Play Gorby no Pipeline Daisakusen (Japan) Online

Gorby no Pipeline Daisakusen came out for the NES in 1991, developed by VAP and published by Tokuma Shoten. It was part of that wave of quirky, often licensed games that filled out the console's library, especially in Japan, where even political figures could end up as video game protagonists. The game stands as a curious artifact of its time, a puzzle-action hybrid built around a very specific, almost mundane concept.

You control a small character, a representation of Mikhail Gorbachev, who must run through single-screen stages connecting broken pipe segments. The main goal is to link the pipe ends before time runs out or the screen floods. Key mechanics include rotating pipe pieces into place with the A button while avoiding obstacles like bouncing springs and wandering enemies that can dislodge your work. The pace is frantic; mistakes are easy to make, and the water rises quickly. It feels like a race against chaos, where every correct connection brings a short burst of relief before the next problem appears.