Sweet Acorn

Little Acorn is a cute single-screen action game by Taito that would not have looked out of place in the arcades but was exclusively released on the MSX.

Starring Sweey, an egg-like hero in red trousers, it needs to clear a magic garden of Peepas, cloud-like creatures who dwell the screen. Peepas can be killed by throwing acorns at them, the novelty here is throwing requires energy. Spinning from left to right very quickly fills an energy gauge; The more energy is build up, the further an acorn is thrown. When a Peepa is hit, it will smash into a wall, destroying anything in its path.

Acorns can bounce off walls and boxes so you can use it as a tactical advantage to score extra points. But beware, you can get hit by your acorn that will cost a life.

Peepas come in six colours, each behaving in a different manner. The most notorious ones are Red Peepas who split in two when hit and Black Peepas who fiercely hunt Sweey when it does not clear the screen fast enough. Another foe that sometimes pops up is Merimeri, a grey rubber ball-shaped creature that does not chase Sweey but is lethal on contact.

An extra life is awarded at 40,000 points, with other extra lives at 80,000 points.