Magic Pockets

In Magic Pockets, every single screen forces you to weigh speed against safety as you charge up your trousers to turn monsters into collectible treats before the invisible clock runs out.

The Bitmap Kid leaves no toy behind

The core design decision of Magic Pockets hangs entirely on momentum and shot charging. You control the Bitmap Kid, a protagonist wearing magical baggy trousers handed to him by a mysterious old man in a park. Creatures living inside those deep pockets have snatched his favorite possessions: a bicycle, boxing gloves, a diving helmet, and a space hopper. To get them back, you have to fight through four distinct worlds: Cave, Jungle, River, and Mountain. Rather than firing basic lasers, your default projectile changes with each region, starting with small whirlwinds in the Cave and shifting to clouds, snowballs, and ice cubes as you progress.

Holding down the fire button charges your attack into a massive projectile. Tossing a fully charged whirlwind or cloud traps nearby enemies or sucks them up entirely, converting them into pickups like sweets, soda bottles, or silver and gold stars. The catch is that while you are holding down that button, you cannot jump or reposition quickly. You are forced to stand your ground, watch an enemy walk toward you, and release the button at the exact last second to clear the screen.

Convoluted controls and strict timer limits

While the visual presentation features smooth 2D scrolling and bright sprite work, the mechanical execution often gets in its own way. The Bitmap Brothers reused technical systems built for Gods, which gives movement a heavy, deliberate pacing that does not always suit an arcade platformer. The high jump is the most notorious culprit. To launch into a spinning leap that destroys overhead enemies, you must hold down, charge a shot, release it to spawn a whirlwind, step onto that whirlwind, and press down again. In the middle of an intense enemy wave, executing that five-step sequence feels unnervingly awkward.

Then there are the levels themselves, which drag on far longer than the level design can support. Magic Pockets features a hidden time limit that never displays a countdown on screen. If you spend too much time hunting for hidden star rooms or carefully charging attacks, an inescapable balloon appears and kills your character instantly. Falling into a pit or getting caught by the timer sends you back, making late-game stages feel like a trial of memory rather than reflex.

Obscure scoring systems and unique stage clear rewards

The underlying mechanics hide a surprising amount of complexity, much of it unmentioned in the quick-start instructions. Collecting 5,000 points triggers an item cycling system tied to your count of silver and gold stars, allowing skilled players to spawn invincibility potions, laser helmets, or screen-clearing nukes. Reach specific score milestones, and you can unlock warp points that skip entire worlds or access secret bonus rooms packed with teleport helmets.

1. Charge your weapon fully before entering narrow corridors to catch patrolling enemies off guard.
2. Step directly onto your own whirlwinds to trigger the spinning high jump for extra vertical height.
3. Collect silver stars to manage your item cycle and force useful power-ups to drop.
4. Keep moving forward to avoid triggering the invisible level timer.

When you do reach the end of a world, the game swaps genres entirely. The Jungle world culminates in a full boxing match against a gorilla boss. Finishing other worlds unlocks custom minigames based on the toy you just recovered, including a bicycle race against primates or a high-bouncing balloon course.

How the DOS port holds up today

When Konami brought the game to the PC in 1992, it faced stiff competition from standard platform games of the era. The MS-DOS version preserved the original 16-color visual aesthetic and featured an official chiptune rendition of Betty Boo's 1990 hit single "Doin' the Do" arranged by Richard Joseph. However, the lack of mid-level saves in the original release meant that one bad jump late in a run ended the entire session.

At the time of release, magazine reviews were sharply divided. Outlets like Amiga Action awarded it a 93%, praising the detailed sprite animations and distinct weapon modes, while Amiga Power famously slammed it for sluggish controls and tedious level layouts. It traded agility for methodical play, offering plenty of ideas even if the platforming physics took some getting used to.

Play Magic Pockets online right now

You can play Magic Pockets online for free in your browser right here. There is nothing to install and no setup required, letting you jump straight into the action without hunting down vintage disk images. If you have never experienced this piece of 1992 history, load up the MS-DOS game, practice the timing on your charged shots, and see how far those giant pockets can carry you.