Tropical Trouble
Tropical Trouble — frequently asked questions
- Is Tropical Trouble on Steam?
- No. Tropical Trouble is not distributed on Steam, so there is no Steam Charts or SteamDB player count for it. Its live popularity is tracked here via Twitch viewership instead.
- What platforms is Tropical Trouble on?
- Tropical Trouble is available on Intellivision.
- When did Tropical Trouble release?
- Tropical Trouble was first released on December 31, 1983.
About Tropical Trouble
Clumsy Clarence is vacationing on a tropical island with his girlfriend Doris. Unfortunately, their vacation is interrupted when Doris is kidnapped by the bully Beach Bruiser. Now Clarence needs to rescue Doris by chasing the Beach Bruiser all over the island! The Beach Bruiser will be carrying Doris to the right and the screen scrolls to follow. You need guide Clarence and catch up to Doris. There are many obstacles on the screen which temporarily slow down your progress. Coconuts, ferns, clams, sand snakes, and lava will all appear in your way. If you get slowed down too much and hit the left side of the screen, you lose one of your lives. From time to time, Doris will drop a handkerchief; collect this and you become temporarily invincible! If you catch Doris, you then move on to the next section of the island; when each section of the island has been completed you then need to battle the Beach Bruiser on a bridge. If you're successful, the game will then repeat at a more difficult skill level.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Intellivision
- Developer
- Imagic
- Publisher
- Imagic
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action
Details via IGDB.
Collector value & authenticity
Intellivision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-20
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about 2 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-20.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $5.25 in Apr 2009, $16.58 five years ago, and $14.50 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $9.70 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $16.99 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $17.55 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $17.99 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $10.00 | $40 |
| Jan 2015 | $13.50 | $17.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $3.99 | $16.70 |
| Jan 2017 | $25 | $28 |
| Jan 2018 | $14.24 | $25 |
| Jan 2019 | $8.87 | $23 |
| Jan 2020 | $10.64 | $23 |
| Jan 2021 | $14.06 | $30 |
| Jan 2022 | $16.99 | $43 |
| Jan 2023 | $20 | $46 |
| Jan 2024 | $19.90 | $49 |
| Jan 2025 | $14.80 | $33 |
| Jan 2026 | $11.88 | $40 |
| Oct 2026 | $14.50 | $31 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1982
- Authenticity
- Low
Imagic's ape-and-island rescue game drew friendly notices for its graphics, a light platformer rather than a classic.
Tropical Trouble is Imagic's platform rescue game: shipwrecked Clarence goes after Beach Bruiser, an ape, to save Doris. Computer Entertainer called it another of the cute games then popular, with one or two players taking alternate turns and an easy, medium or difficult rescue to pick. Joystik praised its detailed graphics, noting the dodged boulders and falling lava, the clams to jump over, and the bridge where Bruiser finally goes over.
Imagic's 1983 lineup, according to Joystik, included eight new Intellivision games, among them Ice Trek, Dragonfire and Swords and Serpents, and Tropical Trouble was one of them.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 1 | April 1983 | Graphics ★★★ · Play-Action ★★★ |
| JoyStik Vol. 2 No. 1 | September 1983 | ★★★★★ |
“The game is humorous and fun to play … It strikes us as a game that will appeal more to kids than adults.”
“This animated game may be whimsical, but it has its share of challenge. Progressing through three levels, the number of obstacles increase and the hanky becomes more elusive. Detailed graphics add to the fascination.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system. JoyStik’s capsule ratings run from one star to five.
Before you buy
Imagic's copies came with two keypad overlays. A loose cart is moderately priced; a complete copy and especially a sealed one cost noticeably more. Imagic often revised manuals, so variants may turn up.
Tropical Trouble screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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