Popeye
Popeye is a 1982 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for arcades. It is based on the comic strip of the same name created by E. C. Segar and licensed from King Features Syndicate. Some sources claim that Ikegami Tsushinki did programming work on the game. As Popeye, the player must collect objects thrown by Olive Oyl from the top of the screen while being chased by Brutus. Popeye can punch bottles thrown at him but can only hurt Brutus after eating the one can of spinach present in each level. Unlike Nintendo's earlier game Donkey Kong (1981), there is no jump button.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1982
- Developer
- Nintendo Research & Development 1
- Platforms
- 1 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 1 January 1982 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo Research & Development 1 |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Platforms | Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Genres | platformer |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q2303119, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Popeye? How long to beat it
Total play time for Popeye is about 1.2 hours to do everything, and around 0.3 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 0.3h | 46 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 0.5h | 8 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 1.2h | 2 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Popeye sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Popeye lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 31ahead of 0% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 36ahead of 77% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Popeye
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Common questions about Popeye
What platforms is Popeye on?
Popeye is available on Nintendo Entertainment System. It first released in 1982.
Who made Popeye?
Popeye was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 and published by Nintendo.
How long does it take to beat Popeye?
about 0.3 hours for the main story, 0.5 hours with the main extras, 1.2 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.