The Goonies

In the United States, The Goonies is one of the best-known Nintendo games that was never actually released in the United States. Its sequel The Goonies II was released in the United States to very high acclaim, which lead a lot of players to ask, "Where's The Goonies I?" Some Americans did have the opportunity to play it, but only in arcades, and not at home, because the game saw a limited release as part of the Nintendo Vs. arcade series, and later as a selection on the Play Choice-10 arcade hardware.

The Goonies was developed by Konami in 1986. Naturally, it is based somewhat on the movie of the same name, where a boy named Mikey and his friends discover the treasure of a pirate just in time to prevent their home town from being bought out by greedy land developers. While the game incoporates some of the more identifiable aspects of the movie, it follows a decidedly different plot line, with the gang of Mikey's friend captured by the Frateli family, one of the movie's antagonists. Mikey is therefore required to proceed from stage to stage and rescue them, while exploring labyrinthine dungeons and locating power-up items.

There are six stages in all. Power-ups and diamonds are hidden from sight. To reveal them, players must discover the particular joystick input specific to the stage they are hidden in. After the player completes the stages at the first level of difficulty, the input required for each stage changes in the second level. Many secrets are scattered throughout the game including cameos from the likes of Konamiman, and Twinbee. Even a secret warp can be found in order to bypass one level. Many of the features and items introduced in this version found their way into the more advanced sequel.

Story
While searching for the lost treasure of the pirate One-Eyed Willie, the Goonies have been captured and locked up by the mad Frateli family. Only Mikey was able to escape their clutches. Now it's up to him to find and release all of them. In the process, he will end up following the trail of Chester Copperpot, who was one of the first to try to find Willie's treasure. Freeing the final Goonie will lead Mikey straight to the old pirate ship where Willie hid his treasure, so that the Goonies can help save Goon-town from destruction.

Gameplay Summary

 * You control Mikey throughout the game. Mikey can run, climb ladders, jump, and kick.
 * Mikey must fight against animals, monsters, and the Frateli family as he searches for bombs to use to open up locked safes.
 * The safes may contain keys, a Goonie, or other helpful items. Three keys are required to advance to the next stage.
 * Mikey has a health meter that starts out full, and is drained by contact with enemies or traps. Mikey loses a life if his health is depleted.
 * There are six stages, as well as three passage ways that occur between certain stages, and one hidden warp passage that bypasses a stage.
 * Power-ups and diamonds are hidden throughout each stage, and can only be revealed by a particular control pad input that is unique to each stage.