I saw the Game Gear version of this on a video once like 6 or 7 years ago and was utterly fascinated by how awful the music was, so I decided to play it and then I was utterly fascinated by how awful everything else is. For years I would show it to friends just to see their reactions to the music and such, and it never fails to get a laugh out of me even now. Around last year I showed it to a group chat with another user here, XenonNV, who then spread it further and I guess it became an inside joke on the site?? And then somebody ran it at AGDQ as well. Those were both really fucking funny to see, it's crazy when you indirectly cause something like that.

The original version of this game, however, is on the Genesis. For a while I was curious if it was any better, and really it only bumps up from like a 1 to a 2 or 3. It's still awful, and would you believe the music is just as bad? It's not ear piercingly loud or anything like the Game Gear version, but it's really flaccid and sad and often just sounds like you gave a four year old a Casio keyboard and left them with it for 20 minutes. The sound effects are basically the same as well, and early on you'll hardly be able to discern them from the music. Each time he lands for example, a tone of random pitch is played, something that sounds like a sad trumpet. Every, single, time. Have fun with that.

The quizzical level design is also of note. Take a look at either of the levels in the mines, or the log riding levels, and you'll see what I mean. But even in its more subdued moments, it's weird and mazelike and full of death pits. It's a weird feeling to have what feels like screen crunch on a game designed for a fucking CRT, no? What's up with that? Is it just another product of putting large sprites as top priority and then forgetting to make anything else good, like Sword of Sodan? Are you really doing anything right at all if your game can be compared to that?

So no, the Genesis version is not good either. I would change the rating by a point or two to accomodate but it seems on here it's actually the less popular version now lmfao. Really absurd game. I hope Taz runs for president in 2024

Reviewed on Jun 09, 2022


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