Wii · 1980
Crazy Climber
A 1980 arcade climbing classic whose Wii release brings the original two-joystick building-scaling gameplay to the console.
- Publisher
- Nichibutsu
- Format
- Optical disc
- Genre
- platform game
- Released
- 1980
01
Overview
Crazy Climber tasks the player with scaling the exterior of a skyscraper, dodging falling flowerpots, loose wires, a giant condor, and closing windows as they climb window ledge by window ledge. The arcade cabinet used two joysticks, one for each arm, and reaching the top of the building in time earns a helicopter rescue and a bonus. This Wii edition is a physical release of the arcade version, and the original 1980 date reflects the game's arcade origins rather than this disc.
02
Why it matters
Crazy Climber was one of the early titles that defined the climbing-game subgenre and was a top-earning arcade cabinet in Japan in 1980. A physical Wii disc of the original arcade code is a straightforward way to study how a coin-op-era control scheme was carried into a home console release.
03
The physical edition
A typical complete copy includes the optical disc in its original case, with a manual or insert; the exact package contents and region marking should be confirmed for each listing. Japanese editions of the Wii release are distinct from the arcade original, and regional packaging can differ from other markets.
04
Playing it today
The Wii disc runs on the Wii hardware as a standard retail optical disc release. It preserves the original arcade's two-joystick climbing control scheme, which the Wii version maps to its own input layout.