JALECOlle Famicom Ver. Pizza Pop!

Genre: Action-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Alternating (Local)

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Review:

Pizza Pop! is an Action-Platformer released on Famicom in 1992 and never ported to the West until this release on Nintendo Switch in 2024. This game has players taking the role of a pizza delivery boy trying to safely bring pizzas to customers, while contending with hordes of feral cats and dogs, careless workmen, and a rival pizza shop owner.

I suppose I can see why the original game was never released in the West, as it has some hit detection problems that make it a bit frustrating. However, as it happens this release has a brand new “Extended Ver.” release included with it that smooths out a lot of the original game’s rough edges, and the result is a pretty decent Action-Platformer, with a lot of variety and loads of personality.

I could see some calling this a “lost classic” of the Nintendo Entertainment System era, though I wouldn’t put it quite on par with the likes of the Super Mario Bros. series – despite the wonderful variety in different stage types and bonus games here, I still think the core gameplay is a tad too simple to be a true classic. But it’s still enjoyable, all the same.

As you’d expect from a game from the Nintendo Entertainment System era, this game makes use of 2D pixel art visuals and a chiptune soundtrack, and much of this game’s wonderful charm comes through these, with adorable cartoony character designs, bright colors, and cheery music that all work very well together.

Despite that Pizza Pops! wasn’t even a significant enough release to even get localized when it first came out, the Nintendo Switch version of the game has gotten a lot of love. I already mentioned the superb “Extend Ver.”, included here in addition to the original release. The Nintendo Switch release comes with a gallery of box art, instruction manual art, promo art, behind-the-scenes making-of documents, achievements to pursue, a quick save feature, a rewind feature, display and control options, and a frame that includes helpful gameplay info. This is far more than I would have expected for such a niche game.

The original Pizza Pops may not have been quite deserving of a Western release, but this game’s “Extend Ver.” version transforms it into a retro-style delight that I am happy to see given new life and a second chance. It’s no Mario, but Pizza Pops is still well worth playing for any fan of classic Platformers and Action-Platformers.

tl;dr – Pizza Pop! is an Action-Platformer that was never released in the West, and while I can see how hit detection issues would have been a good reason for this, this release adds a second “Extend Ver.” version of the game that’s much more polished, and the result is a great retro-style Action-Platformer with a lot of variety and a ton of personality, even if the gameplay is a tad on the simple side.

Grade: B-

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