Magic Pockets

About Magic Pockets

Magic Pockets (1991) is the Bitmap Brothers' first cute platformer, in which the Bitmap Kid chases the creatures who stole the toys from his bottomless trouser pockets.

Magic Pockets in Depth

The Bitmap Kid has magic trousers whose pockets hold an infinite amount, so he keeps all his toys in them. One day the creatures living in his pockets decide to keep the toys for themselves, and he sets out to get them back. He walks, jumps and hurls things at enemies across four areas, Cave, Jungle, River and Mountain, each split into stages, with a bonus stage tied to the toy being recovered: the bike, found in the caves, is won back in a bike race against the creatures.

The Kid's attack changes in each area and can be charged by holding fire; the biggest shot sucks enemies up instead of destroying them and turns them into pickups. Sweets add points, while silver and then gold stars produce helmets that grant temporary powers such as teleporting, laser beams or invincibility. Chewing gum from dispensers blows a bubble to float on, sometimes into secret areas. There is no timer, but dawdling brings a transparent bubble that chases the Kid ever faster, trapping him and stripping his power-ups, or on the last stage killing him. The title track is an instrumental of Betty Boo's "Doin' the Do".

Making Magic Pockets

The Bitmap Brothers developed it as their first attempt at a "cutesy platform game", and Renegade Software published it in October 1991. Because Renegade belonged to the music company Rhythm King, a remix of Betty Boo's "Doin' the Do" was used for the opening. It was played between cartoons on the Saturday morning show Motormouth, with callers giving the commands, and it received generally positive reviews from critics.