Mappy

Bounce through the cat burglars' mansion as the bravest police mouse around. Mappy is Namco's charming 1983 arcade platformer — a bouncy, addictive chase across trampolines and doors that became an 8-bit favorite — and you can play the full NES version right here in your browser, free and with no download. Recover the loot, slam doors on the cats, and rack up your score. Hit the Play button to start, and read on for the gameplay, controls, and tips.

What Is Mappy?

Mappy is a side-scrolling platform game by Namco, first released in arcades in 1983 (distributed in the US by Bally/Midway) and later brought to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). You play Mappy, a police mouse, navigating the mansion of a gang of cats called the Meowkies to recover the goods they've stolen — a delightful cartoon premise that's pure golden-age arcade fun.

The mansion has several floors of hallways stuffed with stolen items, and Mappy and the cats travel between floors by bouncing on trampolines. It's a game of timing, positioning, and clever use of doors to keep the cats at bay while you grab the loot.

How the Gameplay Works

Mappy is all about bouncing, grabbing, and outsmarting the cats:

• Recover the loot — collect every stolen item on the floor to clear the round.
• Trampolines — bounce between floors. You can land on a floor on the way up but not on the way down, and a trampoline breaks if you bounce on it four times in a row without resting.
• Avoid the cats — Mappy passes safely by cats while in the air over a trampoline, but touching a Meowky or the boss cat Goro on a floor costs a life.
• Doors are your weapon — open a door into a cat to stun it (50 points). Special blue doors blast a "microwave" wave that sweeps cats off the screen — and catching multiple cats, or Goro, scores big.
• Item pairs & hidden Goro — items come in pairs; grabbing the second right after the first multiplies its value (up to x6). Goro hides behind items — grab the one he's behind for a 1000-point bonus.
• The "Hurry" warning — dawdle and the cats speed up and multiply; wait too long and the relentless Gosenzo Coin appears to hunt you down.

Every few rounds there's a bonus stage where you bounce across trampolines popping balloons for points with no cats to worry about.

How to Play

Getting started is instant. Press the Play button on this page and Mappy loads directly in your browser — free, with nothing to install. Then:

1. Run along the floors and bounce on trampolines to change levels.
2. Grab the stolen items — collect them all to clear the round.
3. Slam doors on the cats to stun them, and use blue doors to sweep them away.
4. Time your bounces to pass cats safely in the air.
5. Move quickly before the "Hurry" warning speeds the cats up.

Mappy plays great on both desktop and mobile. On a computer you use the keyboard (and any USB or Bluetooth gamepad you connect is detected automatically and maps to the NES layout), while on phones and tablets you get a custom on-screen gamepad styled just like a real NES controller — so running and door-slamming feel right wherever you play.

Controls

Here's what each control does, mapped to your keyboard:

Mappy bounces on trampolines automatically — your job is moving and working the doors. A connected gamepad uses the same button assignments.

Tips for New Players

• Use doors offensively. Don't just dodge cats — open a door into them to stun and score. The blue "microwave" doors can clear several cats at once for big points.
• Grab item pairs fast. Collecting the second item of a pair right after the first multiplies its value — chain them for a much higher score.
• Find Goro's hiding spot. He lurks behind one item each round; grab it for a 1000-point bonus.
• Don't break your trampoline. Four bounces in a row without resting breaks it — vary your landing spots so you don't get stranded.
• Keep moving. The longer you take, the faster and deadlier the cats become — and the dreaded Gosenzo Coin will eventually come for you.

Why Play It in Your Browser?

Mappy is a joyful slice of arcade history — simple, bouncy, and endlessly replayable for score chasers. Running the NES version right here means no cartridge hunting and no console setup: just press Play and start bouncing. Because it's the genuine NES build, you get the trampolines, the door mechanics, the bonus rounds, and the escalating cat chaos exactly as Namco designed them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Mappy free to play here? Yes. Press Play and the full NES game loads in your browser — no cost, no account, no download.

When did Mappy come out? It debuted in arcades in 1983, developed by Namco, and was later ported to the NES. The version here is the NES release.

How do I beat the cats? You can't kill the Meowkies, but you can stun them by opening doors into them, and sweep them off-screen with the special blue "microwave" doors. Mostly, you avoid them while grabbing loot.

What's the goal of each round? Recover all the stolen items on the floor. Grab item pairs in quick succession for score multipliers.

Can I play it on my phone? Absolutely. It plays great on mobile thanks to a custom on-screen gamepad modeled on the classic NES controller, and just as well on desktop with the keyboard or a connected gamepad.

Ready to catch the cat burglars? Press Play and start bouncing.