Summary
It's better than some of us grew to think. Slightly. But still.
The Good
- Innovative (for it's time) gameplay features;
- the monster's animation;
- great music.
The Bad
- Dull, uninspired graphics;
- unintuitive gameplay (it's somewhat innovative, but never quite explained, so mostly it's trial and error);
- poor hit detection (takes a lot of time to get used to);
- terrible controls;
- overall cheap level design.
The Bottom Line
There isn't much info about this game on the Internet. Yet all there is to find is criticism from people who've never managed to get past the very first level. What these people see is dull uninspired graphics, poor hit detection and cheap level design. Sega Genesis days are long gone, so most people won't even bother playing any further.
However, this game packs a few surprises. Before I move to a really fun aspect of the game I should say this: the monster's animation is gorgeous. It feels like a professional motion-capture, and I've read somewhere that in fact it is. The music is really atmospheric, all tunes fit perfectly with the game creating an eerie feel with drum beats and synth sounds.
But the real star of the game is non-linearity of the levels and 'adventure' element thrown into the gameplay.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Each level (with very few exceptions) offers at least a couple of ways to complete it. For example, while you can run to the end of the first level, battle the guards and escape the town, you can skip this fight entirely if you keep your eyes open: just find some tools, a physics textbook, combine them and construct a monkey winch! Next, find a very special door, use you winch on a stone block and escape the level! It's not easy to do or to figure out in the first place... I felt like a monster learning the ways of life trying to figure out where to apply this or that apparatus. And I think there's a third way to escape the town - there's a hat and gentleman's bag hidden in the level. Apparently, you can dress up and escape, but I still can't figure out how this can be done. And that's just the first level. The second one, the crypt level, introduces a new gimmick: it's very dark, but you find a lit torch in the very beginning. You can light torches as you go, but the one you're holding will eventually burn out and you'll be left in the dark. Good thing, you can backtrack and light it up again, if you were careful enough one your way...
By the time you get to the third level (the forest) you start to understand the laws of the world a bit. You need fire to find most of the items and avoid the boss fight. Your friend here is lightning. In each outdoor level there's a specific spot where lightning strikes you fully replenishing your health and making the stick you use as a weapon burn. You can also set various objects ablaze, including bushes that hide valuable items.
What I just described is almost completely optional. You can blatantly march forward killing everything you see, but you''ll miss half the fun this way. Actually you'll miss the only thing that makes this game different and original - the approach to gameplay, optional adventure-style elements in a platform game.
Too bad these ideas are hidden, or should I say buried, under the smelly pile of graphics and controls...
To sum it up, I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone, it's a just a bad game with twist after all. I just wanted to show it's a bit better than most players think.
