Play Popeye Online

Nintendo released Popeye for the Game Boy in 1990, a time when handheld games were often simple and direct. It was developed by Nintendo themselves, and it fit right in with the kind of quick, focused experiences that worked well on the small screen. You didn't need a long story or complex controls; it was just you versus the game, one level at a time.

You control Popeye, moving him left and right across single-screen stages to collect items that Olive Oyl drops from above. The main goal is to grab all the hearts, musical notes, or letters she tosses down before Bluto can reach her or punch you too many times. The signature mechanics involve dodging Bluto's attacks, punching away other enemies like the Sea Hag or flying birds, and most importantly, grabbing cans of spinach that let you plow through everything on screen for a short time. The pacing is fast, and the difficulty ramps up quickly as stages introduce more hazards and trickier enemy patterns. It feels frantic and satisfying when you pull off a clean run, especially when you clear a stage just in the nick of time.