Turtles

Konami’s Turtles, released in 1981 under license to Stern Electronics, is a cooperative maze game for two players. As turtles, you navigate interconnected screens collecting smaller “KidTurtles” and transporting them back to your home base. Periodically, bombs will appear at the center of the playfield; retrieving these is essential for continued gameplay. The visuals feature cartoon turtle graphics on the marquee, monitor bezel, and control panel overlay, all contained within a standard Stern upright cabinet. The game originated as Konami’s “600,” but Turtles introduces distinct elements like competing turtles rather than race cars as adversaries. Successfully guiding KidTurtles back to safety is key to progressing through the levels, which differ from the original Japanese version where collecting all KidTurtles unlocks an exit. The unusual control layout features a central joystick and bomb buttons positioned far apart on either side of the cabinet. Turtles saw limited distribution in Europe and the United States and was also released under different names like “Turpin” by Sega, demonstrating Konami’s licensing practices at the time. Later adaptations appeared on various consoles and even a handheld VFD game, reflecting its popularity beyond arcade play.