The goal of the game is to shoot at targets while conserving a limited ammunition supply for as long as possible. The controls for the standard upright version of Carnival consist of buttons for firing and left/right movement. The cocktail version replaces the directional buttons with a two-way joystick. Three rows of targets scroll across the screen in alternating directions; these include rabbits, ducks, owls, and extra-bullet targets, with higher rows awarding more points. If a duck reaches the bottom row without being shot, it will come to life and begin flying down toward the player. Any ducks that reach the bottom of the screen in this manner will eat some of the player's bullets. A large pop-up target above the top row can either award or subtract bullets or points when hit. A spinning wheel with eight pipes also sits above the top row; the point value of the pipes decreases for every shot that does not hit one of them. In addition, a bonus counter increases by the value of every target shot in the three rows, and can be collected by shooting the letters of the word "BONUS" in order as they cycle through the rows. The bonus stops increasing as soon as any letter is shot. A roundends when all targets and pipes have been shot. The player receives bonus points for all unused bullets, then plays a bonus round in which a large bear with a target walks across the screen. Each time the bear is shot, it rears up for a second, then begins walking more quickly in the other direction. The object is to shoot the bear as many times as possible until it escapes off the screen, using unlimited ammunition. Following the bonus round, the next wave begins. Later bonus rounds add more bears to the screen. In higher levels, there are more ducks and fewer extra-bullet targets, putting a premium on accurate shooting. The game ends when the player runs out of bullets.
Technical details
Carnival is one of the few games that has two different PCBs, one for each version; normally a game only has one PCB with a dip switch that sets it to either upright or cocktail mode. The upright and cocktail cabinets each come in two varieties, one woodgrain and the other painted orange and white. The tune that plays throughout the game is Sobre las Olas by Juventino Rosas, a tune commonly associated with carnivals and funfairs. The game's General Instrument AY-3-8910 chip allows for a relatively complex rendition of Rosas's waltz with overlaid sound effects.
Reception
Electronic Games called the ColecoVision port of Carnival, "a letter-perfect recreation of the arcade original that's not to be missed." In a retrospective discussion of the arcade game's music, video game scholar Andrew wrote, "as the track makes use of all three tone-channels—using two for the waltz's characteristic oom-pah-pah and one for its memorable melody—the resulting texture is rich enough to do the music justice. And the inclusion of numerous sound effects, including three different duck quacks and a bear's roar, makes for a veritable sonic feast."
