Controls
Left and Right to move, Up and Down to climb ladders, and push the button to jump.
The game can be played either single player, or two players.
Ponpoko
Ponpoko is a red tanuki (aka Japanese raccoon dog) and the main character of the game, He must eat all the fruit and vegetables to finish the round. Ponpoko can do a small jump if you make him stay still, or a long jump if you are moving him. He will lose a life if he touches a caterpillar, a snake, falls in a gap, or time runs out.
Caterpillars
Ponpoko's main and common enemy, the caterpillar. These pesky critters will stop Ponpoko from his fun-loving fruit collecting. It is possible to jump over them, but it is very difficult. They come in different colors: Green ones are slow, Blue are fast, and Pink are the fastest. The one way that Ponpoko can defend himself is using ladders.
Snakes
These snakes can be found in one of the pots. If you find a pot with a snake in it it, will play an eerie sound and will release the snake. Luckily the snake is slow, but you can't jump over the snake. Use the ladder to protect yourself!
Collectibles
The fruit and vegetables collectibles are:
- Carrot: Level 1
- Cherries: Level 2
- Mushrooms: Level 3
- Tangerine : Level 4
- Corn: Level 5
- Pineapple: Level 6
- Watermelon: Level 7
- Eggplant: Level 8
- Melon: Level 9
- Garlic: Level 10
- Banana: Level 11
- Strawberry: Level 12
- Orange: Level 13
- Turnip: Level 14
- Apple: Level 15
- Grapes: Level 16
- Peanut: Level 17
- Peach: Level 18
- Green Beans: Level 19
- Beer: Level 20 and up
The more you collect the higher the point score is.
Pots
Pots will be laid around the map. If Ponpoko touches it, he will either get bonus points or a snake.
Apple Cores
Apple Cores will be on the floor in every level, If Ponpoko touches one of them, he dies. The cores can be jumped.