RETRO REBOOT | Vectorman (Sega Genesis)

At a time when the Super Nintendo was considered the winner of the 16-bit console wars, Sega's machine was far from down and out, releasing some very strong software.  Vectorman was one of the Mega Drive's later hits, along with Comix Zone, X-Men 2: Clone Wars, and The Adventures of Batman & Robin. It serves as one of the Genny's most revered games, yet despite its critical acclaim and a very solid sequel, a third game never manifested.

Developed by Blue Sky Software (Spider-Man: Web of Fire, Ariel the Little Mermaid), Vectorman is a run-n-gun action platformer that's probably more renown for being the game that's a staple on every Sega Genesis Anthology collection they've produced. Okay, I'm mostly jesting, and it is a fine product. But Vectorman generally came duct taped with the Sonic the Hedgehog games, Toejam & Earl: Panic on Funkatron, and Altered Beast, yet despite being a technical marvel that pulled off some great visuals on the aging Genesis architecture, a part of me is surprised literally nothing else came of the series after Sega's 16-bit juggernaut was finally retired.

Where does Vectorman stack alongside the action pillars of the 90's? I've always liked it better than the original Mega Man series by this point. It doesn't have the replay value of Gunstar Heroes, the character of Metal Slug, or the approachable nature of the Contra series, but Vectorman's strength lies in its level design and gameplay creativity. He can select between a series of weapons (many of which I could seldom tell if they were stronger than others during boss fights), but they have properties that can make problem solving a little easier. Vectorman can also power up his shot and increase your score by collecting multipliers, and has various transformations to navigate terrain easier. 

Gameplay-wise, there are some hiccups. I've never liked the inability to earn continues or have a battery back-up. It's 16 levels, which isn't a ton, and some of the stages can be fairly short, once you figure out how to navigate around. Vectorman does have a pretty high skill ceiling, and the difficulty spikes at inconsistent intervals. It takes a good deal of time to figure out the tricks to continuously earn extra lives (without cheat codes, mind you), and for me, it gets exhausting to keep up the practice. Aiming can feel a little too demanding, as the terrain can affect where and how you shoot, like sitting on sloped areas. 

That being said, the controls are pretty precise and responsive. Once I got really adept at the circumstances, I learned rushing ahead got me into danger, and though it's a run-n-gun, pacing myself yielded better results towards conserving health. Sure, it's a race against the clock, but you're capable of dying ridiculously fast.

The visuals are amazing. Dare I say, I think Vectorman looks better than Donkey Kong Country. The hues of the backgrounds and how they contrast off Vectorman's green body is something I didn't think the Genny was capable of at the time. If just talking optics, this is a game that shows its sharp difference from the generally more kid-friendly Nintendo atmosphere, almost giving off an indie comics vibe. Vectorman's body is composed of 23 individual sprites, so his animations are detailed and very dynamic. The soundtrack is slick, with scores that aren't overbearing while setting the tone for the quasi-dystopian setting. With the modes Vectorman can shift into and the creative stages, this is a cool looking game.

As mentioned, this game is on everything Sega has published when it comes to collections, so Vectorman is not hard to find. It's a solid experience worth checking out. Definitely a stout challenge, but the attention to detail with gameplay and level design, it's a standout of the 16-bit era. I feel its prospects of being a leading franchise for Sega were kneecapped by it coming way too late in the lifespan of the Genesis. This should have been a vehicle to launch and advertise the Sega Saturn. 

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