Namco buffs up Popeye for the GBA

Namco Hometek today announced that Popeye will make his Game Boy Advance debut this April in Popeye: Rush for Spinach. The racing game is being developed by Magic Pockets, the team responsible for the GBA version of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance.

In Rush for Spinach, he-of-bloated-forearms finds that the Sea Hag witch has stolen the world's supply of spinach to feed her ghosts. Gamers will play as four of Elzie Segar's characters: Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, and Wimpy.

Races take place in the story mode, against a human opponent, or one-on-one against computer-controlled opponents. The characters will race a variety of vehicles, including pogo sticks, boats, and skateboards, across seven different levels.

Popeye previously appeared in Trecision's Popeye: Hush Rush for Spinach in 2002 on the PlayStation 2.