First You Draw A Circle: Top Ten Round Video Game Characters

November 2nd is officially “Look for Circles Day” which encourages people young and old to notice the round things in our everyday lives. Your coffee mug, the wheels of a bike, the iris of your eyes… the list goes on and on. What did I notice? Video game characters, of course!

Take a moment with me to explore the Top Ten Round Video Game Characters – and let me know in a comment if you can think of any others!

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10. Kickle Cubicle
(NES, 1990)

This chilly character enjoys frozen treats so much that even his breath is cold. Using his powers, he turns his enemies into blocks of ice and then pushes them into the water, creating bridges for him to collect even more snacks!

9. Pushmo
(3DS, 2011)

Pushmo just wants to reach the flag at the top of the blocks, so he pushes and pulls his way forward in order to reveal accessible platforms. This quirky puzzle game was a gem on the Nintendo 3DS, utilizing the wonderful 3D effects that the system had to offer.

8. Lock ‘n’ Chase
(Game Boy, 1990)

You’re a thief and, lucky for you, every bank you visit stores their money on the floor. Collect it all, and get away – but don’t get caught!

7. Chain Chomp from Super Mario 64
(N64, 1996)

The chain chomp first appeared in 1990’s Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. But, the old ball and chain got quite the upgrade when he made the leap to the N64. Stomp the wooden stake to which he’s connected, and he’ll blast open the nearby cage that holds a power star!

6. Faceball 2000
(SNES, 1991)

Faceball 2000 is a sadistic FPS for the Super Nintendo, pre-dating both Wolfenstein and Doom, and touting one of the first opportunities to go head-to-head (face-to-face?) with a second player in this style of game. What’s worse than getting pelted with oversized projectiles? Being told to “Have A Nice Day” every time you die. YOU HAVE A NICE DAY, JERK!

5. Voltorb from Pokémon Red/Blue
(Game Boy, 1996)

That’s no Poké Ball. It’s Voltorb! This shocking Pokémon uses electric-type attacks and can be found in places like power plants. Was it possible that this strange creature was the result of weird experiments involving Poké Balls? The colors are oddly similar!

4. Kirby’s Dream Land
(Game Boy, 1992)

While Kirby was introduced to us on on the Game Boy in 1992, many remember the opening “first you draw a circle” animation from the 1993 NES game Kirby’s Adventure.

This was a reference to a Japanese commercial for the original game which depicted a young child showing the viewer how to draw Kirby. Check out the first video in this compilation below:

3. Adventures of Lolo
(NES, 1989)

And of course, we wouldn’t have Kirby if at first we didn’t have Lolo! Lolo waddled, so Kirby could suck…er…fly? Both characters where created by HAL Laboratory. The company certainly has an affinity for round characters!

2. Claymates
(SNES, 1993)

In a strange, pun-filled coincidence/accident, our main hero Clayton gets turned into a literal ball of clay (😂😂😂). When in ball form, he can roll, jump, and punch with an arm that stretches out from the sphere’s center. At least he’s living up to his name.

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Honorable Mentions:

Marble Madness
(NES, 1989)

Samus from the Metroid series
(Nintendo, 1986-today)

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1. Pac-Man 
(Arcade, 1980)

The original round character, Pac-Man was called Pakkuman man in Japan – which translates essentially to “Puck Man.” Named for his Hockey puck-like shape, publishers in North America decided against putting “Puck Man” on arcade cabinets for fear of receiving some rather…inappropriate graffiti. In the words of Prince John from Robin Hood: Men in Tights, “It’s a good change. It’s a good change!”

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Thanks for stopping by to read my article! Can you name some other circular video game characters? Share them with me in a comment! Also, if you’re enjoying my posts, please let me know with a “like,” and “follow” my blog to see all future content!

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