappu}}) is an ] developed by ] and released by ] in ]. The game has come to be seen as Sega's answer to the highly successful '']'' game that was released two years prior. The player takes the role of a red-nosed ] ] who tries to catch an ] named "Bongo". The hunter seeks Bongo to enact revenge for an apparent ] in which Bongo set fire to the hunter's tent, giving him a literal "hotfoot". The game was a commercial failure when it was released.<ref>According to "Video Games Go Crunch!" in '']'' magazine October 17, 1983 issue, Congo Bongo was a commercial failure initially,</ref> but was popular enough to be ported to nearly ever major platform of the day including ]'s consoles, ], ], ], ] and ]. Most recently ''Congo Bongo'' received an ] and port on the ] as part of the compilation ''Sega Ages 2500 Vol 23: Sega Memorial Collection''.


{{nihongo foot|'''''Congo Bongo''''',|コンゴボンゴ|Kongo Bongo|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} also known as {{nihongo foot|'''''Tip Top''''',|ティップタップ|Tippu Tappu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a ] released as an ] by ] in 1983. A message in the ] indicates it was coded at least in part by the company ].<ref></ref><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312191324/http://d.hatena.ne.jp/bn2islander/20080817/1218980061 |date=2010-03-12}}; Thinking a bit about Donkey Kong, accessed 2009-02-01</ref><ref>{{Nihongo|It started from Pong|それは『ポン』から始まった: アーケードTVゲームの成り立ち|sore wa pon kara hajimatta: ākēdo terebi gēmu no naritachi}}, {{Nihongo|Masumi Akagi|赤木真澄|Akagi Masumi}}, {{Nihongo|Amusement Tsūshinsha|アミューズメント通信社|Amyūzumento Tsūshinsha}}, 2005, {{ISBN|4-9902512-0-2}}.</ref> The game is viewed in an ], like Sega's earlier '']'' (1982), but does not scroll. Numerous home ports followed.
⚫ == Gameplay ==
The gameplay is highly similar to other popular arcade games of the time, most notably '']'' and ''Donkey Kong'', but is viewed in an ] perspective. It is characteristic of early ]s, as the protagonist has no offensive abilities and depends on timing jumps and movement to avoid enemies, obstacles, and complete the level.


The player takes the role of a red-nosed safari explorer attempting to catch an ape named Bongo who set fire to the explorer's tent. The goal in each of the four screens is to move from the lower left corner to the location of the ape on the right or upper right. He must climb ledges, jump over water and gaps in the terrain, and avoid animal attackers.
⚫ ===Levels===
Like ''Donkey Kong'', the levels are composed of a series of four single screens that loop in a higher difficulty when completed.


⚫ ==Gameplay==
'''Screen 1: Primate Peak''' &ndash; This level most resembles '']''; the player must travel to the top of a hill while avoiding coconuts being thrown by a large ]. Also walking around the level are several small monkeys. If two or more of these monkeys attach to the player, the ] will be thrown off the cliff face.
{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2022}}
]


''Congo Bongo'' has similar elements and gameplay to Nintendo's '']'' from 1981, with the ] from Sega's '']'' released in Japan in early 1982. Both ''Congo Bongo'' and ''Donkey Kong'' involve primates who throw objects at the player from a vantage point atop a structure. Both games involve a large-nosed protagonist whose only ability is to jump. Both games have four different, single-screen stages. The goal of the first stage in both games is to climb to the top. Even the graphics of the bonus timer are similar to ''Donkey Kong''{{'}}s.
'''Screen 2: Snake Lake''' &ndash; This level contains a grassland that is connected to a series of square platforms with thin pathways between. The player must avoid scorpions on the grass, snakes on the platform, and time movement with ] in order to complete the level.


⚫ ===Stages===
'''Screen 3: Rhino Ridge''' &ndash; This level takes place in a wide-open ] environment where the player needs to navigate around ] charging in different directions. Stepping in the puddles results in death, but the player can hide in the empty holes. The rhinos can also be jumped over.
#In the first stage, the hunter must avoid coconuts thrown by Bongo and he has to climb a series of cliffs to reach the ape, while at the same time shaking off three monkeys that try to throw the hunter off the mountain.
#In the second stage, the hunter must cross a swamp platform by riding on the backs of diving and swimming hippopotamuses and avoiding both venomous snakes and scorpions.
#The third stage requires the hunter to cross a plain and crouch into holes to evade the horns of charging rhinoceroses, while climbing up large flights of stairs to proceed to the next area.
#In the fourth and final stage, the hunter crosses a second swamp with lily pads, fish, and hippos, to reach a gate of charging rhinos that are blocking the entrance to Bongo in a ].


The game repeats from the first level with increased difficulty.
'''Screen 4: Lazy Lagoon''' &ndash; This level closely resembles '']'', as the player must cross a body of water by walking on and off various ]s, logs, hippos, and large fish.


==Ports==
==Similarities to ''Donkey Kong''==
''Congo Bongo'' was ported to the ], ], ], ],<ref></ref> ], ] (first as a cartridge, then disk), ], ]s, ], ],<ref>, archive.org</ref> ], and ].<ref></ref> Sega's ports for the Atari 2600, 5200, Atari 8-bit, Intellivision, and Commodore 64 (cartridge version) include two of the four levels from the arcade original, while the ColecoVision release is missing the "Snake Lake" level.
* Both games involve ]s who throw objects at a protagonist from a vantage point on top of a structure.
* Both games have four different levels composed of one screen that re-start with a higher difficulty once completed.
*In the Donkey Kong Country TV series, the island where the show takes place is called Kongo Bongo Island, a possible reference to this game.


The Atari 2600 version was released in March 1984, while the ColecoVision version was released in October of the same year.<ref name="CE">{{cite magazine |title=Year-End Index |magazine=] |date=January 1985 |volume=3 |issue=10 |page=156 |url=http://www.ataricompendium.com/archives/newsletters/video_game_update/computer_entertainer_jan85.pdf#page=12}}</ref><ref>, atarimania.com</ref>
==Trivia==
* The game runs on the same hardware as '']'', another game featuring ].
* There is a board game called ''Bongo Kongo'' that also involves a gorilla and coconuts. More information is available .


==Ports== ==Reception==
In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Congo Bongo'' on their June 15, 1983 issue as being the fifth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)|magazine=]|issue=214|publisher=]|date=15 June 1983|page=27|lang=ja}}</ref> In the United States, '']'' magazine initially reported in 1983 that the arcade game was a commercial failure,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Alexander |first1=Charles P. |title=Video Games Go Crunch! |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,952210-2,00.html |magazine=] |date=October 17, 1983}}</ref> before it went on to become a popular arcade game according to ''Computer Games'' magazine in early 1985.<ref name="CG1985">{{cite magazine |title=1985 Software Buyer's Guide |magazine=Computer Games |date=February 1985 |volume=3 |issue=5 |publisher=Carnegie Publications |location=United States |pages=11–8, 51–8 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_5_1985-02_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n13/mode/2up}}</ref> The game went on to have a number of home conversions, which were commercially successful in the United States.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lendino |first1=Jamie |title=Attract Mode: The Rise and Fall of Coin-Op Arcade Games |date=27 September 2020 |publisher=Steel Gear Press |page=177 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d6wCEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA177}}</ref>
''Congo Bongo'' has been ported to many ]s, including the ] and the ]. The ] port contains only two of the four arcade levels: "The Great River" and "Jungle Mountain", while the ColecoVision version is missing "Snake Lake". This game is also an unlockable in the ] version of ]. When the ] port came out, it was a flop and was missing the second and third levels due to the 2600's ] limitations.

<gallery>
'']'' magazine gave the arcade game a generally favorable review. They called its concept of '']'' (1981) "in three dimensions" a "fascinating idea" while also noting the final level has similarities to '']'' (1981).<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Jungle Revenge in 3D: Tip Top |magazine=] |date=16 June 1983 |issue=21 (July 1983) |page=30 |url=https://www.solvalou.com/arcade/reviews/178/498}}</ref>
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:Coleco_Congo_Bongo.png|Congo Bongo on the ] {{deletable image-caption|1=Wednesday, 1 August 2007}} -->

Image:Apple_Congo_Bongo.gif|Congo Bongo on the ]
The home conversions received a mixed reception. The ColecoVision, Atari 5200 and Intellivision versions were awarded "Best Videogame Audio-Visual Effects" at the 1984 ].<ref>"1985 Arcade Awards" – ''Electronic Games'' January 1985, pages 22–28.</ref> '']'' in 1984 stated that ''Congo Bongo'' for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 "is fraught with problems; gameplay is repetitive, frustrating, tedious, inconsistent, and at times confusing, and the music not only got on my nerves but stomped on them. Plus, the whole thing is derivative".<ref name="hallassey198403">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/Ahoy_Issue_03_1984-03_Ion_International_US#page/n59/mode/2up | title=Congo Bongo | work=] | date=March 1984 | accessdate=27 June 2014 | author=Hallassey, Dan | pages=60}}</ref> ''Computer Games'' magazine gave the Atari VCS version a C− rating, calling the "VCS version of" the arcade game, "for the most part, a disappointment".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Reviews: Video Game Buyer's Guide |magazine=Computer Games |date=June 1984 |volume=3 |issue=2 |page=56 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_2_1984-06_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n54}}</ref> '']'' readers named the Atari version of the game the worst Atari program of 1983, even worse than the notorious '']''.<ref name="stgame19840304">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=6&id=16 | title=The Best and the Rest | work=] | date=Mar–Apr 1984 | accessdate=28 July 2014 | pages=49}}</ref>
</gallery>

==Legacy==
The original arcade release is included in the ] version of '']'' (as an unlockable game) and '']'' for ] and ]. An ] was released for the ] under the Sega Ages label as a part of ''Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 23: Sega Memorial Selection''.

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}}
<references/>


==External links == ==External links==
*{{StrategyWiki}} * {{KLOV game|id=7384}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130105806/http://www.thelogbook.com/phosphor/1983/congo-bongo/ |date=2009-01-30}} at Phosphor Dot Fossils
*{{moby game|id=/congo-bongo}}

*
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 15:20, 29 December 2024

1983 video game For the Norwegian political incident, see Bongo from Congo. 1983 video game
Congo Bongo
Developer(s)Sega
Ikegami Tsushinki
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Arcade, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Intellivision, MSX, SG-1000, TI-99/4A, VIC-20
Release
  • JP: February 14, 1983
  • NA: March 1983
  • EU: March 1983
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)1-2 players alternating turns

Congo Bongo, also known as Tip Top, is a platform game released as an arcade video game by Sega in 1983. A message in the ROM indicates it was coded at least in part by the company Ikegami Tsushinki. The game is viewed in an isometric perspective, like Sega's earlier Zaxxon (1982), but does not scroll. Numerous home ports followed.

The player takes the role of a red-nosed safari explorer attempting to catch an ape named Bongo who set fire to the explorer's tent. The goal in each of the four screens is to move from the lower left corner to the location of the ape on the right or upper right. He must climb ledges, jump over water and gaps in the terrain, and avoid animal attackers.

Gameplay

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
The player crossing a bridge in the first level of the arcade version

Congo Bongo has similar elements and gameplay to Nintendo's Donkey Kong from 1981, with the isometric perspective from Sega's Zaxxon released in Japan in early 1982. Both Congo Bongo and Donkey Kong involve primates who throw objects at the player from a vantage point atop a structure. Both games involve a large-nosed protagonist whose only ability is to jump. Both games have four different, single-screen stages. The goal of the first stage in both games is to climb to the top. Even the graphics of the bonus timer are similar to Donkey Kong's.

Stages

  1. In the first stage, the hunter must avoid coconuts thrown by Bongo and he has to climb a series of cliffs to reach the ape, while at the same time shaking off three monkeys that try to throw the hunter off the mountain.
  2. In the second stage, the hunter must cross a swamp platform by riding on the backs of diving and swimming hippopotamuses and avoiding both venomous snakes and scorpions.
  3. The third stage requires the hunter to cross a plain and crouch into holes to evade the horns of charging rhinoceroses, while climbing up large flights of stairs to proceed to the next area.
  4. In the fourth and final stage, the hunter crosses a second swamp with lily pads, fish, and hippos, to reach a gate of charging rhinos that are blocking the entrance to Bongo in a hot tub.

The game repeats from the first level with increased difficulty.

Ports

Congo Bongo was ported to the Apple II, SG-1000, MSX, Intellivision, ColecoVision, Commodore 64 (first as a cartridge, then disk), VIC-20, IBM PC compatibles, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit computers, and TI-99/4A. Sega's ports for the Atari 2600, 5200, Atari 8-bit, Intellivision, and Commodore 64 (cartridge version) include two of the four levels from the arcade original, while the ColecoVision release is missing the "Snake Lake" level.

The Atari 2600 version was released in March 1984, while the ColecoVision version was released in October of the same year.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Congo Bongo on their June 15, 1983 issue as being the fifth most-successful table arcade unit of the month. In the United States, Time magazine initially reported in 1983 that the arcade game was a commercial failure, before it went on to become a popular arcade game according to Computer Games magazine in early 1985. The game went on to have a number of home conversions, which were commercially successful in the United States.

Computer and Video Games magazine gave the arcade game a generally favorable review. They called its concept of Donkey Kong (1981) "in three dimensions" a "fascinating idea" while also noting the final level has similarities to Frogger (1981).

The home conversions received a mixed reception. The ColecoVision, Atari 5200 and Intellivision versions were awarded "Best Videogame Audio-Visual Effects" at the 1984 Arkie Awards. Ahoy! in 1984 stated that Congo Bongo for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 "is fraught with problems; gameplay is repetitive, frustrating, tedious, inconsistent, and at times confusing, and the music not only got on my nerves but stomped on them. Plus, the whole thing is derivative". Computer Games magazine gave the Atari VCS version a C− rating, calling the "VCS version of" the arcade game, "for the most part, a disappointment". ST. Game readers named the Atari version of the game the worst Atari program of 1983, even worse than the notorious E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Legacy

The original arcade release is included in the PlayStation Portable version of Sega Genesis Collection (as an unlockable game) and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. An enhanced remake was released for the PlayStation 2 under the Sega Ages label as a part of Sega Ages 2500 Series Vol. 23: Sega Memorial Selection.

Notes

  1. Japanese: コンゴボンゴ, Hepburn: Kongo Bongo
  2. Japanese: ティップタップ, Hepburn: Tippu Tappu

References

  1. ^ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971-2005) [Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. pp. 35, 131. ISBN 978-4990251215.
  2. "Congo Bongo (Registration Number PA0000184737)". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  3. "Overseas Readers Column" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 209. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 April 1983. p. 30.
  4. Ikegami Tsushinki
  5. ドンキーコング裁判についてちょこっと考えてみる Archived 2010-03-12 at the Wayback Machine; Thinking a bit about Donkey Kong, accessed 2009-02-01
  6. It started from Pong (それは『ポン』から始まった: アーケードTVゲームの成り立ち, sore wa pon kara hajimatta: ākēdo terebi gēmu no naritachi), Masumi Akagi (赤木真澄, Akagi Masumi), Amusement Tsūshinsha (アミューズメント通信社, Amyūzumento Tsūshinsha), 2005, ISBN 4-9902512-0-2.
  7. Intellivision Rarity Guide
  8. Atari 5200 Manual: Congo Bongo (1983)(Sega), archive.org
  9. TI-99/4A-Pedia: Congo Bongo
  10. "Year-End Index" (PDF). Computer Entertainer. Vol. 3, no. 10. January 1985. p. 156.
  11. Congo Bongo, atarimania.com
  12. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 214. Amusement Press, Inc. 15 June 1983. p. 27.
  13. Alexander, Charles P. (October 17, 1983). "Video Games Go Crunch!". Time.
  14. "1985 Software Buyer's Guide". Computer Games. Vol. 3, no. 5. United States: Carnegie Publications. February 1985. pp. 11–8, 51–8.
  15. Lendino, Jamie (27 September 2020). Attract Mode: The Rise and Fall of Coin-Op Arcade Games. Steel Gear Press. p. 177.
  16. "Jungle Revenge in 3D: Tip Top". Computer and Video Games. No. 21 (July 1983). 16 June 1983. p. 30.
  17. "1985 Arcade Awards" – Electronic Games January 1985, pages 22–28.
  18. Hallassey, Dan (March 1984). "Congo Bongo". Ahoy!. p. 60. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  19. "Reviews: Video Game Buyer's Guide". Computer Games. Vol. 3, no. 2. June 1984. p. 56.
  20. "The Best and the Rest". ST. Game. Mar–Apr 1984. p. 49. Retrieved 28 July 2014.

External links

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