| Winnie the Pooh's Home Run Derby | |
|---|---|
.png) Original Japanese-languagetitle screen | |
| Developer | Walt Disney Japan [ja] |
| Publishers |
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| Series | Winnie the Pooh |
| Engine | Adobe Flash |
| Platforms | Browser
|
| Release |
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| Genre | Sports game |
| Mode | Single-player |
Winnie the Pooh's Home Run Derby[a] is a 2007[1]baseballvideo game developed byWalt Disney Japan [ja]. TheAdobe Flash–basedbrowser game was first published online at the site DisneyGames.jp, then byYahoo! Japan at itsYahoo! Kids portal. Later, an English translation became available atdisney.com.
The player controlsDisney's Winnie the Pooh as abatter in ahome run derby contest. Pooh steps up tothe plate against eight characters from theWinnie the Pooh franchise aspitchers, culminating in thefinal boss:Christopher Robin. The player advances by hitting a certain number of balls thrown by each pitcher past the outer bounds of thefield. In 2012 and 2013, the game became aviral phenomenon hit because of its extreme difficulty, especially considering its target audience of young children.
The game plays as a typicalhome run derby, where most aspects ofbaseball are stripped away in favor of the simple aspect of being pitched baseballs with the goal of hittinghome runs.[2] The player controlsWinnie the Pooh, using thecomputer mouse to position him and hisbaseball bat, and clicking to swing the bat.[2] The game contains eight stages, each with a differentWinnie the Pooh series characterpitching the ball, each with differenttype of ways to throw the ball and increasing difficulty.[3][4][5] The goal of the game is to hit the target number of home runs in each round.[2] Points are earned for performance, and may be used to purchase upgrades for their speed (which allows the player to move towards the ball more quickly), contact (which makes it easier and more forgiving for the player to hit the ball) and strength (which sends the ball further when hit) as they earn points throughout the stages.
Walt Disney Japan developedWinnie the Pooh's Home Run Derby inAdobe Flash.[6] The game first appeared online at the siteDisneyGames.jp [ja] at some point no later than December 20, 2007.[1] The game was also published online in 2008 atYahoo! Kids, a web portal ofYahoo! Japan, and an English translation later became available atdisney.com. In light ofAdobe Inc.'s discontinuation ofFlash Player, the game was removed from its original home at Yahoo! Kids on December 16, 2020.[6]
Years after the game's quiet initial release, itwent viral worldwide in 2012 and 2013 for its intense difficulty.[6] It first garnered attention from users of the Japanese textboard2channel circa January 2012. Japanese players nicknamed the batter Winnie the Pooh "Puniki" (プニキ) and final pitcher Christopher Robin "Robikasu" (ロビカス).[7] By January 2013 it became known toWesterners through its spread on sites such as4chan andReddit.[6]
Many publications noted the game's extreme difficulty level, especially considering it was designed for a primary intendeddemographic of children.[4][5][8][2] Multiple publications compared it to the gameQWOP due to its similar premise of being simple in concept, but extremely difficult in practice.[5][2][9]Eurogamer was more positive about the game, concluding that it "isn't particularly deep, but it is moderately addictive and watching Piglet and company tear Pooh Bear a new one isn't without its charms."[5] Other outlets were less positive, withPCGamesN claiming that the game "reject[s] the laws of physics and fair play" and "would require a child for who is able to bend time and space to their will" to play the game successfully.[8]Kotaku referred to the game's difficulty as "game that's so difficult, you just might smash your monitor ... instead of the nice woodland creatures you know and love, they've been replaced with rocket-armed ür-beasts that would eatRandy Johnson with a side of honey."[4] Many people also felt that the game's difficulty led them into intense anger against the various characters depicted in the game, in contrast tothe anthropomorphic animals' popularity as harmless children's characters.[4][9]
In 2013,Complex named it one of the ten most difficult browser games and called it "just about the most challenging thing you can ever imagine."[10] The 2018 Japanese role-playing gamePrincess Connect! Re:Dive features a home run derbyminigame called "Home Run Drill", noted for its similarity toWinnie the Pooh's Home Run Derby, particularly in its visual presentation, controls, and heightened difficulty.[11]
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