Anteater

About

Anteater is an arcade puzzle game where you maneuver a long-tongued creature through mazelike underground nests. The goal is to collect larvae while snacking on ants and worms, but every bite requires precision. Touch the wrong part of your proboscis to an ant and you lose a life. Worms are safer to eat from the rear, while queens at the nest's base temporarily reset the chaos. As day turns to night, a spider crawls toward your tip, adding tension. Timing and route planning keep things frantic but fair. The scoring system gives the game surprising depth. Worms double your ant points, and queens net 1,000 alone. But the real challenge lies in balancing risk: clear larvae fast or watch time run out. Decades later, its mix of twitch reflexes and tactical planning still holds up. The simple control scheme hides layers of strategy, making each run feel distinct. Though obscure, it's a solid example of early arcade puzzle design where small mechanics create big rewards.