Buster Bros.

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Involved Companies

Capcom

PortingPublisher

Hudson Soft

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Summary

Pang, originally released in Japan as Pomping World and in North America as Buster Bros., is a 1989 arcade action game developed by Mitchell Corporation. Its core gameplay is similar to the 1983 Japanese MSX game Cannon Ball, also released that year for the ZX Spectrum as Bubble Buster. Players embark on a round-the-world quest to destroy bouncing balloons that are threatening landmarks and cities across the globe. The game features 50 stages set in 17 locations, including Mt. Fuji, Mt. Keirin, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Angkor Wat, Ayers Rock, the Taj Mahal, Leningrad, Paris, London, Barcelona, Athens, Egypt, Kenya, New York, Maya ruins, Antarctica, and Easter Island. Later versions added additional locations. Each stage includes a background depicting local landmarks, along with a unique arrangement of blocks, some destructible, some permanent, and some hidden with bonus items. Stages begin with balloons of various sizes; the largest balloons split into smaller ones three times before disappearing after the fourth hit. Players start with a single harpoon, though special weapons can drop when balloons are popped. At certain points, food items worth bonus points may also appear. Contact with any balloon results in the loss of a life. In two-player mode, if both players touch a balloon at the same time, only Player 1 loses a life. Similarly, when both reach a bonus or weapon simultaneously, only Player 1 collects it. Players begin with three to five lives depending on dip switch settings, with extra lives awarded upon reaching specific score thresholds. A stage is cleared when all balloons are destroyed, and the game concludes after all stages are completed, ending with the heroes driving their jeep into the sunset on an Easter Island beach.