Pea Shootin’ Pete is a fun little shareware arcade game published by Pack Media in the middle nineties. It is a basic arcade shoot ‘em up with a couple of unique twists. Pete does not have the arsenal we have come to expect in many of the space and war oriented games of today. He has…a blow gun. Pete needs to blow peas through his gun at colored balloons that float around the screen. As each balloon is struck, it divides in two. Through the laws of attrition, the balloons will eventually disappear.
Pea Shootin’ Pete is a fun little shareware arcade game published by Pack Media in the middle nineties. It is a basic arcade shoot ‘em up with a couple of unique twists. Pete does not have the arsenal we have come to expect in many of the space and war oriented games of today. He has…a blow gun. Pete needs to blow peas through his gun at colored balloons that float around the screen. As each balloon is struck, it divides in two. Through the laws of attrition, the balloons will eventually disappear. But the game is made difficult because with each positive strike, the targets both multiply and become smaller and harder to hit. After all the balloons disappear, you are free and clear
to advance to next level.
As if the idea of striking tiny, multiplying balloons does not sound hard enough, poor Pete has to avoid being struck by the balloons as well. This is surprisingly difficult. Your hero needs to stop and take a good breath to build up pressure before he can blow a pea at a passing balloon. During this time, he is virtually frozen and is extremely vulnerable to “balloon attack.” Fortunately, Pete has some help along the way. Similar to the modern Poppitt, power ups, bonus items and prizes fall randomly from destroyed balloons. By picking up these bonuses, Pete can gain extra lives and advance his play. He can also attain items that will help him reach the end of a given level. Balloons can be slowed or even frozen to make them easier to hit. The game also features bosses and other enemies that attack poor Pete as he progresses along the levels. Thankfully, everything is vulnerable to the might of the pea shooter.
Mainly, this is in classic arcade style. The graphics are not great…bordering on bad. However the action is nonstop, which keeps a gamer interested despite the lack of stellar graphic displays. This is one of those games where, back in the day, you would find yourself launching the controller at the screen because you were just one shot away from advancing to t he following level when you lost your last life. It is a sort of Space Invaders meets Poppitt arcade addiction that is appropriate for all ages.
