TGLVideo Games: "Kid Chameleon"

Kid Chameleon

Originally released on Sega Genesis / Sega Megadrive

Also available on Wii Virtual Console, PC/PS2/PS3/Gamecube/Xbox/360 Sega collections

Plot:"There was a new machine in the arcade that one could walk into and play.
It used holograms to create a reality not our own.
Everybody played it.
But it was a little too real.
The boss escaped, and began capturing kids by defeating them at the game.
This is the story of someone too tough to beat.
Someone known as...
KID CHAMELEON"

This is the message that greets you in the intro video, and, as a kid in the mid 90's, this got me pumped up! I mean what kid didn't get excited simply going to an arcade, let alone being IN the game! Sure looking back this is one of the corniest intros of all time, but at the time, it was intense. Plus look at the hero! He's the typical 90's badass! When the collar gets popped and the jean legs get rolled up, you just KNOW stuff is about to go down.

Basically this was a 2D platform game, a la Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and possibly hundreds of others. What made this one stand out, however, was that throughout the levels, you could find helmets that granted Kid different power-ups, such as a hockey mask that gave you throwing axes, a skull that turned you into a skull-shooting tank, a knight with higher health, or my personal favorite, the tornado helmet that let you fly around in a little tornado! But more on that later when we talk gameplay.

The other draw of the game was that for its time, it was MASSIVE. I honestly can't even fathom the hours my brother and I would spend playing the game, only to find out years later that we were no farther than halfway through the game! Now there is a glitch/cheat that allows you to teleport to the final boss from level 2, but most versions of the game that you can buy now (Wii, and any Sega Genesis compilation packs) have that patched out. The levels were laid out in a linear fashion, so if you wanted, you could just reach the end of each level and progress that way. But within every level were also teleport pads that would let you skip levels, which honestly STILL took countless hours to reach the end! And keeping in mind that there is no save option, this was a tough game to beat for sure!

Gameplay:As previously mentioned, the game is primarily a 2D platformer. Simple observation showed that the goal was to reach the end of the level and touch the flag (shown here).
But for me and my brother, it was all about finding every secret we could, and skipping as many levels as possible! Each set of levels had different themes, and challenges to overcome. Some would tout a peaceful, green hill or blue sky vibe, while others would place you in a gritty big-city sewer. Some were simple "proceed to the end" levels, and others had you being chased by a GIGANTIC SPIKY WALL OF DEATH THAT YOU COULD NARROWLY AVOID AND ALWAYS HAD TO HAVE YOUR BROTHER BEAT FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE YOUNG AND SUCKED AT VIDEO GAMES!!!!! ....Sorry. I seem to be harboring a bit of pent up aggression towards that level.

The difficulty takes a pretty severe hike after the first few levels, however. And without use of the teleporters I was talking about earlier, there would be several levels that I don't honestly think I could ever have passed. There are bosses for each group of levels as well, including several kingly lions who chase you with magic wants while on their hind legs, and my personal favorite, three skewered bald heads that shoot stuff at you while repeatedly saying "DIE". 

The game does include a pass-the-controller style of 2 player, which is basically just two people playing their own independent single-player modes, but taking turns between levels. That's not to say that it still isn't fun, though!

As with almost all 80s/90s games, the replay value came from the difficulty. Companies back then didn't have the technology to be able to make a game like Skyrim, so to make people play the game longer, they just made it more difficult, and you'd just have to keep practicing and memorizing patterns to get better. This is definitely one of those games, to a point. While much of the progress came from replaying levels, getting to your new personal best, then starting all over again after mom called you for dinner, there was an element of skill and pathfinding to the game as well. Over time, you could find enough hidden teleporters and level skip tricks that eventually you'd be able to beat levels that may have previously confounded you, and to me this is why this game sticks out so much.

Plus, y'know...tornado suit:

Presentation:

I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time here, because after all, this isn't a next-gen, graphics-heavy game. It was a 16-bit Sega gem, so you pretty much know what you're getting off the bat.

That said, the game offered a lot of variety in its levels, and each one had beautiful backgrounds. Enemies were easy to distinguish, and for it being an older game, it wasn't very buggy at all. If you screwed up, it was your fault, not the game.

Verdict:

I'd have to consider myself pretty biased on this one, so instead of a grade I'll say this: The game is around $6 on Wii, and the Sega Genesis collection packs aren't very pricey, and offer a lot of other fantastic games. But if you're lucky enough to still own a Sega, and you see this in a used electronics store or pawn shop, it is definitely worth your money!

Just remember this...
When you see the spikey wall of doom, DON'T STOP RUNNING. Or have a brother who is good at it.