| The Triathron | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | K Amusement |
| Publisher(s) | K Amusement |
| Year released | 1988 |
| System(s) | NES |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
|---|---|
| Players | 1 |
| Modes | Single player |
The Triathron [sic] is a sports simulation game developed and published by K Amusement for the Famicom towards the end of 1988. It simulates the three events contained in a traditional Triathlon including swimming, biking, and running. The spelling of the word triathlon in the title is only the first and most glaring in a series of examples of "Engrish"; including the use of "dush" in the player selection screen to indicate the athlete's dashing ability, and describing their nationality as their "nature".
The game contains six different athletes to choose from, all with their own variety of strengths and weaknesses, and it contains four official courses based on real world competitions (Chicago, Japan, Paris, and Hawaii), and one "special" course which contains more fantasy elements than the usual courses. After winning a triathlon, the player can invest some points into their chosen competitor's stats and move onto the next.
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Title screen
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Swimming screenshot
Events[edit]
Swimming[edit]
In this event, the screen scrolls vertically. Use the direction pad (
) to guide the swimmer through the course, tap 
continuously to swim, and press 
to breath and recover stamina. A complete loss of stamina can make it difficult to steer correctly, and cause you to drown. You can get stung by jellyfish, and you must avoid getting sucked into whirlpools. Don't hit any buoys or other competitors.
Cycling[edit]
As with swimming, the screen scrolls vertically. Use the direction pad () to guide the bicycle through the course, tap to accelerate, and press to use your breaks. You must control your speed when trying to take a turn. Avoid bumping into other cyclists while you ride.
Running[edit]
This is the only event which scrolls horizontally. Press to jump, and tap to accelerate. The is more like an obstacle course rather than a marathon, and you must watch your speed when attempting to maneuver around or through obstacles such as fences or holes. Along the way a skateboard will appear, and if you collect it, you will proceed at three times your normal speed.
Special mode[edit]
The special mode differs quite a bit from the normal game. It increases the difficulty in the following ways:
- Swimming: Throughout the event you will be continuously chased by a shark.
- Bicycle: The stage takes place in space. There is a UFO that will attack you.
- Marathon: The stage takes place at night, making some of the obstacles more difficult to see.