Cliffhanger (Game Gear)
From Sega Retro
- For the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Mega-CD game, see Cliffhanger.
Cliffhanger for the Sega Game Gear is a side-scrolling video game released in 1994. It was developed by Sony Imagesoft as a tie-in to the 1993 Sylvester Stallone film Cliffhanger. This version was only released in North America, although a European release was planned[2].
The Game Gear version of Cliffhanger differs from the Mega Drive and Mega-CD versions by being a traditional side-scroller as opposed to a beat'-em-up.
Contents
Story
A plane filled with terrorists attempting to steal money from a treasury plane while airborne is shot down by an FBI plane. The terrorists survive and send out a distress signal, to which the main character, Gabe, responds. However, Gabe does not know that the mayday signal is coming from a group of terrorists, and after reaching them, the terrorists capture Gabe's partner, Hal, and hold him hostage. Gabe must then set out and retrieve the money in order to save Hal.
Gameplay
The game is a side-scrolling platformer played as Gabe. Gabe moves with 
or 
. After collecting the Boots power-up, he can also run with 
or 
. He ducks with 
and jumps with 
. He can jump farther from a running start. He punches with 
and kicks with 
+. He also kicks with while in midair. He can find weapons in the levels such as knives and guns, which are used with . The player can switch between weapons with +.
Gabe has a health meter and loses health when he is hit by enemies. He also freezes and loses health if he stands idle. He can heal at campfires, which costs money. The player's score is kept as money, and money is also found in cash bags throughout the levels. He loses a life when he runs out of health, and the game ends if the runs out of lives.
Items
| Cash Bag | |
|---|---|
| Gives a small amount of money. | |
| Suitcase | |
| Gives a large amount of money. | |
| Boots | |
| Gives Gabe the ability to run. Lasts for the rest of the game once found. | |
| Knife | |
| Arms Gabe with a knife, which is thrown straight ahead. One-time use, but Gabe can hold multiple knives in reserve. | |
| Pistol | |
| Arms Gabe with a pistol, which is fired straight ahead or aimed upwards with the D-Pad. Six rounds, but Gabe can hold more than six if he collects more than one gun. The pistol is the only weapon that can defeat the helicopter boss. | |
| Dynamite | |
| Arms Gabe with a bundle of dynamite, which is thrown in an arc and explodes on contact with an enemy or the ground. One-time use. | |
| Stone | |
| Arms Gabe with throwing stones, which are thrown in an arc. Two stones. | |
| Climbing Gloves | |
| Gives Gabe the ability to climb the ice wall in the background of the frozen waterfall. | |
| Radio | |
| Gives the player an extra life. | |
| Campfire | |
| Gabe can replenish his health by standing near a campfire, at the cost of some money. |
Levels
| Level 1 | |
|---|---|
| Level 2 | |
| Level 3 | |
| Level 4 | |
| Level 5 | |
| Level 6 | |
Development
A Sega Master System version game was planned, but eventually cancelled.
Production credits
- Motion Picture ©1993 Cliffhanger B.V.
- All Rights Reserved
- Executive Producer: Rich Robinson
- Producer: Mary Ann Norris
- Assistant Producers: Patrick Goodman, David Poe
- Testers: Jose Cruz, Mike Giam, David Jaffe
- Olaf Olafsson, Lester Greenman, Peter Dille, Jeff Benjamin
- Produced by: Steve Marsden
- Project Manager: Matt Taylor
- Programming: Dave De Pauw, Steve Marsden, Dave Cooke
- Graphics by: Robert Lever
- Music by: Dave Lowe
- Special Thanks To: Andrew Taylor, Roddy McMillan, Andrew Hewson, Paul Kohler
Magazine articles
- Main article: Cliffhanger (Game Gear)/Magazine articles.
Physical scans
| Game Gear, US |
|---|
   Cover
|
 Cart |
Technical information
ROM dump status
| System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|
256kB | Cartridge (US) |
References
| Cliffhanger (Game Gear) | |
|---|---|
|
Main page | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Reception | |
| Games based on movies starring Sylvester Stallone for Sega systems | |
|---|---|
 |
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1986) | Rocky (1987) | Rambo III (1988) |
 |
Rambo III (1989) | Cliffhanger (1993) | Demolition Man (1995) | Judge Dredd (1995) |
 |
Cliffhanger (1993) | Demolition Man (1995) |
|
Cliffhanger (1993) | Judge Dredd (1995) |
 |
Rambo (2008) |