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Game Info

Cover art of Frisky Tom
Platform
Atari 5200
Genres
Action
Developers
Atari
Publishers
Atari
Release Status
Prototype

Summary

Frisky Tom is a curious prototype that never saw an official Atari 5200 launch, essentially a home‑console translation of Nichibutsu’s little‑known arcade title. You step into the shoes of Tom, a plumber tasked with keeping a steady water flow from a tank at the top of the screen down to a reservoir below. The challenge comes from mischievous mice of various colors that gnaw through the pipe network, halting the water and dropping pipe segments onto the floor. Tom can carry two fallen pieces at once, swapping them back into the gaps while climbing, leaping over short voids and navigating around larger chasms. A countdown timer in the reservoir ticks down from 5,000 whenever the flow stops; if it hits zero you lose a life and the level restarts. Survive long enough to keep the timer above 1,500 and a quirky bonus intermission flashes—a woman taking a shower, rewarding your plumbing perseverance.

Storyline

In Frisky Tom for the Atari 5200, you step into the shoes of Tom, a plumber who must climb upward through a series of broken pipes. Your goal is to repair each segment so water can travel from a tank perched at the top of the screen down to a reservoir at the bottom. The challenge isn’t just the plumbing— a house is swarming with mice that gnaw at the pipes, creating new leaks and obstacles. As the rodents chew through the system, Tom must act quickly to seal the damage and keep the flow uninterrupted. The game’s tension comes from balancing upward movement, pipe repair, and mouse avoidance to maintain a steady water supply.

Edited by Maya Carter

Game Screenshots

  • Screenshot 1 of Frisky Tom
  • Screenshot 2 of Frisky Tom
  • Screenshot 3 of Frisky Tom