Kid Chameleon (Genesis) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
1,926A playthrough of Sega's 1992 platformer for the Sega Genesis, Kid Chameleon.
This playthrough shows the direct path through the game. There are over a hundred stages, and since taking the alternate paths usually requires skipping some of the "main" stages, I stuck to taking the stage exits that are marked by flags.
If my memory serves me correctly, Kid Chameleon was a fairly big deal when it was released. The TV and magazine ads leaned heavily on the "edgy attitude" shtick that Sega was becoming increasingly known for, and the game was seeing a run of positive reviews in the gaming magazines.
The game's setup was unexpectedly "meta" in an era where video games rarely acknowledged their own existence. Kid Chameleon centers around the hottest new machine at the local arcade - it seems that people playing it are being kidnapped by the game's villain, and Kid Chameleon takes it upon himself to set things right. It's a video game within a video game, with some light social commentary garnish on the side.
Once he's in, Kid Chameleon becomes the hero of one of the largest, most ambitious platformers on the Genesis. There are over a hundred levels to make it through, each brimming with secret exits, hidden power-up caches, and careful platforming challenges. There are hats that Kid can find hidden in blocks that give him a multitude of different abilities, and many of the stages are built around these mechanics. He can find a samurai hat and cut things down with his katana, a metal-bladed hat lets him bash through rock walls, a motorcycle helmet allows him to dash around on an engine-propelled scooter - there are tons of possibilities, and you'll need to familiarize yourself with them all if you're going to make it to the end. My personal favorite has to be the hockey mask that turns you into a hatchet-tossing Rick from Splatterhouse.
Knowing your abilities is essential because the game is not at all easy - in fact, Kid Chameleon might be one of the most consistently challenging platformers of the 16-bit generation. Its mechanics and emphasis on exploration make it feel like an alternate take on the Super Mario Bros. 3 formula, but the bloodthirsty enemies, labyrinthine level layouts, and the lack of any save or password features make this a title that will last even the best gamers quite awhile. I found challenge to be a refreshing change of pace from the typically easy games of the genre, but be warned that success here demands a sustained, concentrated effort.
But Kid Chameleon happily repays everything you put into it. There are always new stages to find, and over time you'll eventually figure out a strategy for which path serves you best. For instance, I very purposely avoided the Bloody Swamp stage in this playthrough. I had little confidence that I could pass the stage without blowing through half my continues, but that's one of the best things about Kid Chameleon. You nearly always have a choice, and you can play the game as you want to play it. Furthermore, there is an incredible diversity to be found among the level's designs so there's little risk of getting bored. You won't likely see everything the game has to offer until you've gone through it dozens of times.
Kid Chameleon is an excellent old-school platformer. It doesn't hold your hand, and it never goes easy on you, but surmounting these odds offers a huge sense of accomplishment. I'm glad that it is being included on the Genesis Mini so that more people will have the opportunity to experience this forgotten classic from the days when Sega was on top.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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