Mike Jones
The teenage protagonist and a skilled baseball player who searches the islands for his missing uncle.
Documented for this version
D-pad | Move Mike |
|---|---|
A | Jump |
B | Attack with the equipped weapon |
Start | Pause and open the status screen |
How it plays
The game uses an overhead perspective for exploration and combat. Mike moves through towns and dungeon-like areas, searches for clues, collects items, and solves environmental puzzles while pursuing information about Dr. Jones.
Caves and ruins are divided into rooms containing enemies, traps, switches, treasures, and boss encounters. Mike can jump over hazards and attack with equipped weapons. Progress depends on finding key items, interpreting conversations, and completing each island’s sequence before traveling onward.
Plan your run
Talk to residents repeatedly and examine every accessible area; important clues and items are often obtained away from the main path.
Conserve health-restoring items for bosses and difficult rooms. Learn enemy movement before attacking, use jumps to cross hazards, and keep track of locked doors, switches, and unexplained objects so you can revisit them when new equipment is found.
Meet the cast
The teenage protagonist and a skilled baseball player who searches the islands for his missing uncle.
Mike’s archaeologist uncle, whose disappearance begins the adventure.
An alien antagonist connected to the extraterrestrial threat confronting Mike.
Before you begin
Search side rooms before leaving an area.
Do not waste healing items on easy encounters.
Write down clues, passwords, and suspicious environmental details.
StarTropics is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo R&D3 and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It follows Mike Jones, a teenage baseball player who travels to C-Island after his archaeologist uncle disappears. Exploration, puzzle solving, and real-time combat are combined in an overhead island journey with a distinctive tropical setting. The game alternates between villages, caves, ruins, and other maze-like areas. Mike gathers equipment, questions residents, and battles creatures with weapons such as a yo-yo and baseball bat. Its unusual presentation, inventive puzzles, and strong atmosphere earned it a lasting cult reputation, although its difficulty and occasionally cryptic progression can be demanding.
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