Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic

Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic is a 1987 side-scrolling action game for the Famicom Disk System. Developed by Nintendo and published by Fuji Television, it was created as part of the promotion for the Yume Kōjō '87 event, and its cast comes from that event's Imajin Family mascots.

The adventure begins when Piki and Poki are pulled into the strange world inside a storybook. Their family—brother Imajin, Lina, Mama, and Papa—sets out after them, traveling through a dreamlike land ruled by the monster Mamu.

At the start of each stage, players select one of the four rescuers. Their movement differs in meaningful ways: Imajin is the all-rounder, Lina can hover briefly in the air, Mama excels at high jumps, and Papa handles objects with exceptional speed. Choosing the right character is part of solving the route ahead.

Rather than defeating foes by jumping on them, the heroes lift and throw enemies, vegetables, and other objects. Grass patches supply throwable produce, while doors, ladders, keys, POW blocks, potions, and bombs turn each page into a small puzzle-filled obstacle course.

Magic potions open a temporary path to a mirrored otherworld, where players can find coins and health upgrades. The game spans seven chapters and twenty pages, moving through deserts, icy ground, caves, and other fantastical settings before the showdown with Mamu.

Progress is tracked separately for each hero, and seeing the full ending requires completing the adventure with all four members of the family. This structure gives the same stages new possibilities as the player learns the advantages of each character.

Doki Doki Panic later became the foundation for the overseas Super Mario Bros. 2, with its protagonists and presentation replaced by Mario characters. Its object-throwing gameplay, hovering jump, memorable enemies, and dream-world atmosphere would go on to shape a distinctive branch of Mario history.