M.U.L.E.

M.U.L.E. NES is the 1990 Nintendo version of the classic 1983 economic strategy game, published in North America by Mindscape in September 1990. Players colonize the planet Irata and put robot workers to use harvesting resources. This listing is the loose cartridge only, with no box or manual.

About M.U.L.E. on the NES

M.U.L.E. was designed by Danielle Bunten Berry (credited as Dan Bunten) and written by Ozark Softscape for Atari 8-bit computers in 1983. The NES port was developed by Eastridge Technology. The planet's name, Irata, is Atari spelled backward.

Each colonist claims plots of land and outfits M.U.L.E.s, the robot workers of the title, to harvest resources. The four resources are Energy, Food, Smithore and Crystite. Crystite is the special case: it is only available at the Tournament level.

The design also pushed fairness. The developers replaced land auctions with a land authority that gives each player a free plot each turn, because auctions let the richest player grab the most land and money.

M.U.L.E. NES Game Details

• Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
• NES release (North America): September 1990
• Developer: Eastridge Technology (NES version); Ozark Softscape (original)
• Publisher: Mindscape
• Genre: Strategy (economic simulation)
• Players: Up to 4
• What you get: Loose cartridge only, no box or manual

Playing M.U.L.E. With Friends on the NES

The MULE NES cartridge supports up to four human players. Wikipedia notes that none of the ports, the NES version included, let four players use four separate joysticks. Plan to share controllers when four people play.

The NES version kept the original's core ideas: the planet Irata, the M.U.L.E. robots and the four resources. Mindscape released it in September 1990, seven years after the Atari 8-bit original.

More Strategy and Mindscape Games

See our full range of NES games. For another board-game style night, try Monopoly, and for more Mindscape, see Infiltrator. Background on the original is on M.U.L.E. on Wikipedia.

M.U.L.E. NES: FAQs

Who made M.U.L.E.?
Danielle Bunten Berry designed it with Ozark Softscape in 1983. Eastridge Technology developed the NES port, and Mindscape published it.

What resources do you harvest?
Energy, Food and Smithore, plus Crystite at the Tournament level. Your M.U.L.E. robots do the harvesting on the plots you own.

Where does the planet name Irata come from?
It is Atari spelled backward, a nod to the Atari 8-bit computers the game first appeared on.

How many people can play?
Up to four human players.

When was the NES version released?
September 1990 in North America.

Is this M.U.L.E. Nintendo game complete in box?
No. It is the loose cartridge only, with no box or manual.

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