Play Gyromite Online

Gyromite came out in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by Nintendo R&D1. It was one of the early titles that arrived with the NES, a game that relied on the R.O.B. the Robot accessory, though many people ended up playing it with a standard controller. It felt like a puzzle game more than an action title, something you had to think your way through.

You control Professor Hector, a character who moves through a series of single-screen rooms. Your main goal is to navigate from the start to the exit without getting crushed by the Smicks, these dinosaur-like creatures, or falling into pits. The signature mechanics involve pressing buttons to raise and lower colored pillars, which either block enemies or create pathways. You also collect dynamite to clear certain obstacles. The pacing is slow and deliberate; you die quickly if you misjudge a pillar's position or an enemy's patrol route. It feels like a careful, sometimes tense, test of timing and foresight.