1983 · Taito
Polar Explorer
Black star-speckled night sky, cave roof with long dripping icicles, jagged faceted crystal mountain range, grey snow ridge on the right and red and orange striped tent and pyramid shapes on the left.
- Year
- 1983
- Maker
- Taito
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Vision analysis
On the playfield
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- black
- blue
- red
- yellow
Fingerprint: Tall vertical tower of glowing yellow-orange cogwheels of many sizes stacked over dark spiky starburst; two round white pop-bumper caps with red rings sit under big white SAUCER starburst medallion; blue banner reading ARKANOIDA spans upper playfield; bold yellow apron with TAITO logo in black capitals on white arrow points down between flippers; jagged yellow lightning-bolt shape on right half against teal and black
The centre of the playfield is dominated by a tall vertical tower of glowing yellow-orange cogwheels of many sizes, stacked over a dark spiky starburst. Above them two round white pop-bumper caps with red rings sit under a big white SAUCER starburst medallion. A blue banner reading A R K A N O I D A spans the upper playfield. At the bottom, a bold yellow apron with the TAITO logo in black capitals on a white arrow points down between the two flippers. The whole right half carries a jagged yellow lightning-bolt shape against teal and black.
Setting
- Black starfield speckled with small white and pink stars
- Large teal and green radial starburst with black triangular spikes
- Abstract geometric constellation-line motifs on the right side
- Metallic industrial panel artwork in the upper-left corner
Symbols
- Yellow lightning bolt
- Five black-bordered drop targets in a vertical bank on the left
- Playing-card-like coloured inserts
- Outlined constellation/triangle line art
- Starbursts
- Gears and cogs
- Red round push button
- Arrows pointing inward on the apron
Notable shapes
- Large central radial spike/starburst in teal and black
- Tall vertical stack of interlocking gears
- Arched ramp tunnel over the upper playfield
- Jagged yellow lightning bolt filling the right mid playfield
- Arrow-shaped apron logo panels pointing inward
Art motifs
- Radiating ray bursts
- Concentric triangular spikes
- Neon glow outlines
- Interlocking cogwheels
- Constellation line drawings
- Chevron and arrow borders
Themes
- Space
- Arcade
- Geometric abstraction
- Gears and cogs
- Pinball 1980s solid state
Title on it
- Arkanoida
Text on it
- 4-DANCE SPECIAL
- SAUCER
- ARKANOIDA
- MISSING BORDER LOCK
- 10000
- NÃO COLOQUE FICHAS COM A LUZ ACESA.
- POLAR EXPLORER
- TAITO
- ATENÇÃO
- REPLAY
- CONTINUA
- PONTOS
- FLIPPER BUTTON
- CAUTION
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Roughly twenty yellow-orange cogwheels/gears of varying sizes with red and black toothed rims, stacked in a vertical tower down the centre of the playfield |
| Vehicle | A small red, white and blue striped rocket with a pointed nose mounted on the upper right playfield |
| Vehicle | A small orange and white capsule/rocket shape on the upper left of the upper playfield |
| Other | Two large white starburst medallions in the upper playfield, each with a blue oval saucer caption, one large and one smaller |
| Other | A curved chrome/yellow plastic ramp arching across the top of the upper playfield, with a yellow-and-red starburst fin |
| Other | A tall cylindrical post on the right side with a red-ringed cap and a small rectangular illuminated insert |
| Other | An oval white instruction/rule sticker on the upper left of the mid playfield |
Glossy black playfield seen from above through the glass, starfield background overlaid by huge radiating geometry: a big teal and green starburst with a black triangular spike motif, and a vertical tower of roughly twenty yellow-orange cogwheels of varying sizes. At the top, behind an arched plastic ramp with a yellow-and-red starburst fin, sit two pop bumpers with round white caps and red rubber rings, a large white starburst medallion captioned SAUCER and a smaller white burst also captioned SAUCER; a wide blue-teal banner reading A R K A N O I D A crosses just below them. Left: a red-bordered plaque reading MISSING BORDER LOCK, a curved wireform rail, a five-deep drop-target bank. Right: a matching rail and a tall lit post. Lower playfield has two red-tipped flippers with white faces, a yellow arrow reading FLIPPER BUTTON, a round red button, a yellow apron panel reading TAITO in black capitals on a white-and-red arrow, an orange POLAR EXPLORER rule card in Portuguese, a yellow NAO COLOQUE FICHAS COM A LUZ ACESA warning and a wide ATENCAO card. Colours: black, teal-blue, red, yellow.
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- black
- yellow
- orange
- teal
Fingerprint: Cartoon astronaut in bright yellow spacesuit with orange ribbed chest panel blue-tinted bubble helmet crouched astride yellow-orange snow vehicle with magenta caterpillar tread, long dripping icicles hanging from entire top edge overlapping score windows, jagged crystalline mountains in teal violet cream gold filling lower right, black star-speckled cave background, POLAR EXPLORER slanted orange-gold capitals bottom border, yellow lightning bolt emblem vehicle side panel
A cartoon astronaut with a yellow suit, orange ribbed chest and a bubble helmet, crouched on a yellow-and-orange snow vehicle with a magenta caterpillar tread. Long blue and white icicles drip down from the entire top edge, overlapping a row of four lit score windows. A huge field of angular, faceted crystal peaks in teal, violet and gold fills the lower right, under a black starry sky. The bottom name band reads POLAR EXPLORER in slanted orange-and-gold capitals.
Setting
- Black star-speckled night sky
- Cave roof with long dripping icicles
- Jagged faceted crystal mountain range
- Grey snow ridge on the right
- Red and orange striped tent and pyramid shapes on the left
Symbols
- Small five-pointed stars above the score windows
- Yellow lightning bolt emblem on the vehicle
- Scattered star dots in the black sky
- Rectangular red display bezels
- Dotted black border band along the bottom
Lettering
- Bottom title in large slanted italic sans-serif capitals, orange-to-gold gradient fill with heavy black outline, on a black band framed by gold lines and dots. top-left status words in small block capitals, each in its own white-outlined window ('game over' stacked on two lines in amber). top-right manufacturer sticker: 'taito' in a rounded outlined lozenge above 'taitronics' and tiny 'from tokyo'.
Themes
- Polar exploration
- Antarctica
- Astronaut
- Ice cave
- Snow vehicle
- Crystal mountains
- Scifi cartoon
Title on it
- Polar explorer
Text on it
- GAME OVER
- TILT
- NEW
- RECORD
- TAITO
- TAITRONICS
- FROM TOKYO
- INSERT
- CREDIT
- POLAR EXPLORER
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Single cartoon astronaut, adult proportions, full-body, crouching and leaning forward with a determined squint. yellow spacesuit with an orange horizontally-ribbed chest panel, blue-tinted bubble helmet with a gold neck ring, a gold spiral hose looping from the helmet, yellow gloves and boots. he grips a dark control bar with his left hand and raises a clenched fist with his right. |
| Vehicle | Yellow and orange wedge-shaped snow crawler / tractor with a pointed nose, a lightning-bolt emblem on its side panel, a pink-magenta ribbed caterpillar tread underneath and a tubular grab rail. the astronaut straddles it. |
A backglass with a black star-speckled cave background and long dripping icicles hanging from the top edge. A single cartoon astronaut in a bright yellow spacesuit with an orange ribbed chest panel, blue-tinted bubble helmet and a gold spiral hose dominates the upper right; he crouches astride a yellow-and-orange wedge-shaped snow vehicle with a magenta tread, gripping a control bar. The lower half is filled with jagged crystalline mountains in teal, violet, cream and gold, plus red-and-orange striped tent and pyramid shapes on the left. Left of centre sit three stacked horizontal windows of red alphanumeric displays, the top lit with bright red 7-segment digits 101339, plus a small glowing amber word window above them and two square red CREDIT windows at the bottom. The bottom edge carries a bordered black name band with large italic orange-and-gold capitals outlined in black. A yellow manufacturer sticker with rounded logo sits in the top right corner. The whole piece is behind glass, showing heavy glare and reflections of the room.