Granted, the original arcade version of the game came out all the way back in 1980, so this portable port from 1999 was bound to have an old-fashioned air to it, too.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdzX399yxS5pIAgql87c4I1PQaRFhohgfa2k2LnTQznqor_REE9SKwTJVImDtwWrDMaJj_ZiykePob4Q3MXVCmbjXAw4ZkZI_d8BQOoUPJ0Aw3r1CPt01PyDhi_a9chos4q59Fg/s400/fullsizeoutput_d0b.jpeg)
If this is your first foray into the world of Crazy Climber, you're probably wondering: wasn't it updated or modernized at all between 1980 and 1999?
You'd think so, but as far as I can tell, the answer to that question amounts to "not really."
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEing4M57JcGWOBWeUDp07KIoQVRByGN_WKDPgo2hyphenhyphenvG9qSvJ-5sr2MvrCjjA1BxypHArRmOyogHCqFET83qMrOevYDCq2ut0uNkeDbwBhNdyqnqdCYKJNemYPOhYEawqk4a1pqAaQ/s400/fullsizeoutput_d0d.jpeg)
Maker and publisher Nichibutsu improved the looks of most of its console ports and sequels, but even Crazy Climber 2000 (from--you guessed it--the year 2000, and released for the original PlayStation) features the same "scale a skyscraper using two joysticks" (or directional pads) gameplay as the quarter-muncher that birthed the series 38 years ago.
So what prompted me to do an about-face and pick up a copy of this nichiest of niche titles? One catalyst was that I found out it's played holding the WonderSwan system vertically. (I've always been a sucker for that.) Another was its cartoonish and colorful box art.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqi5NI9jOlexNpmKptypShPue-FHDiT1q1rRptCpzlhPJhLDZL802IO60LIl3D6076ZorL_-dKnZ9ZFcbgjSdN8eQ448AzI97fLdvB7RQCOzCkWkdHVHX5lQ2-Rhsq31JKqz8Alg/s400/fullsizeoutput_d10.jpeg)
Speaking of Crazy Climber's lovely cover illustration, I've got admit I kind of assumed it meant the game's instruction manual would be stuffed with similarly eye-popping imagery.
Boy, was I wrong. In fact, except for the manual's last spread, it's nearly devoid of art. The only exception is the awkwardly drawn hands found in the lower-left corner of page seven.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig1jis77oz7ms6IWjqUJWY4k7pyPagzkdEM9MbIwsl_1FVBUHlQy5urvuo5YXC2g8Q5JNn0tlwn6nU_vsnYs0jr4U-OyFejWm-U4uwULDVfjJjJrLKfoVv6IwKowSlu4gn69IREw/s400/fullsizeoutput_d12.jpeg)
Don't take that to mean I'm disappointed with my purchase. I'm still glad I own this version of Crazy Climber. Hell, I'm still glad I own this booklet. Its cover and second-to-last page alone make it worth every penny.
If you're wondering what the illustrations on the second-to-last page are supposed to represent, by the way, that would be the game's "characters." I put it in quotes because some of the depicted objects obviously don't fit the typical definition of the word.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAi-VmXu0R6VIoINIQHsK_Bs0oO36BIH78Dx2HH-kvjdSREQplV-aLZGyFQs7iv5tDquL7qC6U9tyyCPQepcXNeIso1k6HNgIdGIqM_DQLpr4HclsAPSnVVuqWU-_6STgVmylCAQ/s400/fullsizeoutput_d14.jpeg)
Anyway, you encounter all of these so-called characters as you (attempt to) make your way to the top of each of Crazy Climber's mammoth buildings.
Most aim to do you harm. The lone exception: the "lucky balloon." It kindly hauls you up a handful of floors without asking for anything in return.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzMOtxQ5ATPy6UhskfUBSHArfn7RIxmvzdm3wHrmnzEIri-7Cg8iyj4lS0xTDTNwAKRyT-KXWoS2tH36PFs3gPDDGA1XCrUJVrHU7Rhu4T8uiy_R8Cz6dxQe2Wx8qwmQCutSM6A/s400/fullsizeoutput_d16.jpeg)
One last comment before I declare this post complete: click on any of the scans you see here to take a closer look at them.
See also: previous 'Manual Stimulation' posts about Engacho! and Lode Runner for WonderSwan