Controls
- Joystick: Use the 4-way joystick to direct Pitt (or Patti if you are player 2) around the mazes; if you are holding the first button, their Tinker Balls will not move with them. However, if the line between them has been cut by a Clipper, they won't move with them, even if you don't hold the first button.
- Tinker Ball Button: Press and hold this button to make Pitt (or Patti if you are player 2) drop their Tinker Balls and create a line between the two of them as they walk around the mazes; once you have released it, their Tinker Balls will come back to them, killing any enemies they hit on their way.
- Popcorn Button: Use this button to make Pitt (or Patti if you are player 2) throw a piece of Popcorn they have picked up (or the Tornado powerup).
- 1 or 2 Player Buttons: Push these buttons to begin a 1 or 2 player game.
Characters
Pitt and Patti (ピット & パティ)
The protagonists for this game; Player 1 controls Pitt (the male Tinker Lander shown to the left), while the second player controls his sister, Patti (the female Tinker Lander shown to the right). Pitt is accompanied by a blue Tinker Ball, while Patti is accompanied by an orange one - and if you press and hold your Tinker Ball Buttons, they shall drop their Tinker Balls and create a line between the two of them as they walk around the mazes. Once you have released them, their Tinker Balls will come back to them, killing any enemies they hit on their way for 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400 and 7650 (Namco's goroawase number) points in succession; however, they will lose one life if they are hit by an enemy, or anything that is fired at them by one, with the exception of a Stinger's arrows. They shall also have the chance to earn an extra life once their combined score reaches 500000 points.
Heitai (兵隊)
These wind-up soldiers appear on: Stages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 19, 23, 24, 36, 42, 43, and 47; they first appeared in Toy Pop (1986).
Pookas (プーカズ)
These yellow-goggled tomato-like creatures appear on Stages 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 26, 29, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 44 and 47; they also have the ability to pass through walls. They have previously appeared on: Dig Dug (1982), Dig Dug II (1985), Sky Kid (1985), and Sky Kid Deluxe (1986) - and the last two appearances were as a "helpful" character. A parade float of one also appeared in the first bonus stage of Marvel Land (1989).
Fygars (ファイガーズ)
These red-winged green dragons appear on Stages 5, 7, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 28, 29, 33, 35, 36, 40, 41 and 47; they also have the ability to breathe flames through walls when their wings (and feet) start flashing white. They previously appeared in Dig Dug (1982) and Dig Dug II (1985).
Moonils (ムーニルズ)
These flower-like creatures appear upon Stages 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 32, 35, 37, 40, 41, 43, 46, and 47; they also have the ability to throw bottles which can fly over the walls at Pitt and Patti, and will also occasionally fall over (but can still kill Pitt and Patti).
Stingers (スティンガーズ)
These spider-like robots appear upon Stages 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 21, 27, 31, 32, 33, 38, 40 and 47; they also have the ability to fire arrows (which can pass through the walls) at Pitt and Patti to stun them, which could be just long enough for another enemy to strike them (if they are unlucky).
Clippers (クリッパーズ)
These scissor-like creatures appear on Stages 17, 18, 21, 27, 32, 33, 35, 37, 38, 44, 46 and 47; they also have the ability to cut the line between Pitt and Patti and their Tinker Balls, in which case the Tinker Balls will speak the text "Pick me up, 1/2P!" and they will have to walk back to them.
Timbots (ティンボットス)
These robots appear upon Stages 19, 20, 21, 22, 30, 31, 39, 41, 43, 44 and 47; they also have the ability to fire lasers from their eyes at Pitt and Patti (which can pass through walls and cover one entire row or column of the screen), as well as rising up into the air to avoid those Tinker Balls.
Naka-G1 (ナカ-G1)
This robot, operated by a Moonil, is the boss of Stage 23; four Heitai will also start out in the corners of the maze, and every time Pitt or Patti kills one, another one will regenerate in one of the corners. Naka-G1 itself attacks by firing lasers at the ground to make it fall in temporarily, and if one of the Heitai falls into one of the holes it has created, it will die - but Pitt and Patti can die in this way as well.
Pachicks (パーチクス)
These hard-hatted chicken-like creatures appear on Stages 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 33, 35, 39, 42, 43, 45, 46 and 47; they also have the ability to lean forward and poop out a spiked ball that can bounce over two of the walls before exploding (as hard as this factual information is to believe).
Pots (ポットス)
These vases appear on Stages 27, 30, 32, 38, 42 and 47; once tipped over by Pitt and Patti (or left long enough), they will shatter and release ten insects (which can be walked over by Pitt and Patti, for 10 points apiece), which will latch on to the Tinker Balls and slow their speeds temporarily.
Poppy Knights (ポピーナイトス)
These purple-armoured aliens appear on Stages 36, 37, 39, 42, 46, and 47; they also take two hits to kill (the first makes them lose their armour).
Blinky Clones (ブリンキークローンズ)
These clones of the ghost gang's leader appear on the first two phases of Stage 48 (and have Clyde's facial expression); four of them start out in the corners of the maze, and, every time Pitt and Patti kill one, another one shall regenerate in one of the corners. The real Blinky has previously appeared on: Pac-Man (1980), Ms. Pac-Man (1981), Kick (1981), Super Pac-Man (1982), Pac-Man Plus (1982), Jr. Pac-Man (1983), Pac & Pal (1983), Pac-Land (1984) and Pac-Mania (1987) - and the second, fifth and sixth ones were unauthorized titles created by Midway without Namco's permission.
Crystal Rods (クリスタルロッドズ)
When Maō (see the section below) is in his initial demonic form, he shall occasionally stand still, and summon seven of these evil versions of the Blue Crystal Rod from The Tower of Druaga (1984) in preset positions in the maze; a stream of laser beams will be fired from one to another (so you will have to watch the beams' movements carefully and stand in a place where they can't hit you), and once they have stopped, they will disappear.
Maō (魔王)
This demon is the boss of the forty-eighth stage; he initially attacks by summoning Crystal Rods in preset positions round the maze and making them firing a stream of laser beams, then firing sparks that run through the maze and disappear after a few seconds. Once you have drained all his energy in his initial demonic form, he will transform into an evil, black-and-purple version of Pitt (with a one-eyed, black Tinker Ball) - and once you have drained all his energy for this form, any Blinky Clones that are currently on screen will disappear and he will transform into an enormous one-eyed bat which has the ability to shoot flames (which will momentarily set the parts of the ground they land on alight) and seven shurikens from his tail. Once you have drained all his energy in this form, he will explode much like Naka-G1 did when you defeated it on Stage 23, and the game will end.