Jump Bug
Jump Bug is a 1981 scrolling shooter platform game developed by Alpha Denshi under contract for Hoei Corporation. It was distributed in arcades by Sega in Japan and Europe, and by Rock-Ola in North America. The player controls a bouncing Volkswagen-esque car in a forced scrolling world. The car can eliminate enemies by shooting them and collect money bags by landing on them. The world is divided into several separately themed areas which are seamlessly connected. Jump Bug was ported to the Arcadia 2001, Leisure Vision, and PC-98 home systems.
| Jump Bug | |
|---|---|
North American arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Hoei Corporation Alpha Denshi |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, Arcadia 2001, PC-98 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter, platform |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players, alternating |
| Arcade system | Namco Galaxian |
Jump Bug is one of the earliest forced scrolling horizontal shooters, following in the wake of Scramble and Super Cobra from earlier in 1981. It is the first game in the nascent platform game genre to include horizontal and, in one segment, vertical scrolling. It uses a limited form of parallax scrolling, with the main scene scrolling while starry night sky is fixed and clouds move slowly, adding depth to the scenery. This was a year before Moon Patrol (1982), with its three moving layers.