Play Ponpoko Online

Ponpoko is a 1982 arcade game from Sigma Enterprises, a lesser known title from the early maze chase era. It arrived when games like Pac Man and Dig Dug defined the genre, offering a similar top down perspective but with its own distinct animal themed twist.

You control a tanuki, a raccoon dog from Japanese folklore, tasked with collecting all the food items scattered across each single screen stage. Your main obstacles are caterpillars that patrol the maze; touching one costs a life. You can temporarily stun them by flipping over certain pots, but these pots are a gamble. They might also release an extra enemy or a power up, like a speed boost or an invincibility bell. The game escalates quickly, with later stages introducing tighter layouts and more aggressive foes. It feels like a constant, nervous scramble against the clock and unpredictable hazards.