Yo! Noid

Nintendo console exclusivePort

Yo! Noid, known is a 2D action platform game developed by Now Production and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was first released in Japan as Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru on March 16, 1990 and was localized in the United States to promote the Noid, the claymation mascot of Domino's Pizza in the late 1980s. The game is also released as part of Nintendo's PlayChoice-10 series and featured in the Japanese TV show GameCenter CX.

Released: 16 March 1990
Platforms: Arcade NES
Genres: Ninja Platformer
Developers: Now Production
Publishers: Capcom
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action Comedy
Country: Japan
Age ratings: CLASS_IND L
Languages: English

About

Yo! Noid, known in Japan as Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru, is a platform video game developed by Now Production and published by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was first released in Japan on March 16, 1990, and was localized in the United States to promote the Noid, the mascot of Domino's Pizza. The game was released for Nintendo's NES-based PlayChoice-10 arcade system and was featured in the Japanese TV show GameCenter CX.

›Story

In Yo! Noid, Wild Slime-like creatures led by Mr. Green were running amuck around New York City as they cause havoc. The Mayor of the city decided to call the Noid to stop his evil duplicate who is causing all the trouble on the city to save everyone, and get his massive pizza reward.

Keywords

rabbit
side-scrolling
advergame
pizza
8-bit
based on - brand
japanese games based on western ips
moving platforms
in-game advertising
combat-based platformer
fan translation - portuguese

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Both games use a modified engine of Wagyan Land and share the same gameplay. The protagonist (Hanamaru or Noid) has no life meter, and loses a life by either making contact with an enemy or running out of time before completing a level. For offense, both characters use different weapons (a Hawk for Hanamaru and a yo-yo for Noid) but can gather magic points by collecting scrolls and use them for screen-clearing special attacks or very rare power-ups, both kinds of which are found in large scrolls opened with their weapons. Extra lives are awarded for every 20,000 points scored.

Most levels are traveled on foot, but exceptions include a skateboard and an autogyro (Hanamaru uses his hawk companion for flight). Minigames vary for each version. In Hanamaru, for example, the player whacks penguins in one stage and Yo! Noid uses a "Pizza Crusher" level, as on the "Avoid the Noid" advertisements.

Story

The game opens on a news bulletin claiming that Mr. Green, a green doppelgänger of The Noid, is leading a group of wild creatures to run amok around New York City and cause mass hysteria. The mayor calls upon The Noid to stop this chaos for a massive pizza reward. The Noid embarks with his super yo-yo and various other inventions.

Development

Kamen no Ninja Hanamaru was based on the Wagyan Land engine. During American localization, Capcom teamed up with Domino's Pizza to promote the Noid by changing a lot of graphics, sound, and presentation. However, none of the game mechanics were changed. The localized game was released in the rest of the world as Yo!

Noid in November 1990. Most of the music was reused for Yo! Noid, changing a few tunes and creating a few new tracks for a more American atmosphere. Namco published the Wagyan Land series, and Capcom published both Hanamaru and Yo!

Legacy

On August 1, 2017, a fan-made sequel titled Yo! Noid 2: Enter the Void was released online as freeware. Originally developed as part of the New Jam City 2017 game jam, it features elements from fifth-generation console platform games. On July 1, 2018, a "Game of a Year Edition" was released.