Editing Circus Charlie

{{Short description|1984 video game}}
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{{Expand Japanese|topic=vg|サーカスチャーリー|date=April 2009}}
{{One source|date=October 2021}}
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{{Infobox video game
|title = Circus Charlie
|image = CircusCharlie arcadeflyer.png
|caption = Japanese arcade flyer
|developer = [[Konami]]
|publisher = Konami
|designer = Matthew Barnard {{citation needed|date=August 2016}}
|series =
|engine =
|released = '''1984:''' Arcade, MSX<br>'''1986:''' Famicom<br>'''1987:''' C64
|genre = [[Action video game|Action]]
|modes = 1-2 players alternating
|platforms = [[Arcade game|Arcade]], [[Commodore 64]], [[MSX]], [[ColecoVision]], [[Famicom]]
}}

{{nihongo|'''''Circus Charlie'''''|サーカスチャーリー|Sākasu Chārī}} is an action game originally published in arcades by [[Konami]] in 1984. The player controls a [[circus clown]] named Charlie in six different circus-themed minigames. It was released for [[MSX]] in the same year, followed by ports to the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] in 1986 by Soft Pro and the [[Commodore 64]] in 1987.

==Gameplay==
[[File:Circus Charlie (Japan) arcade videogame NES rom.png|thumb|right|Famicom screenshot]]
In the game there are six regular [[Level (video gaming)|stages]] (plus an extra stage) of differing tasks that are to be completed by Charlie. Grabbing [[money bag]]s, performing dangerous [[wikt:trick|trick]]s, avoiding enemies, completing stages, etc., earns Charlie [[score (gaming)|points]]. After the sixth stage is completed, the game starts over again but with a faster pace and more difficult (but exactly the same in terms of task to be completed) levels.

Charlie also races against time. Bonus points are awarded according to the time remaining, but running out of time will cost the player a [[life (gaming)|life]].

===Levels===
The standard Arcade version has 6 levels in total. Levels 1, 2, 4 and 5 have 5 sublevels. Level 3 contains 7 sublevels. Each sublevel gets more difficult. Level 6 also has 5 sublevels, but repeats as long the user has lives.

* Level 1: Ride on a [[lion]] and jump through flaming rings.
* Level 2: [[Tightrope walking]] whilst jumping over [[monkey]]s.
* Level 3: Jump between [[trampoline]]s and beware the knife throwers and [[Fire breathing (circus act)|fire breathers]]. In sublevel 3 and 6 the trampolines are placed in a [[swimming pool]] and the knife throwers and fire breathers are replaced by jumping [[dolphin]]s. This level is not present in the MSX and Famicom/NES ports of the game.
* Level 4: Jump from ball to ball.
* Level 5: Ride a horse and jump over trampolines and walls.
* Level 6: Swing from one [[trapeze]] to the next.

===Versions===
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2018}}
In arcades, there's a "Level Select" version of the game, in which the player can choose any of the stages to play, but only a limited number of times each, whereupon the level will become unselectable. There is no "ending" to the game—after the first five levels have each been played to their limit, the player then repeats the trapeze stage until all their lives are exhausted.

The Famicom version just like MSX port drops the trampoline stage, but offers a "B" mode, in which all the levels are repeated with added difficulty. The game often shows up on [[Famiclone|Famicom clone systems]] and multicarts, usually with its title screen altered to remove copyright, some versions also have the levels split up to make up separate games in multicarts.

The music comes from "[[American Patrol]]" and "[[The Blue Danube]]".

== Reception ==
In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Circus Charlie'' on their May 15, 1984 issue as being the third most-successful table arcade unit of the month.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=236|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=15 May 1984|page=29|lang=ja}}</ref>

==Legacy==
In ''[[Mikie]]'', another [[Konami]] arcade game, headbutting the teacher's desk from below three times in the classroom stage will make Circus Charlie appear, giving the player extra points.

''Circus Charlie'' was released along with other Konami classic games on the [[Nintendo DS]] compilation ''[[Konami Classics Series: Arcade Hits]]''.

=== Other media ===
* ''Circus Charlie'' is one of the video games that were adapted into a manga titled ''Susume!! Seigaku Dennou Kenkyuubu'', published in the ''[[Gamest]]'' comics collection from April 1999, drawn by [[Kouta Hirano]].
* Charlie has a cameo appearance in the panel Seinen manga ''Konami 4Koma Manga Wai Wai World'' which is part of the ''Famicom Runners High''.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.centuri.net/circuscharlie.htm''Circus Charlie''] entry at the [[Centuri]].net Arcade Database

[[Category:1984 video games]]
[[Category:Action games]]
[[Category:Arcade Archives games]]
[[Category:Arcade video games]]
[[Category:ColecoVision games]]
[[Category:Commodore 64 games]]
[[Category:Hamster Corporation games]]
[[Category:Konami arcade games]]
[[Category:Konami games]]
[[Category:MSX games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games]]
[[Category:Multiplayer hotseat games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Switch games]]
[[Category:PlayStation 4 games]]
[[Category:Video games about clowns]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Video games set in circuses]]
[[Category:Virtual Console games for Wii U]]
[[Category:Virtual Console games]]