Pepsiman 📽 Through the Lens

📢 THIS IS NOT AN ADD FOR PEPSI! I REPEAT! THIS IS NOT AN ADD FOR PEPSI! 📢

I promise. I'm a coke guy. 😅

And I am still writing this article because gosh darn it someone has to talk about this game on the internet. So, like the proverbial superhero that is Pepsiman - I have to put on the cape and sing this game's praises for all of you to know!

Side note: Is this game really that special? Well... yes, and no. 😁 But it for sure deserves an article on it. So let's give it one!

Therefore❗️ In this edition of Through the Lens 🎞, we'll be taking a look at KID's mobile game before there were mobile games from 1999 : Pepsi-Man. ◀️

(I understand why Pepsi was the soda that made a superhero, Coke-Man just has several different connotations associated with it)

Roll it! 📽

🔷 UP TOP 🔶

The soundtrack here is really nonexistent. 😅 There is the main theme and its alterations for each stage. As minimal as it is though, it is very catchy. To this day I find myself whistling or making noise to this song. Urban, heroic, and pepsilific, this song is great and you should give it a listen.

_{Composed by the amazing James Shimoji}

Now, there have been rumblings about remaking this gem in the Unreal Engine. But that's neither here nor there so we'll be discussing the original PS1 1999 release. 😉

As with all PS1 games, I played this classic around the time of its release. I remember so many days and nights glued to my screen yelling "PEPSIMAN!" while dodging large bottles of Pepsi and quenching the thirst of poor civilians with my super Pepsi powers.

Yes, the premise of this game is as crazy as it sounds. But I think there is still merit in discussing this brand game to its fullest.

🔷 BRAND GAME 🔶

There have been many brand games over the years, but not as rendering or memorable as Pepsiman. 💯

Like some PS1 games the cutscenes here are all short movies that were filmed in America. I accent the 'America' part because this game was made in Japan. So we have a Power Rangers situation over here.

For those that don't know. The Power Rangers action scenes were filmed in Japan and then dubbed over in the USA.

Also, the voice acting in the game has an English voiceover, but the subtitles are in Japanese. Why? 😆 Many things were magical back then. Just know, that the charm this game possesses was over 9000. Easy.

Also, you don't play this game for the story. To give you the gist of things - people are thirsty and they require that Pepsiman quench their thirst. No more no less. And the gameplay wasn't much more to go off of either. 😝

🔷 GAMEPLAY 🔶

This game is basically Temple Run or Subway Surfers. If you have played either of those games then you will know exactly what I'm talking about. The only difference is that you still had the full directional movement of the gamepad, so there are some minor enhancements. But for all intents and purposes - this is still a mobile game. 😁

It's genius on Pepsi's part. I know a lot of me and my childhood friends would rave about this game and buy Pepsi afterward. It was the first time in my life that I saw a real-life brand inside a video game. And not just inside, but a part of it.

Back to the gameplay, the game did get harder to the point of lunacy at one point. Or at least that's what my childish mind remembers. You can also think of this game as a very basic version of Crash. With the same BS mechanics and all.

Seriously, who thought that running towards the screen was a good idea anyway?

So yes, you can only jump, sprint, and slide in this game. But what more can you ask for? Have you seen how many buttons there are on a PS1 controller? 🎮 If anything, this game has the perfect key bindings!

🔷 LEGACY 🔶

I'll be honest I have no idea how many people remember Pepsiman. It was a part of my childhood for sure, but how many other people had that experience? There were so many PS1 games, and so many different games depending on which region you come from. What is one person's classic, could be a total blank for another.

But for all intents and purposes, I think Pepsiman will be remembered as a good brand game. It didn't shatter any records or create new genres (although that last part is debatable now that I think about it 😮 did Pepsiman create the Runner genre???) but it was cool, refreshing, and above all else - fun..

Thank you for reading, you rock! (and maybe roll) 👏👏👏

🖼️ Image Sources: 01, 02, 03, 04 🖼️

Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙

Yay, I'm back! What better way to be back than by talking about an obscure PS1 game barely anyone remembers? 😁 I have no idea what to write about if I'm honest. So I went with something I knew would be fun. I wanna tackle a new game series but am unsure of which one. I'll think of something. Until we meet again!

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I hope you are having an amazing week! 🙌