Why is it that HAI never got their arcade ports quite right on the NES? Little details were always different that didn't need to be, and the games often seemed like intentionally cheap imitations. Millipede is no exception, though to be fair, this is actually one of HAI's better efforts. At least it actually feels like Millipede. Still, the list of little things the programmers missed is large. Poisoned mushrooms have no effect on the millipede. There are no additional bonus points for enemies killed during a swarm. Bees only have to be shot once. Sound effects bear only passing resemblances to the originals. And there is no ability to start a game at a higher level.
Further detracting from what could have been a solid port is a particularly annoying example of lazy programming. When you move forward or backward in the forest, the entire game pauses as the mushrooms are shifted on-screen. Fortunately the pause is too short to be a deal-breaker, but it still makes the game seem incomplete. Surely the NES is capable of smoother shifts than this.
Millipede fans won't be starved for entertainment here, at least, but once again it is obvious HAI could have done much better.
Grade: B-.