Adobe Flash was long used for simple browser games that most people could easily play. Over the years, the software has become depreciated. Adobe announced months ago that it was no longer supporting the software on December 31, 2020 and would be replaced with more interactive HTML5.
However, some websites continued to create games using Flash. One of the most popular Flash-based games was a Japanese game called Winnie the Pooh’s Home Run Derby. The game was developed for children to enjoy a game of baseball with some of Winnie the Pooh’s friends. The gameplay involved clicking a mouse button at the right time to hit the ball.
The concept appeared easy enough, but the game became increasingly difficult as players progress through each level. The pitchers became incredibly difficult to get past, with the toughest opponent being Christopher Robin. The friendly human can throw every pitch that the previous pitchers could but has a unique twist on all of the moves. Robin could also throw the pitches at much higher speeds than the other characters.
Christopher Robin’s difficulty level quickly became shared online around 2012, with members of various forums trying to defeat the final boss. Only those who hit 40 out of 50 of Robin’s pitches could beat the game. Many tried but even fewer succeeded.
Eight years after the internet discovered Winnie the Pooh’s Home Run Derby, they have to prepare to say goodbye. Since Adobe is ceasing support for Flash, which is what the game runs on, the Yahoo! Japan Kids website announced it was ending service for the game on December 16 in the country.
The English version of the game is still available on the Disney LOL website with no news about its removal. The English version is also run using Flash, which means it’s only a matter of time until the game may soon leave Disney LOL as well. Most browsers refuse to load the game at all, but there may be other places to play it after Flash support ends.
Winnie the Pooh Home Run Derby isn’t the only game that players will have to say goodbye to in the near future. Other sites that host Flash games, such as Newgrounds and Flashpoint, have been working on archiving the content as quickly as possible, even after many developers have long abandoned their projects. Even though new games come out all the time, there are some games that are so memorable that it’s difficult for many to say goodbye.
Adobe officially ends support of Flash on December 31, 2020.
