Kick Boy is a 1983 arcade action game developed and published by Nichibutsu, a Japanese company that had already made its mark on the arcade scene with titles such as Moon Cresta and Crazy Climber. By 1983, the arcade market was at a peak of creative experimentation, with developers pushing beyond the fixed-shooter template that had dominated the late 1970s and early 1980s. Nichibutsu positioned Kick Boy within this wave of character-driven, single-screen action games that were proliferating alongside the success of titles like Donkey Kong and Popeye. The game places the player in control of a boy whose primary means of interacting with the world is kicking — a mechanic that distinguished it from the punch-and-jump contemporaries crowding arcade floors at the time. The player navigates single-screen stages populated by enemies and obstacles, using well-timed kicks to dispatch foes and clear a path to the stage's objective. The control scheme is straightforward by arcade standards: a joystick handles directional movement and positioning, while a kick button triggers the boy's attack. Timing and spacing are central to success, as the kick has a defined range and a brief recovery animation that leaves the player momentarily vulnerable. Enemy patterns follow predictable but escalating routines, rewarding players who study movement cycles and plan their approach rather than reacting impulsively. The level structure advances through increasingly demanding screen layouts, introducing new enemy types and tighter spatial puzzles as the player progresses. Scoring is tied to enemy eliminations and stage completion speed, encouraging aggressive but controlled play. Nichibutsu's arcade hardware of the era delivered colorful tile-based graphics and simple but effective sound effects that were typical of the period's cabinet design. Kick Boy occupied a niche in the early 1980s arcade landscape as a compact, approachable action game that could be learned quickly but demanded precision to master. It was distributed primarily in Japan, which limited its international footprint compared to Nichibutsu's more globally recognized releases. In its home market, it joined a crowded field of single-screen action games competing for floor space and player attention, and it is remembered today as a representative example of Nichibutsu's prolific output during one of the most fertile periods in arcade history.
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Kick Boy
踢小子
Kick Boy is an action arcade game developed by Nichibutsu in 1983. The player controls a character who must kick enemies and obstacles while navigating through various levels. The game features simple controls centered on the kick mechanic as the primary means of offense and defense. Players progress through sequential stages, each presenting different arrangements of enemies and hazards to overcome. The action-oriented gameplay emphasizes quick reflexes and precise timing as the character moves across the screen eliminating threats. Level progression increases in difficulty with new enemy types and more complex layouts.
- Developer
- Nichibutsu
- Released
- 1983
- Platform
- Arcade
- Genre
- Action
- Rating
- 4.5 / 5 (4.4K)
- Last updated
About Kick Boy
Pro tips
- Study each enemy's movement cycle before committing to a kick — the attack has a short recovery window that leaves you open to hits from nearby foes.
- Position yourself at the edge of an enemy's patrol path so you can land a kick and step back before the next enemy reaches you.
- Prioritize clearing enemies that move toward you first; leaving fast-moving foes alive while dealing with stationary ones is a common way to lose a life.
- Focus on stage completion speed as well as enemy kills — the scoring system rewards both, so a clean, fast run outscores a slow, thorough one.
- Learn the screen layout of each stage on your first life rather than playing aggressively; the investment pays off on subsequent attempts when you can move with confidence.
Kick Boy Controls — Arcade Keyboard Keys
Default keyboard bindings for Kick Boy on our in-browser Arcade emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.
| Keyboard | Console button | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ↑ | Joystick Up | Move up |
| ↓ | Joystick Down | Move down |
| ← | Joystick Left | Move left |
| → | Joystick Right | Move right |
| X | Button 1 | Primary action (jump / confirm) |
| Z | Button 2 | Secondary action (attack / cancel) |
| S | Button 3 | Tertiary action |
| A | Button 4 | Quaternary action |
| Q | Button 5 | Fifth button |
| W | Button 6 | Sixth button |
| 5 | Insert Coin | Insert coin |
| 1 | 1P Start | Start / Pause |
Coin and Start are convention "Insert Coin: 5" and "1P Start: 1". Some arcade boards expect specific button mappings — check the in-game prompts on coin-up.
Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.
Kick Boy Longplay & Gameplay Videos
Watch a full playthrough of Kick Boy on Arcade before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.
Watch longplay on YouTube
"Kick Boy" Arcade longplay 1983
External references
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Kick Boy released?
Kick Boy was released in 1983 for the Arcade.
Who developed Kick Boy?
Kick Boy was developed by Nichibutsu, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.
What type of game is Kick Boy?
Kick Boy is a Action game for the Arcade, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.
How can I play Kick Boy for free?
Open this page and click "Play Now" — Kick Boy runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.
Do I need to download anything to play Kick Boy in the browser?
No. Kick Boy streams from a public archive into a browser-side Arcade emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.
Can I save my progress in Kick Boy?
Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original Arcade cartridge supported.
Does Kick Boy work on mobile devices?
Yes — the Arcade emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.
Is it legal to play Kick Boy this way?
RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Kick Boy. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.
How difficult is Kick Boy for newcomers to arcade games?
Kick Boy sits at a moderate difficulty level for its era. The controls are simple to pick up, but enemy patterns accelerate quickly in later stages. New players can expect to reach the mid-game within a few sessions once they internalize the kick's timing and range.
What is the best starting strategy for a first run?
Spend your first life observing enemy movement patterns rather than chasing a high score. Identifying which enemies move fastest and which patrol fixed routes lets you plan a safe clearing order on subsequent lives, which is more valuable than aggressive early play.
Is Kick Boy worth playing today for retro game enthusiasts?
For players interested in Nichibutsu's catalog or early 1980s Japanese arcade history, Kick Boy offers a compact and honest example of the single-screen action genre. Its mechanics are straightforward, making it a good snapshot of the design conventions of 1983 arcade development.
What is a common mistake new players make?
New players often kick too early or too late relative to an enemy's position, triggering the recovery animation at the worst moment. Practicing the kick's exact range in low-pressure moments at the start of a stage is the fastest way to correct this habit.
