Bop It! is Now a Video Game? Who Was Asking for this Weird Adaptation?

Late nineties and early 2000’s kids will probably remember Bop It! Though simple, the electronic toy was addictive with its catchy drumbeats and increasingly challenging gameplay. It was essentially a plastic stick with a drum in the middle, a lever on one end, and a knob on the other end. You bopped the drum when it shouted, “Bop it!” and you pulled the knob when it shouted, “Pull it!” and you twisted the lever when it shouted, “Twist it!” and it got faster and faster as it went on. Well, someone apparently thought that merited a video game.

Bop It! The Video Game

Yes, this exists, and there’s a Steam page to prove it. The page advertises that the game retains the classic gameplay of the old electronic toy, with the classic commands and addictive fun. The game adds colorful animated backgrounds, an original soundtrack, local multiplayer, and leaderboards. You can also play in “Extreme Mode,” which adds two more commands: “Flick it!” and “Spin it!” In addition, you can earn in-game stickers.

Was This Game Twenty Years Too Late?

The Bop It! toy was released in 1996, and its popularity lasted into the early 2000’s, so why didn’t it get a video game adaptation when it was actually at the height of its popularity, especially since that was the time when game companies seemed to want to adapt everything? I could see a Bop It! game on something like the Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS, with colorful graphics and simple rhythm gameplay to keep kids occupied in the car. However, are today’s kids even familiar with the Bop It! toy? In this smartphone generation, would they even care about an electronic toy with no screen?

Of course, the video game’s target audience seems to be not kids, but nostalgic adults. The Steam page advertises that it’s “the same great game you remember,” preying on adults’ nostalgia for not just the toy, but for their childhoods. Just hearing those commands can take you back to your childhood, when you could erase all your worries by focusing on bopping, twisting, and pulling.

Conclusion

My brother had a Bop It! toy when we were younger, and I remember having fun with it, but I’m not overly nostalgic for it. Still, I know how my generation is a sucker for nostalgia, so this game will probably sell decently. It costs $7.99, and it will probably be one of those games that periodically goes on sale. It might be worth it to test your reflexes and see if you still have those Bop It! skills. You might surprise yourself.