Crazy Climber (クレイジークライマー) is a vertically scrolling video game produced by Nichibutsu (Nihon Bussan) and released for arcades in 1980. In North America, the game was also released by Taito America. Ports for the Arcadia 2001 and Atari 2600 were published in 1982, followed by the Famicom in 1986 and X68000 in 1993. With the goal of scaling a series of skyscrapers using two joysticks (one controlling the left side of the character's body, the other the right) Crazy Climber was the first in a "climbing games" genre which includes Nintendo's 1981 Donkey Kong. The genre eventually became better known as platform games and is defined by jumping and traversal between platforms, neither of which are found in Crazy Climber. Crazy Climber was the third highest-earning arcade game of 1980 in Japan while also being a commercial success in North America. A lesser-known sequel, Crazy Climber 2, was released for arcades in 1988.

Gameplay

The player assumes the role of a climber attempting to reach the top of four skyscrapers. The climber is controlled via two joysticks.

Reception

In Japan, Crazy Climber was the third highest-grossing arcade game of 1980, just below Pac-Man and Galaxian. Crazy Climber was also Japan's eighth highest-grossing arcade game of 1981. In North America, Crazy Climber was among the top ten highest-earning arcade games in the summer of 1982.

Legacy