If I were asked to describe Jaleco, I would define it as a company the on the edge of greatness. Their catalog is filled with titles that, while above average, didn't quite reach the same heights as their contemporaries. Released for the Famicom in 1992, Pizza Pop! places the player in the role of a pizza delivery boy who is trying to earn enough money to buy his girlfriend Betty a ring. As he pushes onward to his delivery, he has to deal with his rival, Nick and his army of minions.




At its core, Pizza Pop! is a platformer with seven levels that must be completed in order. There are a couple of vehicle segments (motorbike and jetski) in which our hero must dodge incoming projectiles, as well as avoid Nick's attempts to run him over. The game also has two bonus levels where you must catch as many flying pizzas as possible on a platter. There is no penalty for not finishing the bonuses stages as they only add to the player's score.


To help him navigate the various obstacles in his path, our pizza carrying hero can run, jump, duck, and swing his pizza pan like a baseball bat. Jumping on enemies usually stuns them, while hitting them with the pizza pan defeats them. This being said, it is often easier to jump over enemies than attack them directly, since the pizza pan has a short reach and you often end up running into them taking a hit instead. Care should also be taken when using the pizza pan while jumping as it will stop your momentum for a second. The vehicle segments use the dpad for control, the up and down arrows move you between the lanes and the left and right arrows are for slowing down and speeding up respectively; the "A" button is used for jumping over obstacles. Each level starts our hero with three hearts and after three hits, he loses a life however, more hearts can be collected.


The graphics are reminiscent of a Saturday morning cartoon with bright colors and expressive sprites. Our pizza carrying hero will flail his arms as he tries to keep his balance on a ledge, and flatten enemies like a pancake when he jumps on them. The bosses are the highlight with large sprites that express pain when hit.


The sound is the weakest of the overall package with just enough to get the job done. The games music is comprised of  small selection of upbeat tracks, but there's nothing here that will stick with you after you've finished the game. The sound effects are equally sparse and some sound effects such as hitting an enemy with your pizza pan are missing entirely.


Overall, Pizza Pop! is an average game that could have been great. It needs a lot of work in the sound department and at least two more levels to make up for it's short length. Despite its flaws, the game is still fun and I would recommend anyone pick it up if they can find it for under $30. It's just a shame that this one came out a little underbaked. 

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