Software:Catrap

From HandWiki

Catrap, known as Pitman in Japan and Power Paws in the United Kingdom[1], is a 1985 puzzle-platform game developed by Yutaka Isokawa for the Sharp MZ-700 computer. A port to the Game Boy[2] developed by ASK Kodansha was released in Japan in June 1990 and North America in October 1990 by Asmik. ASK retained the rights to the game after splitting from Kodansha, re-releasing the game on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in October 2011.

The word Catrap refers to the frequent number of times the player is trapped and needs to reverse their movements and the two anthropomorphic cats the player must maneuver to advance through the levels.

Destructoid credits the game with using a time-rewind mechanic before games like Blinx, Software:Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Braid.[3] But the mechanic works only as an UNDO-function and doesn't involve any time-travel-based puzzle like in the other games.

Gameplay

Catrap is a puzzle game. The player directs the avatar, an anthropomorphic cat, to navigate a room while clearing obstacles and kicking monsters and ghosts off the screen. Once the player has knocked all of the enemies off the screen, they advance to the next level. Advancement grows difficult for the player as increasingly intricate obstacles are presented to complicate the process of overcoming all of the monsters and ghosts. The game encourages trial and error. A player may try one combination of manoeuvres by moving the obstacle in one direction, then they may find themselves trapped. The player can hit the 'A'-button to reverse their movements and try again in a different way until they find the solution that enables them to access all of the enemies and knock them off the screen. Trial and error make up a large portion of the game. Players can also create their own mazes.

There are 100 levels for the player to clear, each one more difficult than the last with more room for error and typically take longer to complete. The first level involves no obstacles with one monster on the opposite side of the screen to knock off; the last level involves a blockade of boulders and a conundrum of ladders for the player to move and navigate to clear several floating ghosts, the most difficult level with the smallest margin for error.

Development and release

The game concept was originally created in 1985 on a MZ-700 home computer by Yutaka Isokawa. The BASIC listing of the game was published in the August 1985 issue of the magazine "Oh!MZ Publications" as a type-in program.[4][5][6] The popularity of the game caused it to be picked up for Game Boy conversion in 1990. In the Game Boy version there is a nod to the MZ-700 version, the layout of round 77 is a big M and Z. In 2004 it was released for I-mode mobile phones as Pitmania and Pitmania 2, with graphics more similar to the original MZ700 game. Pitmania 1 Infinite was released in 2007, which had improved and more colorful graphics. A version was released for the Nintendo 3DS in the 3DS eShop in October 2011[7] and for DSiWare in December 2011.[8] In 2012 the game community restored a faithful as possible Sharp MZ-700 version from the available source code variants.[9]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG68/100[15]
Famitsu6/10, 7/10, 7/10, 4/10[11]
GamePro17/25[10]
IGN8.5/10[13]
Nintendo Life8/10[12]
Total!34/100[16]
Family Computer Magazine16.33/30[18]
GB Action75%[19]
How to Win at Game Boy GamesB[20]
Nintendo Magazine System73/100[21]
Power Play66%[22]
SNES Force74/100[23]
Super Gamer56%[24]
Top Secret5/5[25]

Catrap holds a rating of 8/10 on Nintendo Life[12] and 5/5 on Arcade Spot.[26]

References

  1. ↑ Greaves, Sharon (April 1993). "Off the Wall!". GB Action (11): 58. https://archive.org/details/gb-action-11/page/58/mode/1up. Retrieved 2026-07-10. "Oh, and gamers may have noticed a Japanese game called Catrap. Just for the record, the programmers didn't rate the title so it's been changed to Power Paws specifically for the UK market.". 
  2. ↑ Szczepaniak, John (August 2012). "A basic history of BASIC". Game Developer 19 (8): 35-39. ISSN 1073-922X. https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/01e8c073-0512-47e3-a8f6-fbfb2dda194f. Retrieved July 12, 2026. 
  3. ↑ Davis, Ashley (2009-09-02). "Why Catrap is the coolest puzzle game you've never played" (in en-US). https://www.destructoid.com/why-catrap-is-the-coolest-puzzle-game-youve-never-played/. 
  4. ↑ "Who created PITMAN?". 2011-08-08. http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/08/who-framed-created-pitman.html. 
  5. ↑ Massey, Tom (2014-09-12). "The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers DVD review" (in en). https://www.eurogamer.net/the-untold-history-of-japanese-game-developers-dvd-review. "[Catrap] creator Yukata Isokawa's emphatic emotional response to receiving a long-lost magazine featuring his original source code is particularly memorable." 
  6. ↑ Isokawa, Yukata (August 1985). "パズル グーム PITMAN" (in ja). Oh! MZ: 105-111. ISSN 0910-7614. https://archive.org/details/oh-mz-1985/Oh%21MZ_1985-08/page/105/mode/1up. Retrieved July 10, 2026. 
  7. ↑ Fletcher, JC (2011-10-13). "NintendoWare Weekly: Catrap, 101-in-1". Joystiq. http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/13/nintendoware-weekly-catrap-101-in-1/. Retrieved 2011-10-14. 
  8. ↑ "Catrap, laberintos CLÁSICOS EN DSI". Marca Player (39): 105. December 2011. https://archive.org/details/marcaplayer039/page/n104/mode/1up. Retrieved July 12, 2026. 
  9. ↑ "The (almost) original version of Pitman (Catrap) preserved". 2012-07-09. http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2012/07/the-almost-original-version-of-pitman.html. 
  10. ↑ Andromeda (December 1990). "Game Boy ProView: Catrap". GamePro (17): 142. ISSN 1042-8658. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/90/GamePro_US_017.pdf. 
  11. ↑ "新作ゲームクロスレビュー". ファミコン通信 (102): 19. 1990-06-08. https://archive.org/details/famitsu-0102/page/n18/mode/1up. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Review: Catrap (3DS eShop / GB)" (in en-GB). 2011-10-12. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2011/10/catrap_3dsvc. 
  13. ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (2011-10-13). "Catrap Review". https://web.archive.org/web/20121015152651/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/10/14/catrap-review. 
  14. ↑ "Tests Game-Boy: Pitman". Génération 4 (HS02): 87. October 1990. https://archive.org/details/generation4-magazine-hs02/page/n86/mode/1up. 
  15. ↑ Anglin, Paul (August 1993). "Power Paws". Go! (supplement to Computer and Video Games) (22): 19. https://archive.org/details/Go_Issue_22_1993-08_EMAP_Publishing_GB_supplement_issue_141/page/n18/mode/1up. 
  16. ↑ Dyer, Andy (August 1993). "Power Paws". Total! (20): 47. https://archive.org/details/total-20/page/n46/mode/1up. Retrieved July 12, 2026. 
  17. ↑ "Retro Round-Up". Retro Gamer (97): 98. 2011-12-08. 
  18. ↑ "5月24日号特別付録 ファミコンディスクカード ゲームボーイ スーパーファミコン オールカタログ". Family Computer Magazine 7 (10): 201. 1991-05-24. 
  19. ↑ "Power Paws". GB Action (15): 24-25. August 1993. https://archive.org/details/gb-action-15/page/24/mode/2up. Retrieved July 11, 2026. 
  20. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (May 1991). How to Win at Game Boy Games. New York, New York, U.S.A.: St. Martin's Press. pp. 55-61. ISBN 9780312926328. 
  21. ↑ "Power paws". Nintendo Magazine System (11): 46-47. August 1993. https://archive.org/details/nintendo-magazine-system-11/page/n45/mode/2up. Retrieved July 11, 2026. 
  22. ↑ "Pitman". Power Play: 128. September 1990. https://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_powerplay_1990-09_seite128. 
  23. ↑ "Power Paws". SNES Force (2): 67. August 1993. https://archive.org/details/n-force-snesforce-collection-1992-1994/SNESForce%2002/page/n66/mode/1up. Retrieved July 11, 2026. 
  24. ↑ "A-Z of Games". Super Gamer (1): 126. April 1994. https://archive.org/details/super-gamer-01/page/n125/mode/1up. Retrieved July 11, 2026. 
  25. ↑ "Pitman (Power Paws) for Game Boy" (in pl). Top Secret (29): 46. August 1994. https://archive.org/details/TopSecret29/page/n45/mode/1up. Retrieved July 11, 2026. 
  26. ↑ "Catrap - Play Game Online" (in en-US). http://www.arcadespot.com/game/catrap/. 
  • GameSpot page for Catrap [Catrap]
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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