In recent years, the dynamic Ice Climbers duo have made their mark in the Super Smash Bros. franchise, from the 2001 GameCube version to the 2018 Ultimate edition. But, before they arrived in this popular series, the notable protagonists, Popo and Nana, appeared in other installments that go back to the ’80s, where the conspiracy of their debut begins.
While many sites and forums have indicated that the team’s first appearance was in the 1985 NES launch, Reddit user 2Dement3D has claimed that they may have actually started in 1984 with “Vs. Ice Climber.” Yet, they also mention how it would be odd for the North American arcade version to come out before the Japanese release since Nintendo is based in the latter country (information has stated that the Japan launch was in 1985.)
So, this begs two questions: when did the Ice Climbers first make their appearance, and why are there variations of its initial date? First, we can consider how the period affects this theory because many Reddit users have commented that game launch times in the ’80s and mid-’90s weren’t necessarily as big as they are now. Therefore, the reason there are mixed theories is due to the fact that there wasn’t much data to back up an official claim.
As for the Ice Climbers’ first appearance, the description for the first game on the Nintendo website does state an original release date in October 1985, as well as the Arcade Archives edition. That said, it could be that the duo officially made their debut with this version. Of course, one could argue that this isn’t true based on the shipping dates, but there isn’t enough information to make it entirely clear.
Whatever side you are on, the mystery remains unsolved unless someone miraculously digs up old reports from the games. Nonetheless, there are certainly more curious cases in the Nintendo community, with the company’s long history of hidden gems and successful games.
