Tumble Pop

Tumble Pop is a bright single-screen arcade game in the style of Bubble Bobble and Snow Bros. Your ghost hunter has a vacuum gun: suck up the monsters, then fire them out as a rolling ball that bowls over everything in its way. Clear a screen, collect the letters of TUMBLEPOP for a bonus stage with an extra life, and travel from city to city around the world. It is Data East’s 1991 arcade game, and it plays right here in your browser with no download.

Like this kind of game? Play Snow Bros and Bubble Bobble too.

How to play

1. Press Play under the title picture and wait a moment while the arcade machine starts.
2. Press Coin (V on a keyboard) to add a credit, then Start (Enter).
3. Hold Z next to a monster to suck it into your vacuum. You can carry a few at once.
4. Press Z again to throw them out as a ball. The ball rolls and bounces and takes out the monsters it hits.
5. Jump with X. Monsters touching you cost a life.
6. Do not take too long: when the clock runs out, a monster that can’t be beaten comes after you.

Controls

Computer: arrow keys move, Z sucks up and throws, X jumps, V adds a coin and Enter is Start. Move the mouse over the game to show the bar with pause, restart, sound, save state, load state and full screen buttons.

Phone and tablet: the arcade pad appears under the game: the stick, Vacuum, Jump, Coin and Start.

A USB or Bluetooth gamepad also works.

Cheats

Press the magic wand button next to the full screen button above the game. A small panel opens over the game, and the game waits until you close it. The cheats switch on a few seconds after the machine has started.

• Unlimited lives: you never run out of lives.
• Invincible: enemies can’t hurt you.
• Infinite time: the stage clock never runs out, so the unbeatable chaser never comes.

Reloading the page turns the cheats off again.

About Tumble Pop

Data East released Tumble Pop in arcades in 1991. It follows the single-screen formula of Taito’s Bubble Bobble and Toaplan’s Snow Bros, with two players working together, and adds a world tour with stages in cities across the globe. A version for the Game Boy followed in 1992.

Frequently asked questions

Is Tumble Pop free to play here?

Yes. You can play it free in your browser on Yes This Game, with no download and no sign-up.

How do you beat monsters in Tumble Pop?

Suck them up with the vacuum, then throw them out. One throw with several monsters inside makes a bigger ball and more points.

Can I play it on my phone?

Yes. On a phone or tablet an on-screen pad appears under the game.

Can I save my progress?

Yes. The bar under the game has save state and load state buttons that keep the game in your browser on this device.