Tinkle Pit

Tinkle Pit
Developer: Namco Publisher: Namco Platform: Arcade (Namco NA-1) Released in JP: March 1994 This game has unused code. This game has hidden developer credits. This game has unused graphics.

This page is rather stubbly and could use some expansion. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue this article?

To do: Cover Ms. Pac-Man graphics and other graphic edits in the Arcade Archives version for PlayStation 4/Nintendo Switch.

Developed for Namco's 40th anniversary at the time, Tinkle Pit is a maze game featuring cameos by many of Namco's classic (and not-so classic) game properties.

Please stop laughing.

Unused Graphics

Stored with the font graphics is... Kero Kero Keroppi's head? It seems to be connected to the developer "S. Nimura" (or "二村かえる", Nimura Kaeru). It is not the only Keroppi connection in the game; if the player enters their high score name as "SNIMRA" or "SNIMURA", it will correct to "KEROKERO", and if they enter it as "NIMRA" or "NIMURA", it will correct to "KEROPPIǃ". However, the graphic remains unused. The same Keroppi sprite also appears in Emeraldia.

Unused Credits

By changing a value at 0x3642, the title screen will add an additional line above the copyrights reading:

©MTJ/TENGEN LTD

MTJ is short for Mitsuji Fukio, the developer of Bubble Bobble (among other games). Tengen is a primarily console-focused division of Atari, who worked closely with both Namco and MTJ.

Leftover 'End of Demo' Screen

There is a leftover 'End of Demo' screen in the game. The text reads:

こんかいはイベントようバージョンにつきここまで！プレイしてくれてありがとう！

This is as far as you can go for now in this event version! Thank you for playing!

It appears to be normally inaccessible, but can be loaded with a MAME cheat:

  <cheat desc="Unused demo screen">
    <script state="on">
      <action>maincpu.pb@310b=50</action>
    </script>
  </cheat>

(Source: sudden-desu)