Vectorman

n/a

Vectorman
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console, Steam, RealOne Arcade, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch Online
Publisher: Sega
Developer: BlueSky Software M2
Distributor: Majesco Sales (US Mega Hit Series re-release) Ecofilmes (PT) Datart International (CZ) Sega-Ozisoft (AU) Tec Toy (BR)
Sound driver: GEMS
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1995-10-25 $59.9959.99 1577 US (Mega Hit) 1997-09 $19.9919.99 1577 US ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub EU 1995-11-30 1577-50 EU ▼ (Sega Channel) 199x SUBsub DE 1995 DM 119119 1577-50 PT 1995 MDJ1577 UK 1995-11-30 £49.9949.99 1577-50 GR 199x CZ 199x AU 199x FVEC00SMC CA ▼ (Sega Channel) 1995 SUBsub BR 199x 046930 JP ▼ 2007-02-27 600pts600 US ▼ 2008-09-22 800pts800 EU ▼ 2007-04-05 800pts800 AU ▼ 2007-04 800pts800 US ▼ 2002-12-19 US ▼ 2010-06-01 $2.992.99 34280 EU ▼ 2010-06-01 €2.492.49 34280 DE ▼ 2010-06-01 €2.492.49 34280 UK ▼ 2010-06-01 £1.991.99 34280 AU ▼ 2010-06-01 $3.493.49 34280 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.990.99 34280 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 34280 DE ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 34280 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.790.79 34280 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.351.35 34280 US ▼ 2019-02-01 $0.990.99 34280 EU ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 34280 DE ▼ 2019-02-01 €0.990.99 34280 UK ▼ 2019-02-01 £0.790.79 34280 AU ▼ 2019-02-01 $1.351.35 34280 US ▼ (Sega Forever) 2018-06-21 FREEfree EU ▼ (Sega Forever) 2018-06-21 FREEfree DE ▼ (Sega Forever) 2018-06-21 FREEfree AU ▼ (Sega Forever) 2018-06-21 FREEfree US ▼ (Sega Forever) 2018-06-21 FREEfree 12+ EU ▼ (Sega Forever) 2018-06-21 FREEfree 12+ JP ▼ 2024-11-27 SUBsub M-3626 US ▼ 2024-11-26 SUBsub M-3626 EU ▼ 2024-11-27 SUBsub M-3626 UK ▼ 2024-11-27 SUBsub M-3626 AU ▼ 2024-11-27 SUBsub M-3626

Vectorman (ベクターマン) is a Sega Mega Drive action platform game developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega. First released in the United States in October 1995, it is best known for constructing its characters with spherical sprites to simulate three-dimensional animation, and has been frequently rereleased in a number of first-party Sega game collections.

Blurb

“	By the year 2049 Earth has been turned into a toxic waste dump! Humankind has fled into space leaving behind an army of mechanized "Orbots" to clean up the mess! But when the Orbot leader, WarHead, goes haywire and starts a robot revolt, only a lonely sludge barge pilot named VECTORMAN can pull the plug! VectorMan can morph! Change into a speeding train, a power drill, mechanical fish, or a dune buggy gone berserk. Overthrow the Orbots with awesome weapon power-ups like Shockwave, Bolo, and Orb. The best graphics yet on Genesis! - Eye-popping 3D effects and silky-smooth animation!	„
— US box

Story

In 2049, the human population of Earth embarks on a migratory voyage to try to colonize other planets. They leave mechanical "orbots" to clean up the mess they made on Earth through littering and pollution. Raster, a high-level orbot who watches Earth through a planetwide computer network, is accidentally attached to a working nuclear missile by a lesser orbot and goes insane, becoming an evil dictator named Warhead. He declares himself ruler of Earth, and begins preparing to execute any humans who dare return to their planet.

Enter Vectorman, a humble orbot in charge of cleaning up toxic sludge by simply discharging it into the sun. As he lands on Earth after his last trip, he finds chaos and confusion. Because all the other Orbots are controlled by Warhead (Vectorman having not been affected because he was away), Vectorman takes it upon himself to destroy the errant orbot and restore peace to Earth.

Gameplay

The game itself is a straightforward 2D action platformer. Vectorman is an orbot (something like a robot) powered with a ball gun in his hand that he can shoot in eight directions using and , even when he is running or jumping; powerups include a machine gun, "bolo" gun, and triple-fire guns. Pressing makes Vectorman jump, and pressing again in mid-air will launch Vectorman into a brief boot-blast that serves as a double jump, which can also damage enemies with its exhaust.

Vectorman possesses the ability to transform, through the use of powerups, into several different forms: including a drill, to cut through floors; a bomb, to destroy all surrounding enemies or breakable walls; and an aquatic form, useful for swimming underwater. In addition to powerup transformations, 3 levels host unique morphed forms with which to combat bosses in. Overall, the game consists of 16 levels.

Items

	Television Receiver
	These contain items, weapons and morph icons that are released when Vectorman shoots at them enough times.
	Multipliers
	Multiplies points, health refills and extra lives earned for a limited amount of time. When active, it will appear on the HUD and will begin to flash faster when it's about to expire. x2 and x3 multipliers are commonly found by defeating enemies, while x5 and x10 multipliers are rarer and only found in Television Receivers.
	Health Point
	Restores one point of Vectorman's health. Can be multiplied by Multipliers to restore more health.
	Full Health
	Fully restores Vectorman's health.
	Max Health
	Permanently extends Vectorman's maximum health by one.
	1-Up
	Awards an extra life. Can be multiplied by Multipliers.
	Milestone
	Acts as a checkpoint that Vectorman can restart from after losing a life.
	Extra Time
	Adds two minutes to the player's remaining time.
	Photon
	These award points when collected, and are found out in the open or from destroying enemies.

Weapons

Most of the weapons listed here have limited ammunition. When a weapon is nearly depleted, its icon will flash on the HUD and a warning buzzer will sound, and Vectorman's weapon will revert to the standard ball gun when ammo is fully depleted.

	Rapid Fire
	A rapid-fire gun that shoots a stream of bullets. The player can hold or to continuously shoot.
	Wave
	Fires a wave of energy that can pass through walls.
	Bolo
	Fires rotating energy balls that can pierce through enemies.
	Orb
	Destroys all onscreen enemies. It can only be fired once.
	Nucleus Shield
	Generates a shield that protects Vectorman from damage. It differs from other weapons in that it wears off over time.

Morphs

	Drill
	Vectorman becomes a spinning drill that can break through certain types of floors by moving on top of them. and moves Vectorman.
	Bomb
	Vectorman becomes a bomb that can destroy certain walls, floors and ceilings. and moves Vectorman while and will make him detonate, however Vectorman will automatically detonate after a few seconds.
	Jet
	Allows Vectorman to freely fly around with the D-Pad for a limited time. He can also defeat enemies by flying directly into them.
	Fish
	Vectorman morphs into a fish that can freely swim through water using the D-Pad for a limited time. In this form, he can defeat enemies by swimming into them.
	Missile
	Vectorman becomes a missile that will automatically fly upwards, breaking through certain ceilings. and moves Vectorman in those directions.
	Parachute
	Vectorman spins his arms around to slow his descent. and moves Vectorman in those directions.
	Buggy
	Vectorman's limbs become wheels that allow him to drive forward and plough through walls. and moves Vectorman in those directions.

Stages

	Day 1: Terraport
	Day 2: Metalhead
	Day 3: Tidal Surge
	Day 4: Absolute Zero
	Day 5: Arctic Ridge
	Day 6: Bamboo Mill
	Day 7: Rock 'N' Roller
	Day 8: Death Alley
	Day 9: Hydroponic Lab
	Day 10: Superstructure
	Day 11: Stayin' Alive
	Day 12: Nightscape
	Day 13: Dark Ruins
	Day 14: Underground Vault
	Day 15: Worldlink Center
	Day 16: Twist and Shout
	Bonus Stage

History

Release

In North America, special randomly distributed copies of Vectorman have a special "you win" screen at the end of the game, along with a phone number which could be called and an address. If consumers sent these special cartridges back to Sega of America before July 31st, 1996, they would receive prizes - one $25,000 prize (won by Keolamanaokalahuinui "Keola" Kaula of Albuquerque), ten £10,000 prizes or one of ninety Sega Saturn systems with Virtua Fighter.

Vectorman was both a critical and commercial success, and was re-released in North America as part of the Mega Hit Series. It was acclaimed for its gameplay, level design and 3D graphics, and a great techno soundtrack.

Legacy

A sequel, Vectorman 2, was produced for the Sega Mega Drive, and was released in 1996. Although BlueSky Software, the original developer of both Vectorman games closed in 2001, a Vectorman game for the PlayStation 2 was announced in 2003 but was soon cancelled.

Vectorman was not originally released in Japan, with its debut in the country coming through the PC compilation Sega Archives From USA Vol.1. It was released on the Wii Virtual Console on February 27, 2007 in Japan and April 5, 2007 in Europe, and in North America on September 22, 2008. In accordance with Nintendo's modern anti-seizure policies, this release has been patched to alter the flashing of certain elements, most notably the quick strobing displayed when destroying an in-game television. A PC conversion was reportedly announced in 1996 but never materialised.

Sonic Gems Collection has both Vectorman and its sequel as unlockable games. Vectorman can be unlocked by playing the compilation for at least 5 hours or by having a save file of Sonic Heroes or Sonic Mega Collection on the memory card. Both games were the only bonus titles to be kept on the international versions of the collection. Sega Mega Drive Collection also features Vectorman and its sequel, this time as games available without the need for unlocking. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection, Sega Mega Drive Classics, and Western Mega Drive Mini units also contain the game.

Vectorman was at one point planned to be made into a 3D animated movie by Ideal Entertainment, with a tentative release date of late 1997. This never materialised.

Versions

Version history

Main article: Vectorman/Changelog.

System	Version	Size	Date	Comment	Ref	Icon
	0000040000010000000000000000004.1.0	57MB	201912032019-12-03				(info) (56.77 MB)
	0000020000000000010000000000002.0.1	45MB	201906032019-06-03				(info) (45.48 MB)
	0000020000000000000000000000002.0.0	45MB	201901312019-01-31				(info) (44.66 MB)
	0000010000010000010000000000001.1.1	44MB	201810312018-10-31				(info) (43.98 MB)
	0000010000010000000000000000001.1.0	42MB	201806202018-06-20				(info) (41.96 MB)
	0000040000010000000000000000004.1.0	145.3MB	201912122019-12-12
	0000020000000000020000000000002.0.2		201906032019-06-03
	0000020000000000000000000000002.0.0		201901312019-01-31
	0000010000040000000000000000001.4.0	140MB	201810312018-10-31
	0000010000010000000000000000001.1.0	133.7MB	201806202018-06-20

Downloadable content

Main article: Vectorman/Downloadable content.

Production credits

BlueSky Software

• Designers: Richard Karpp, Mark Lorenzen
• Project Manager: Jennifer Cleary
• Game Concept By: Dana Christianson, Richard Karpp, Mark Lorenzen, Jason Weesner
• Lead Background Artist: Amber Long
• Background Artists: Jeff Jonas, Geoffrey Knobel, Mark Lorenzen, Jeff Remmer
• Background Assistant: Brandon McDonald
• Lead Animator: Marty Davis
• Animators: Ellis Goodson, John Roy
• Splash Screens: Jeff Remmer
• Sound: Jon Holland
• Music: Jon Holland
• Lead Programmer: Richard Karpp
• Programmers: Mark Botta, Keith Freiheit, Bonita Kane
• Special Thanks: Patrick Brogan, Tom Carroll, John Fulbright, Jerry Huber, Matt McDonald, Chuck Osieja, Sam Powell, Rick Randolph, Rick Schmitz, Kim Walsh

Sega

• Producer: Jerry Markota
• Assistant Producer: Marianne Arotzarena
• Product Manager: John Garner
• Marketing Assistant: Johnathan Kully
• Test Game Lead: John Amirkhan
• Test Assistant Leads: Mike Borg, Abe Navarro, Kim Rogers
• Game Testers: Marc Dawson, Ty Johnson, Jeff B. Junio, Tony Lynch, Raul Orozco, Ilya Reeves, Don Tica
• Special Thanks: E. Ettore Annunziata, Smuv DeYoung, Clint Dyer, Joe Miller, Scott Rohde, Chris Smith, Terry Tang

Uncredited

• Programmer: Karl Robillard

Digital manuals

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  Steam manual

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  Mega Drive Mini US manual

• 

  Mega Drive Mini EU manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Vectorman/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Vectorman/Promotional material.

Artwork

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Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source GamesMaster (UK) 92 №36, p46/47

	92
Based on 1 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 70 CD Consoles (FR) 44 Consoles + (FR) 85 Cool Gamer (RU) 90 Computer & Video Games (UK) 96 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 83 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU) 70 Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 5 (RU) 90 Fun Generation (DE) 80 Fusion (US) NTSC-U 63 GameFan (US) NTSC-U 91 Game Players (US) NTSC-U 90 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 98 GamePro (UK) 91 Gamers (DE) 80 GamesMaster (UK) PAL 82 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 89 Hobby Consolas (ES) PAL 86 MAN!AC (DE) PAL 80 Mega Fun (DE) PAL 78 Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL 90 Player One (FR) 90 Sega News (CZ) 82 Sega Power (UK) PAL 90 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 90 Svet Kompjutera (YU) 90 Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) 90 Todo Sega (ES) 87 Tricks (RU) 89 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 90 Video Games (DE) PAL 85 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 90

	84
Based on 32 reviews

Vectorman

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (Mega Hit Series)
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, US (Mega Hit Series) (Majesco Sales)
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, PT
Cover
Cart Manual EU Manual

Mega Drive, GR

Mega Drive, CZ (Datart)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, AU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

Main article: Vectorman/Technical information.

External links

• Sega of America webpage: Mega Drive
• Sega of Japan Virtual Console pages: Mega Drive
• Nintendo catalogue pages: US, UK, AU
• Vectorman on Steam
• Vectorman on Google Play
• Vectorman on iTunes: US, UK
• Vectorman Is Still An Original Climate Activist At 25 article by Tom Carroll at The Game of Nerds