Libble Rabble

Libble Rabble is a 1983 <a href="/facts/Puzzle_video_game/QqHU7Eqp">puzzle</a> <a href="/facts/Arcade_video_game/dCRltFVF">arcade video game</a> developed and published in Japan by <a href="/facts/Namco/DA5E3xqv">Namco</a>. The player is tasked with using two colored arrows, Libble and Rabble, to wrap them around pegs and surround small creatures known as Mushlins to "harvest" them under a time limit. The player can also uncover treasure chests that will have the player searching the stage for items in order to access a special bonus stage. It ran on the <a href="/facts/Namco_Libble_Rabble/QrjAL8mM">Namco Libble Rabble</a> hardware, one of the only games to do so.
Described by Namco as a "bashishi game", it was designed by <a href="/facts/Pac-Man/Hx1pqvUQ">Pac-Man</a> creator <a href="/facts/Toru_Iwatani/SB5aWAJ3">Toru Iwatani</a> and composed by Nobuyuki Ohnogi. Iwatani came up with the idea for the game after an experience at a crowded disco hall, where he envisioned himself tying up people with ropes and throwing them out of the way. It was also inspired by a game he played during his childhood, where the objective was to tie ropes to short metal poles on the ground. The game was known as Potato in early development as Namco considered making the game a tie-in with a potato chip manufacturer in Japan, but these plans later fell through. Iwatani soon passed off development to Makoto Sato due to being overwhelmed with other projects, who added additional ideas such as treasure chests as he felt the game was too simplistic. A North American release was planned by <a href="/facts/Midway_Games/NSjWGCeP">Midway Games</a> but later cancelled.
In Japan, Libble Rabble was praised for its unique gameplay and colorful visuals. Retrospectively, it has been praised for its bizarre yet interesting premise and addictiveness, some labeling it as one of the most underappreciated games in Namco's arcade catalog. A <a href="/facts/Super_Famicom/uRT5Sa6s">Super Famicom</a> version was released in 1994, followed by home ports for both the <a href="/facts/FM_Towns_Marty/4LuVPmaY">FM Towns Marty</a> and <a href="/facts/X68000/AYmbPIIw">X68000</a> — the Super Famicom release included a special cover slip for the face buttons to recreate the original game's twin-stick gameplay. It was digitally re-released for the Japanese <a href="/facts/Wii_Virtual_Console/rovAzWYB">Wii Virtual Console</a> in 2009. In 2021, ports for the <a href="/facts/Nintendo_Switch/UPy7Bcyu">Nintendo Switch</a> and <a href="/facts/PlayStation_4/wMtdFnoP">PlayStation 4</a> were released internationally under the <a href="/facts/Arcade_Archives/CVdKN173">Arcade Archives</a> brand line up.

Libble Rabble open-in-new

Libble Rabble