Turtles
Turtles is a video game developed by Konami and released in arcades in 1981 by Stern and Sega. The Sega version was published as Turpin (ターピン). A maze game where the player is a turtle trying to bring baby turtles (called "kidturtles") to their homes while avoiding beetles {In some port versions, cars} The game was ported to an unusual set of home systems.
Also recorded as Turpin · Turtles/Turpin
Turtles
- Date
- 1981
- Publisher
- Stern Electronics and Inc.
- Genre
- action game · maze video game
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Documentary summary
Turtles is a video game developed by Konami and released in arcades in 1981 by Stern and Sega. The Sega version was published as Turpin (ターピン). A maze game where the player is a turtle trying to bring baby turtles (called "kidturtles") to their homes while avoiding beetles {In some port versions, cars} The game was ported to an unusual set of home systems.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q7856473
In this article
The object
The object
1982 releases were for the Magnavox Odyssey², Arcadia 2001, and one of the four cartridges for Entex Adventure Vision. A handheld version of Turtles was also released by Entex in 1982. A port for the Casio PV-1000 followed in 1983.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Turtles • Developer — Konami • Publisher — Stern (NA) Sega (Japan) • Released — 1981: Arcade 1982: Arcadia 2001, Adventure Vision, Odyssey², handheld 1983: PV-1000 • Genre — Maze • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Platforms — Arcade, Arcadia 2001, Adventure Vision, Odyssey², Casio PV-1000
Gameplay
Gameplay
Scattered throughout the maze are boxes with question marks on them. When the player walks over a question mark, a baby turtle crawls onto the main turtle's back, a house will appear at a random location on the map, and the player will have to bring the baby turtle to its house while avoiding beetles. Other times, however, beetles will come out of the boxes, which the player will have to quickly run away from. The player's only offensive move is the ability to drop bombs (which behave more like mines) to temporarily stun the beetles. Additional bombs can be picked up in the middle of the maze. Each maze represents a floor of the building. After eight floors, there is a cutscene showing the baby turtles following their rescuer out of the building, and gameplay begins again on the ground floor.
Reviews
Reviews
• Games #44
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
- Japan
Named but not plotted · 1
Turtles is associated with Japan.
Country
Reception
The Odyssey² version of Turtles received a Certificate of Merit in the category of "1984 Best Arcade-to-Home Video Game/Computer Game Translation" at the 5th annual Arkie Awards. Joystik magazine had a different view of the Odyssey port: "There is not much more to this slow-moving game. Even the background music is disappointing and joystick control is awkward."
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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