Q*bert
1982 · Puzzle / Action · Arcade
Overview
Q*bert is a 1982 arcade game by Gottlieb in which a spherical, orange, long-nosed character hops around a pyramid of cubes from an isometric perspective, changing each cube's color by landing on it while being pursued by various enemies. Players must change every cube to the target color without being caught by Coily the snake, Slick and Sam who reverse color changes, and other hazards. Q*bert's distinctive character design, gibberish speech bubbles when he falls off the pyramid, and challenging puzzle mechanics made it one of the most beloved games of the golden age of arcade gaming. It sold over 25,000 cabinets and became one of Gottlieb's biggest hits.
Deep Dive
Q*bert was designed by Warren Davis and Jeff Lee, who originally envisioned the character as '@!#?@!' (a placeholder name that became part of the game's identity). The pyramid of cubes created a three-dimensional puzzle challenge on a two-dimensional screen, with later levels requiring multiple hops on each cube to reach the target color and introducing enemies that revert cubes already changed. Q*bert could hop off the edge of the pyramid and catch floating discs that teleported him back to the top — a mechanic that added both escape routes and strategic traps when players lured Coily off the edge with them. The character appeared on TV shows, lunch boxes, and countless licensed products. Q*bert was later included in the 2015 film Pixels and remains one of the most recognizable characters of the arcade era.
