Clu Clu Land (1984). Play online

Summary

Clu Clu Land is one of those oddball NES classics that still feels fresh after all these years. Fans usually shorten it to Clu Clu, and you steer a tiny balloonfish called Bubbles, gliding through maze‑like rooms by clinging to rotating posts and swinging around them. Each round is littered with golden ingots you have to uncover before the clock runs out.

Changing direction requires a Turning Post, and a sound‑wave can stun Unira so you can knock it into a wall for points. In later mazes each ingot must be crossed an odd number of times, because they flip between hidden and visible. The VS. arcade version doubled the puzzles and added a boss Unira, while the FDS port—Clu Clu Land: Welcome to New Clu Clu Land—offered a difficulty setting.

The spin‑around gimmick shows up as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. and a spirit in Ultimate, and the character even dresses Mario in Super Mario Maker. Thanks to Virtual Console and the Switch Arcade Archives release, newcomers can still hunt those ingots today.

Storyline

The underwater kingdom of Clu Clu Land is thrown into chaos when the mischievous sea‑urchin Unira raids the realm and steals every treasure. Determined to set things right, the heroine Bubbles plunges into the watery maze, hopping from island to island and using her trusty bubble‑trail to reclaim the lost riches.