Rote memorization and nimble thumbs become paramount in later scenes. You might end up pulling your hair out after retrying desert stage for the nth time well before you get to tackle the maddening, crate-hauling conveyor belt factory finale. The timer leaves little chances to mess up, either. I-beams swing and bounce, signs rain from above, oncoming trucks and holes grow legion and bring instant death. After an initial training stage, it gets down-and-dirty with setting up traps and pop-up trip-ups aplenty for the rest of the way. As it stands, the game serves as a quick challenge to chug through for half an hour.īeing a swift arcadey experience, Pepsiman takes a quarter from the coin-munching machines and ramps the difficulty up fierce.
Those looking for a long refreshing title should see this disc as a 12oz can rather than a 2 liter’s worth. There is no save feature, but that’s not necessary for such a short game. After bringing Pepsi to the cheering troubled folk at the end of the second scene, Pepsiman must run toward the screen and dodge oncoming hazards while some large rolling threat nips at his heels (twice it is a giant can of Pepsi). Halfway through most scenes, Pepsiman runs headlong into a building to emerge with some item that changes up the gameplay, such as a trashcan on his noggin causing left and right controls to reverse, or a barrel or board to ride on.Īt the end of each first scene, our hero stops at a vending machine to enjoy his own pitched product before moving on to the next venue. Starting in a suburban neighborhood, Pepsiman takes to the streets, downtown, construction zones, subways, sewers, the Southwestern desert, and finally to Pepsi City to take care of Pepsi’s factory and mainframe computer. The game is rather short – there are only four stages in total, each divided into two main scenes, with an added pulse-pounding chase capping each one. (No doubt Pepsiman dies out of grief that he was unable to bring refreshment in a timely manner.) Loss of a life also comes from falling into a hole, being hit by a strong enough obstacle like a huge wall, rock or train, or letting the timer run out before you reach your destination. Collecting enough cans also refreshes Pepsiman himself and replenishes his health symbol – otherwise he can only take 3 hits before he collapses. Collecting them adds to your score, and for 25 cans you get an extra life. The slide button serves multiple purposes, as holding up + slide makes Pepsiman sprint for a short burst, for extra speed or to break through simple barriers, while down + slide allows him to slow to a brief skid.Įach section has 100 cans of Pepsi strewn around to guide you and tantalize you off the beaten path. One button is set to jump while the other is for sliding under obstacles. Pepsiman is simple enough that the controls could fit on an NES controller. There’s dozens upon dozens of obstacles that lie between Pepsiman and the fulfillment of his duty to bring liquid happiness, so the klutzy silver mascot stumbles and pratfalls like he does in the ads. Pepsiman is a licensed endless runner game, one that predates the craze of cheap 2D runners that flood the mobile market today. Thus, you’re constantly on them move through roadways, alleyways, and any other sort of narrow passages, cutting through slices of Americana. Someone of authority tells Pepsiman about a crisis far off, people stranded or in peril and needing their thirst quenched with caffeinated refreshment.
Pepsiman the game is a form of a high-stakes take on the general premise of the commercials. Beforehand, he had made a cameo as a guest fighter in the Japanese Saturn release of Fighting Vipers, but eventually Pepsiman would receive his own game, donning his new half-blue suit to match the then-current can design. Naturally, this silvery mascot was a perfect fit for an action game. His design was so simple and cool that he got recognition and fame beyond just Japan. Most of the commercials starring the logo-emblazoned, faceless CGI man had him running toward those in need of Pepsi (nearly all filming went on in the US with English voices) and granting them their wish with his hand outstetched and his previously-unseen mouth open as he breathes out a “shaaa”, like the effervescent fizz of soda – and most of the time promptly injuring himself in some slapstick folly. Japan was no different, but their spin on took its own venture with the creation of Pepsiman, a hero for taste. In the late ’90s, their ad blitz was tantamount with zany commercials with dancing bears and assorted celebrities or Coca-Cola stockers thirsty for the real flavor. As #2 in the cola wars, they strove to beat its major competitor with more eye-catching advertisements and slogans, many coming off more as extreme and bizarre marketing. Pepsico tends to have a chip on its shoulder.
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