In the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, many brands were shifting marketing strategies, and tragically, due to either that shift or his Japanese origin, we in the West weren’t able to experience Pepsiman. Along with his “Silver Surfer with a streak of Pepsi blue” appearance and his “PEPSIMAAAAAAN” jingle, the mascot would deliver cola to any in need.

The ads he starred in are genuinely funny, and I’d venture to guess they’re iconic for Japanese folks who grew up in the ‘90s. So iconic that Pepsi Japan commissioned a game for their shiny mascot, an endless runner-style game developed by KID in 1999. The now-defunct studio was responsible for a plethora of visual novels, most notably the classic Infinity series. Kotaro Uchikoshi, the brain behind Zero Escape and the AI: The Somnium Files titles, cut his teeth at KID, which was a bit of a shock to learn after having played my way through Pepsiman.
It’s a bizarre game, taking place in a fictionalized Burbank, California. Live action cutscenes guide the narrative, where the unplayable protagonist, “Thirsty Guy,” gorges himself on food and Pepsi in between stages. You play as Pepsiman as you relentlessly sprint to your target in an attempt to get them that sweet blue-and-red-canned ichor. In your way are fences, open manholes, or the sliding glass backdoor of a family home, where the residents look on in confusion as you careen through their living room. Even Pepsi semitrucks grind their brakes to a halt to stand against you.

Eventually, you do a Pepsiman version of Sonic Adventure 2‘s City Escape, only to then find yourself seemingly in the Grand Canyon, sprinting away from a massive rolling Pepsi can à la “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” You collect Pepsi cans as you run and try to rack up a higher score, and collecting 100 cans in a level opens some actually cool rewards, like classic and wire-frame skins for Pepsiman. It feels like the precursor to modern endless runners like Subway Surfers, even with the large span of time in between the two releases.
It’s a blast to play as well, as you hurdle and slide your way through each level. It can be a little tough, and I certainly didn’t unlock everything. As I played it bit by bit on my handheld, however, I found it was a fun and casual drop-in activity I didn’t feel beholden to. Often, I found myself booting it up just to mess around in a level I was stuck on. In fact, clearing the game will open up a free run mode, allowing you to go back to old levels to try for a better time and can score.

Even after I collected what I needed for this review, I’m still finding myself back with Pepsiman, quenching the public’s thirst for cola. There’s just something about the off-the-wall humor and engaging gameplay that keeps me entertained even on revisits.
Pepsiman isn’t a hidden masterpiece, more of a diamond in the rough. The subject matter is a relic of its time, and quite a fascinating one at that, the hypercommercial, bespoke ‘90s mascot being a bygone concept. What started for me as a tongue-in-cheek adventure into the absurd transformed into a fun oddity, a game that surprisingly shares DNA with a lot of modern titles; the aforementioned Subway Surfers, along with games like Temple Run and Sonic Dash coming to mind.

If you can get your hands on it, and you have a good sense of humor and a clear afternoon, definitely give it a shot. There’s an English fan translation sitting around out there somewhere on the internet, and access to things like that has never been easier. Which is a good thing, because games like these need to be preserved so everyone can have their thirst quenched by Pepsiman.

Pepsiman: 8.0

Sometimes frustrating but ultimately low pressure, Pepsiman is a fun relic of a bygone era. For nostalgia or for a break between larger, more involved games, this one is worth a shot. Do it for PEPSIMAAAAAAAAAN.

Gameplay: 9

Atmosphere: 9

Story: 6