Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
Arcade
Nostalgia Factor:
I grew up playing Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker for the Sega Genesis. I always knew that there was an arcade version of Moonwalker out there; I even popped a few quarters into it back in the 1990s. But this was a game I only encountered a small handful of times in my life, and none of those times did I ever have enough money on me to make any significant progress in the game. When I first discovered emulation I knew that Moonwalker was going to be a game that I was going to check out sooner rather than later.
Well, sooner has come.
Story:
You are Michael Jackson and you save kids. There’s more to the story if you watch the movie Moonwalker, but aside from the very basics this game doesn’t waste much time on its story.
Gameplay:
This is a very easy game to pick up and play. Controlling Michael Jackson, you beat up bad guys not using your fists, but with blue bursts of magic that shoot from your hands. If you hold down the attack button you unleash a more powerful magic attack that can hit multiple enemies at the same time. Michael has a special screen-clearing attack where all his enemies bust out into a dance number and then proceed to die. You get one of these per life, but sometimes when you rescue a child you’ll be given an extra attack, or maybe a health item.
Unlike similar titles such as TMNT or Final Fight, Moonwalker doesn’t take place from a side-scrolling perspective. Instead, it is more of an overhead, isometric perspective. You generally start at the bottom of the screen and work your way up, the screen scrolling as you move. This is going to be one of my shortest reviews ever, because there isn’t really much to write about Moonwalker’s gameplay. All you do is kill enemies, and then before you know it the game is over. This is a super short title, clocking in at around 20 to 30 minutes long. It’s pretty easy too. Usually when I emulate I keep track of how many “quarters” I’ve plugged into the machine, but for some reason I didn’t do that here. No way I spent more than three dollars on this game.
Okay, I was about to move on to the next segment but I guess I found something that should be mentioned. Every level or two you’ll be given the chance to morph into a robot Michael Jackson. This robot kills enemies with lasers and rockets shot out of his hands. You are still vulnerable to attacks, though, and if you die you lose the robot power until you find it again later in the game. This doesn’t really add much to the game, aside from the fact that you’re able to control a robot Michael Jackson. That’s pretty cool.
Graphics:
The game looks good, particularly for its age. I wouldn’t say it looks amazing or anything, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do. I like the level variety and the enemy types you encounter as you play. Some of the “cutscenes” between levels are pretty freaking hilarious, I must say. I don’t know if the humor is intentional in these or not, but man. Michael’s face! It's just so funny.
Sound:
This is probably the best part about the game. It’s a treat being able to bob your head to this game’s level music, the entirety of which is based off of famous Michael Jackson tunes. All the little Michael sound effects are great.
If you’ve played the Genesis version you should know what to expect in this department, as nothing new is really added for this game. But that doesn’t make it any less fantastic.
Overall:
If Michael Jackson wasn’t the star of this game, it probably would have been lost to time forever. It’s a generic, completely run of the mill beat ‘em up that doesn’t do much that you haven’t seen already. It’s short, it’s easy. It’s completely forgettable.
But here’s the thing: Michael Jackson IS the star of the game, and that counts for something. This game has so much personality to it. The graphics, the characters, the music. Michael makes this whole thing work. I didn’t even mention that it is three player co-op as well. Each character can control their own Michael Jackson, each one in a different colored suit (I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the red one). I don’t care who you are – a video game where the players can control three different Michael Jacksons at the same time is ALWAYS going to be something that is worth checking out. No, this game isn’t a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. It's fine. But if you are a 90’s kid and a fan of the beat ‘em up genre, this game is one that absolutely has to be played if only for the experience of it.
Final Score:
C+
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