Pengo (Game Gear)

P-p-p-Pengo! This port of the arcade classic (?) pulls off the herculean feat of keeping the full playfield on a cramped handheld screen while retaining the original game's bubbly sprite-work, something its forebears cannot lay claim to.

Cheat Screen#

At the title screen, hold Up + 1 + 2 and press Start. Keep the buttons held until the cheat screen, which consists of a lives toggle and level select, appears.

Press Up/Down to switch between the two, 1 to decrease the numbers, 2 to increase the numbers, and Start to begin the game.

Regional Differences#

Title Screen#

JP	EU

The Japanese version uses the Sega logo from the original arcade game, while the European version uses the standard logo seen on the Sega logo screen of numerous other Game Gear games. Both logos also received trademark signs.

Music#

The Japanese version uses two different songs for the background music, changing every 8 levels. One of these songs is an 8-bit rendition of "Popcorn", as in the arcade version, while the other is an original composition.

The European version only uses the latter, although the data for the "Popcorn" rendition is still in the ROM.

References#