Appare! Gateball

Appare! Gateball (あっぱれ！ゲートボール) is a gateball game developed by West One and published on the PC Engine in Japan by Hudson near the end of 1988. Gateball is a variant of croquet which is popular throughout Asia. In gateball, two teams of five players compete. It was also released in Japan in 2007 on the Wii Virtual Console.

Gateball is played between two teams of five players on a lawn with three numbered “gates,” or wickets. The object of each individual player is to hit their ball through these gates in the specified direction, then hit the “goal pole” in the middle of the field to finish off. The game ends when all the players on a team finish, or if the time limit expires. This PC Engine version gives players the choice of two different fields (grass and sand) and a selection of twelve different players with varying attributes. The game offers a choice between action and simulation mode. The difference is that in action mode, you must both aim the shot and set the power, whereas in simulation only the shot aiming is required. Shots are aimed in a simple overhead viewpoint, which then switches to a standard view for the execution of the shot itself.