Game:

Todd's Adventures in Slime World (1990)

Duration: 15:21

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Ahhhh... this game. Slime World, or "Todd's Adventures in Slime World" is one maze game I'll admit to not liking very much several years ago. Being released for the Atari Lynx (1990), Genesis / Mega Drive (1991), and PC Engine CD (Japan-only, 1992), the game was only given any real respect when it was released for Lynx, which oddly trumps either the PCE-CD or Gen/MD versions in many regards. It was designed by the skilled M. Peter Engelbrite, who also created the Lynx classic, "Gates of Zendocon".

If you were lucky enough to get the Lynx version years ago, there was a lot to like about it: It featured large-scale multiplayer gameplay (allowing up to eight people to face each other), it has very varied gameplay where each of the game's six main levels possess a different theme and sub-plot of sorts, it possessed a useful auto-map (predating its inclusion in titles like Super Metroid) which is great because levels are HUGE, tons of secret areas, and clever (if not agonizing) level designs. Visually, it pushed the Lynx towards its limits with an impressive display of sprite distortion and scaling. Gameplay-wise, it had everything you needed and was actually rather original. The only real fault of the game was the audio, where the sounds could drive a man bananas (particularly the Lynx and Gen/MD game). Otherwise, it was an amazing game.

Then... it was ported. The Mega Drive version had a better field of vision and the map was always there, so it was even more useful. However, the game suffered a great deal of slowdown when you entered various rooms, and the multiplayer (which was one of the original game's greatest bragging rights) was reduced to two-player cooperative and competitive, which was still fun. I started several years ago with the Gen/MD version and was mortified by it, not really understanding the premise or why it was (at all) fun, and dismissed it. The Japanese were so impressed by the game's dynamics that they decided to adapt it for the PC Engine (Super) CD. Crediting Epyx (or Epix) for its concept and published by Micro World, The game shows a little more of the screen than the Gen/MD game, loses the sprite deformations and such from the Lynx game, and suffers even more slowdowns (to the point of being ridiculous at times) but features a somewhat altered story, an awesome soundtrack, and new characters (the most important of which is a female who is an incentive for completing the game six times, as she congratulates you in different uniforms / states of undress). The main stories are generally the same however: Titular Todd is a badboy space captain who goes to investigate a mysterious, inhospitable Slime Planet to retrieve Slime Gem riches and destroy the alien menaces that lurk within its vast underground sub-structure.

The Mega Drive game reportedly receieved a 1% (yes, out of 100%) from Mega Magazine, and most suggest to avoid the PCE-CD game, ridiculing it with low ratings primarily due to its pacing, strange controls, and repetitive levels, but this was part of the point of the original game. Once learned, you can effectively control Todd and make your way around; you'll notice gaps were designed with the perfect amount of distance and the levels have visual cues that alert players of traps or hidden passages. The game's six different themes (from defeating foes to eating mushrooms for a time-attack against an exploding planet) and multitude of items is actually refreshing, and while the game will undoubtedly get frustrating (with short levels taking ten minutes or so, longer ones like "Suspense" can take almost one hour), you have unlimited lives and many checkpoints (with "Arcade" being the exception). I don't think this is a game that should be avoided, but I suggest sampling it if you can to see if it's your thing.

Todd can be killed in variety of ways: by traps, by getting covered in too much green slime, or by touching red slime (which kills you even if shielded). There are various power-ups which are useful for many situations, but understanding where and when to use them is critical. Examples include room-clearing bombs, canisters to turn slime pools into helpful water pools (needed to wash yourself clean of slime), jetpacks to fly over traps, etc. This may not be a shining example of what the PCE-CD can do, but if you enjoyed dying constantly in the others, you'll really enjoy dying while keeping a blonde bombshell in the back of your mind. This is a video going through one of the shortest levels to fit things in 15 minutes (as you can see, I'm pretty good at the game now). Enjoy.

Basic Format: Super CD-Rom² (Super CD-Rom2)