| Flicky | |
|---|---|
 Arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega Bally Midway |
| Designer(s) | Yoji Ishii |
| Artist(s) | Yoshiki Kawasaki |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, SG-1000, Genesis, FM-7, MSX, PC-8801, Sharp X1, mobile |
| Release | ArcadeSG-1000
|
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Arcade system | Sega System 1 |
Flicky[a] is a platform game developed by Sega and released as an arcade video game in May 1984. It was licensed to Bally Midway for distribution in the United States. In Flicky, the player controls the eponymous blue bird and must gather all the small birds called Chirps in each round and bring them safely to the exit. There are cat and lizard enemies which can disperse the Chirps and kill the player, but Flicky can use items on the playing field to protect herself and the Chirps from danger.
The idea for Flicky came from Sega senior leadership, who wanted to exceed the success of Namco's Mappy (1983). Yoji Ishii and Yoshiki Kawasaki developed Flicky at Sega over one year. Originally, the game simply had the player catch ambiguous dots in a maze. Taking inspiration from a popular song in a Japanese variety show, Kawasaki gave the game an urban theme and bird characters. The game was originally titled "Busty", then "Flippy", before finally settling on "Flicky".
Flicky was first ported to the SG-1000 in Japan, and then later to other Japanese home consoles. In 1991, Flicky was released in North America and Europe on the Sega Genesis. The character has made cameo appearances in other Sega games, most notably within the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
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