Taz in Escape from Mars
Sega Genesis
Nostalgia Factor:
As a kid, I was a big fan of Taz-Mania on the Sega Genesis. I owned that game and I played the ever living heck out of it. As much as I liked the game, I never ended up getting the sequel. At this point in my life, I was all about games that would provide longevity. I just knew that if I ended up buying this game, I would beat it in two days. With Nintendo 64, Saturn, and PlayStation on the horizon, I figured I'd rather just save my money and rent this from Blockbuster - which is what I did.
I ended up really, really enjoying the game - much more than the original Taz-Mania. That said, I did end up beating it in two days. I beat it multiple times, in fact. When I returned it to Blockbuster, I felt I had gotten my four dollars worth out of the game. I haven't played it since then. This was a good 30 years ago. I've been wanting to revisit it and see if it as good as I remembered it. Now is that time. Let's roll!
Before we dive in, here is some random Dan trivia. When I rented this game back in the mid 90s, it was a few months after my mom had divorced my asshole stepdad Bob. I remember playing this game, all by myself on a random Saturday, when the phone rang. I paused the game and ran into the kitchen to pick it up. It was a man whose voice I did not recognize. He asked if my mom was there, and I said no. He identified himself as Dean, and said that he was my mom's boyfriend. He asked that I let her know that she called.
I remember being so floored by this news. My mom had been with my a-hole stepdad my entire life. I was very glad he was gone, and I had been wondering if/when she'd start dating again. I remember waiting for her to come home from work with bated breath. I just couldn't wait to tell her that her boyfriend had called. All these years later, I still associate this game with that phone call. It was such a monumental occasion. I even remember what level I was playing (the stage outside the castle, which is pictured in the screenshot below). Just a fun little nugget I figured I'd drop in this review.
Story:
Taz has been snatched up by Marvin the Martian and tossed into his alien zoo, located on Mars. Taz must escape and make his way back home. At the end, you face Marvin in combat. Defeat him, and you beat the game.
Gameplay:
This game is much more polished than the original Taz-Mania. Controls seem a bit more responsive. The levels are better designed. Everything comes together in a more cohesive manner, making this a fun yet challenging title to play through. Luckily this game gives you the ability to continue using passwords, something the original game did not. This comes in handy, because this is a long and difficult game. It would suck to have to start completely from the beginning each time you die. Because you do die a lot here.
This is a pretty traditional platformer, where each stage has a set starting and ending point. Your goal is to simply make it to the end of the stage intact. You use your spin attack to hit enemies. There's a lot of precise platforming. One of the more annoying things about the game is how there are bombs and other items that will damage you if you touch them. They are often disguised as health items. You have to be so so very careful you do not touch them. They are everywhere, too. Is this really necessary? It feels like a way to artificially pump up the game's difficulty.
I want to say there are five levels in total, each one containing three or four stages within. Don't quote me on the exact numbers. Each level ends in a boss fight. I found these to be one of the toughest things about the game. You often have to use unconventional tactics to beat them. One boss in particular I struggled with is the one where you have to knock him into a chair and then run and jump into the other chair. I was getting so frustrated with it. I figured out right away what I was supposed to do, but for some reason it didn't work. So I thought I was wrong, and then proceeded to waste a half hour trying other things before I finally caved and looked online. I don't remember having any trouble with this boss as a kid. I guess my brain is turning to mush in my old age.
This is a pretty straightforward game, although occasionally some variations are thrown your way. The ability to use your tornado attack to drill through the dirt is something I appreciated.
If you are dedicated and you set aside a good three or four hours, you can probably conquer this game if you keep at it. Personally, I used save states and made it through the game in a fraction of the time. I know that some people out there don't consider it "actually beating the game" if you use save states. But I've pointed this out before and I'll point it out again: I'm old. Plus my time is limited. I don't have more than an hour or two to play games each day. And that's at the very end of the day when everyone is in bed and I am struggling to stay awake. I will use whatever means necessary to make my way through a game, so I can review it and then move onto something else. Plus, I beat this when I was a kid and I did not have any save states, so I do not feel like I have anything to prove.
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Graphics:
I was impressed by how good this game looks. It is light years ahead of the original Taz-Mania. The animation is more fluid. The stage design is so much more colorful and innovative. The Mars setting is a lot more visually appealing than the deserts, mines, and jungles of the first game. Everything on screen pops. It is like the actual Tasmanian Devil cartoon come to life. Very impressive. One of the better looking Genesis titles I've seen.
Sound:
I'm struggling to remember anything about the game's music. I'm sure it is fine and I'm sure it did the trick. I suck at remembering the music when it comes time for these game reviews.
I do remember hearing some recycled sound effects from the first game. Which is good because I like the first game's sound effects.
Overall:
I had a fun time with this. It's not the most innovative or groundbreaking game out there. If you have never played this before, it is not like you're missing out on a giant piece of gaming history or anything like that. Yet, if you have the means I would encourage you to play it. It's an entertaining and arguably very underrated platformer. If this had come out earlier in the Genesis's lifespan, or if this had been the first Taz-Mania game, I think it would have gotten a lot more attention than it did.
Very solid game. Great graphics, fun level design, solid gameplay mechanics, and a stiff yet manageable difficulty level all add up to make this a game worthy of your time. I'm going to give this game a B. The original Taz-Mania also got a B. But like I said, this game is better. Unfortunately, I don't think it quite deserves a B+. To me, a B+ is an upper echelon review score, almost on par with something in the A range. And as good as this game is, it does not deserve to be ranked that high.
THE GRADE:
B
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