The Gadget Twins

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The Gadget Twins
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: GameTek
Developer: Imagitec Design
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code US 1992-08 $64.9564.95 T-83036

The Gadget Twins is a 1992 side-scrolling action game developed by Imagitec Design and published by GameTek for the Sega Mega Drive.

Being developed in the United Kingdom, a European release was planned after its US counterpart, but failed to materialise.

Story

Introduction

A greedy green airplane named Thump steals the Magic Gem from the royal palace of Gadget Land. When the King finds out, he sends Bop and Bump to retrieve it.

Gameplay

The game plays like a shoot-'em-up, though the characters attack mostly with short-ranged punches rather than long-range projectiles. Players control the anthropomorphized cartoon jet planes Bop (red) and Bump (blue), which can fly through both the air and sea. It can be played by one player or by two players simultaneously. The goal is to get through each stage by destroying enemies and fighting Thump (green) in various mechanical contraptions. The planes are initially armed with small, spring-loaded fists. Defeated enemies drop gold coins, which can be spent on new, stronger weapons in the shops found throughout the game. The planes have four weapons attached to the top, bottom, left, and right positions, which can each be equipped with different weapons.

The planes move in any direction using the D-Pad. They face toward the last direction that they were moved. The screen autoscrolls (except in the bonus sections, where the players can move around freely). Arrows sometimes appear to indicate a detour that can be taken to collect bonus items. These paths can be chosen by flying toward the edge of the screen in the direction indicated by the on-screen arrows, but these sections return to the main path afterwards. Levels also sometimes contain invisible warp zones that transport the planes to secret areas.

The planes attack with . They change the direction of the attack with in a clockwise direction (from top to right to bottom to left). A plane can only attack in one direction at a time, and the direction is independent of which way the plane is facing. Players must change the direction of the attack to deal with enemies that approach from different angles or to destroy item boxes or barriers that block the way.

When an entry portal to a shop appears, the planes can enter it with when over it. Here, players can buy weapons using and to select an item, and to select Buy or Exit, and to confirm. When buying a weapon, players select which side to mount the weapon on using the D-Pad and to confirm the buy or to cancel. The exit for each level is also a portal that can be entered with .

Planes have five energy points each and lose part of their energy when they hit an enemy or obstacle. There are no crush deaths, since planes are instead bumped out of the way at the cost of some energy. Players lose a life when they run out of energy, but the plane respawns in place if the player has extra lives remaining. The player loses whichever weapon was currently selected (reverting to the base weapon in that position) upon losing a life, but it can be collected again by flying over its icon, which appears near where the plane was downed. The game ends if the players run out of lives. It can be continued, but players only start the game with three credits.

Weapons

Shop

Items are purchased in the store with gold collected from defeated enemies and bonus sections. The prices vary depending on the store.

	A bigger and stronger boxing glove. It can be mounted on the left or right.
	A more powerful melee weapon. It can be mounted on any position.
	A loud horn. It can be mounted on the left or right.
	A set of clamping jaws. It can be mounted on the top or bottom.
	A mallet with long reach. It can be mounted on the left or right.
	A spiked weapon. It can be mounted on the top or bottom.
	Drops a heavy weight. Only one can be out at a time. It can be mounted on the bottom.
	Throws a flying bomb that passes through targets. Only two can be out at a time. It can be mounted on the left, right, or bottom.
	Small planes that follow the character and harm enemies that they touch. The planes are always in front of the character, so turning around moves them as well. Up to two can be equipped at a time. The planes are eventually destroyed after hitting enough targets.

Items

	Item Box
	Punch to release a random item. The appearance varies depending on the stage.
	Gold Coins
	Collect for money that can be spent on weapons in the store. The small coins are worth 5 credits, and the large coins are worth 20 credits.
	Speed Up
	Increases the character's movement speed (up to a maximum of 5).
	Speed Down
	Decreases the character's movement speed (down to a minimum of 1).
	Shield
	Surrounds the character in a protective bubble for a duration.
	Energy
	Restores the character's energy.
	Bomb
	Destroys all enemies on the screen.
	Bonus
	Unlocks the bonus section after the current level is completed.
	1-Up
	Gives the player an extra life.

Levels

Each level contains two fights with Thump.

	Gadget Bay
	Zeppelin Attack
	The Lost City
	Submarine Attack
	The Crystal Lake
	Thump's World

Bonus section

Bonus section

Finding a Bonus item unlocks a bonus section that is played after completing the current level. The bonus section is a maze filled with treasure chests containing gold coins. Players must collect as much gold as possible and find the exit within the time limit. Players only keep the gold that they collected if they exit before time runs out.

History

Legacy

An emulated version of the game was released on Steam in 2019 by Piko Interactive.

Production credits

• Programming: Carl Wade
• Game Design: Nigel Cook
• Graphics: Alan MacFarlane
• Additional Graphics: Pete Goldsmith, Slick, Nigel Cook
• Music and Sfx: Barry Leitch, Ian Howe
• Produced by: Martin Hooley
• Developed by: Imagitec Design Inc.

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: The Gadget Twins/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #10: "November/December 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #41: "December 1992" (1992-xx-xx)
• Sega Visions (US) #11: "February/March 1993" (199x-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 30 Console Mania (IT) NTSC-U 82 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) NTSC-U 15 Mega (UK) NTSC-U 78 MegaTech (UK) NTSC-U 53 Sega Power (UK) PAL 83 Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U 90 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 90 Sega Zone (UK) PAL 81 Sega Force (UK) PAL 80 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 62 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) NTSC-U 50

	66
Based on 12 reviews

The Gadget Twins

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Technical information

Main article: The Gadget Twins/Technical information.