Michael Jackson's Moonwalker

For the Sega System 18 arcade game, see Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (System 18).

n/a

Mega Drive Master System
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega R&D 2 Arc, Sega R&D 2
Sound driver: SMPS 68000
Genre: Action, Arcade
Number of players: 1-2 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1990-08-25 ¥6,0006,000 G-4028 US 1990-09 EU 1991-02 PT 199x MDJ1013 UK 1991-02 £34.9934.99 SE (Rental) 199x AU 199x CA 199x BR 199x US 1991-05 $29.9529.95 7052 EU 1991-02 7052 BX 199x PT 1991 MSJ7052 UK 1991-02 £29.9929.99 7052 UK (VHS bundle) 199x AU 199x BR 1991-06 026070 KR 199x GB2004JG UK 199x £? ?

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (マイケルジャクソンズ ムーンウォーカー) is a Sega Mega Drive action platform game developed by Sega CS and published by Sega. Based on the titular 1988 film Michael Jackson's Moonwalker and starring world-famous pop music artist Michael Jackson, it was first released in August 1990 as one of the system's earliest big-name titles. It later received a relatively faithful Sega Master System port early the following year by developer Arc.

Moonwalker, alongside its arcade counterpart of the same name, is notable for being one of the earliest uses of direct celebrity endorsement in video game production, and marks the very beginning of Jackson's long and storied collaboration with Sega.

Story

The game is based on the Smooth Criminal segment of the film Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, following Michael Jackson in suit and fedora through stages based on his different music videos as he rescues children from the drug dealer Mr. Big.

Gameplay

Mega Drive version

Shooting star

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker is an action platform game which emphasises exploration. It plays similarly to the developer's previous game Shinobi. Michael has attacks based on his dance moves and a significant jumping ability. Each round contains three levels, the objective of which is to find and rescue all of the children. Upon doing so, Michael's pet chimpanzee Bubbles arrives and directs him to the boss area, where Mr. Big taunts Michael and dispatches a wave of goons (which includes gangsters and animals) to battle him.

Michael walks with and and crouches with . He can moonwalk by holding and then or (though this has no gameplay benefit). He jumps with and jumps off platforms with +. He climbs stairs with or and descends them with or . While on a staircase, he can slide down the banister with , which knocks out enemies in the way. He can look in doors, windows, car trunks, bushes, and other background elements with . These areas often contain missing children or enemies. He can also enter elevators or caves or activate teleporters in some levels with .

Michael has a Star Power gauge that indicates his health and also the strength of his attacks. His Star Power is depleted as he is harmed by enemies; rescuing children restores a portion of his Star Power (and his Star Power is fully restored after rescuing the last child in a level). Michael attacks by punching or kicking with . He can attack while crouching with + or attack upward with +. He can also attack while jumping. His attacks are accompanied by magic sparkles that extend their range, and the power of his attacks and the size of the sparkles is dependent on his Star Power. When his Star Power is high, the gauge is blue and his attacks are strongest. When it gets lower, the gauge turns yellow and his attacks are weaker and his sparkles lose distance. When he is low on Star Power, the gauge turns red and his attacks no longer have sparkles. Attacks can shove some objects, such as chairs and rocks, which hurt enemies in their way.

Michael can use Star Magic by holding , which performs special attacks but also drains Star Power (and therefore health). He initially spins, attacking nearby enemies. If the button is held for longer, Michael also throws his fedora at enemies, which can be directed with and . If the button is held for even longer, Michael performs the Dance Attack, a special ability where enemies are compelled to dance to short beats from "Bad," "Thriller," and "Another Part of Me" before being defeated as a result. Star Magic can also interact with the environment in some ways, such as dropping a staircase in the first round or opening a manhole cover in the second round. If Michael does not have enough Star Power to use Star Magic, pressing causes him to grab his crotch but does not attack enemies. Michael loses a life if he loses all of his Star Power. The game ends if Michael runs out of lives, but it can be continued a limited number of times.

In certain levels, rescuing a certain child first triggers a shooting star to fall from the sky that can be grabbed, briefly transforming Michael into the giant robot from the movie. In this form, he can fly with , shoot eye lasers with (which can be directed downward with ), and shoot homing missiles with (which cost Star Power). Michael also automatically changes into this form for the penultimate showdown with Mr. Big's henchmen. In the Mega Drive version, Michael additionally transforms into a spaceship for the final battle, which consists of a flight simulator-like minigame.

The game has three selectable difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, and Hard). There is a two-player mode where players take turns playing.

Rounds

Each round (besides the final round) has three levels.

	Club 30
	The music for this round is "Smooth Criminal."
	Street
	The music for this round is "Beat It." Michael can spray water from the fire hydrants by standing on them and pressing . He can enter elevators with when standing in front of them.
	Woods
	The music for this round is "Another Part of Me." The music was "Thriller" in the prototype version, but it was changed in the final version, likely because that song was written by Rod Temperton and not Michael Jackson. Michael can grab the tree branches in this round with + when in front of them.
	Cavern
	The music for this round is "Billie Jean." Michael can enter the caverns in this round with when standing in front of them. Some of the caverns are behind spiders or, in the last level, a waterfall.
	The Enemy Hideout
	The music for this round is "Bad." Michael can activate the teleporters in this round with when standing on top of them.
	Michael's Battle Plane
	Michael's spaceship moves with the D-Pad and attacks with , , or (which can be held for rapid-fire). The radar in the bottom-right of the HUD shows the location of Mr. Big's spaceship as a blue dot.

Master System version

The game is an action platformer played as Michael Jackson, who must rescue all of the children in each level. After finding the last child, Michael is taken to a room where he fights waves of Mr. Big's thugs. The player can see how many children remain missing by pausing the game with  PAUSE .

Michael moves with and . He moonwalks by holding while moving. He jumps with and jumps off platforms with +. He attacks enemies by punching or kicking with , which can also be done while crouching or jumping. He climbs stairs with or and descends them with or . He can open doors, windows, car trunks, and other background elements with , which can help him find lost children or bonus items (but also sometimes contain enemies or bombs). He can also enter elevators or caves or activate teleporters in some levels with .

Michael has a Star Magic gauge. He loses Star Magic when he takes damage from an enemy or hazard. Michael can perform a dance attack by holding , which defeats all enemies on the screen but costs three segments of the Star Magic gauge. The dance attack cannot be performed if Michael does not have more than three segments on his Star Magic gauge. Michael loses a life if he loses all of his Star Magic, and the game ends if Michael runs out of lives, but it can be continued an unlimited number of times.

Items

The following items can be found inside doors and other hidden spots.

	Child
	Michael must find all of the children to complete each level.
	Yellow Suit
	Restores three segments of Michael's Star Magic gauge.
	Orange Suit
	Gives Michael the ability to throw his fedora at enemies as a ranged attack with .
	Bomb
	Explodes and harms Michael if he is too close.

Rounds

Each round (besides the final round) has three levels.

	Club 30
	Maps: 1️⃣ | 2️⃣ | 3️⃣
	Parking Lot
	Maps: 1️⃣ | 2️⃣ | 3️⃣
	Woods
	Maps: 1️⃣ | 2️⃣ | 3️⃣
	Cavern
	Maps: 1️⃣ | 2️⃣ | 3️⃣
	The Enemy Hideout
	Maps: 1️⃣ | 2️⃣ | 3️⃣
	Final Round
	The final two levels are played like a shooting gallery game. Michael's robot or spaceship can be moved side to side with and and shoot with or .

Production credits

Main article: Michael Jackson's Moonwalker/Production credits.

Mega Drive version

• Planner: Koi
• Planner Assistant: Captain Elf
• Designer: Doydoy, Chie Sama, Jiyna
• Programmer: Ekas, Mt. Book, 610
• Programmer Assistant: Nas Atagan
• Sound Composer: Jimita
• Sound Assistant: Middle Village, Iagan
• Sound Adviser: Bo
• Special Thanks: Al Nilsen
• Game Concept and Design by: Michael Jackson

Source:

In-game credits

MobyGames claims Koi's real name is Osamu Koizumi (小泉 治). Documents for the game and the unreleased Mega-CD game Michael Jackson's Dangerous, shown by arcade version developer Roppyaku Tsurumi, instead credit both console Michael Jackson games to Tadashi Koizumi.

Master System version

• Designers: Udi, Sadou, Fudou
• Planners: Tomozou, Asohy, Pata
• Sound Programmer: T N
• Programmers: Minepy, Kidopyu, Mochaponpon, Kozaoyaji
• Presented by: Sega

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Michael Jackson's Moonwalker/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Main article: Michael Jackson's Moonwalker/Promotional material.

Physical scans

Mega Drive version

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) 40 ACE (UK) 62 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 78 Buzz! Computers (UK) 83 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 88 The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) 85 Console XS (UK) PAL 86 Cool Gamer (RU) 40 Computer & Video Games (UK) 88 Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U 70 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 71 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 65 The Games Machine (IT) 91 Game Informer (US) NTSC-U 69 Hobby Consolas (ES) 78 Joystick (FR) 87 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 64 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 81 Mega (UK) PAL 78 Mega Play (US) NTSC-U 73 MegaTech (UK) 85 MegaTech (UK) PAL 72 Mean Machines (UK) 81 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 85 Player One (FR) 96 Power Play (DE) 59 Raze (UK) NTSC 87 Sega Power (UK) PAL 90 Sega Power (UK) PAL 75 Sega Pro (UK) 84 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 84 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 71 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 68 Zero (UK) 91

	77
Based on 34 reviews

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (cart misprint)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual PCB

Mega Drive, PT
Cover

Mega Drive, SE (Rental)

Mega Drive, AU

Mega Drive, BR (cardboard)
Cover

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, CA
Cover

Master System version

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

{{{{{icon}}}|L}}
Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) PAL 80 Console XS (UK) PAL 85 Computer & Video Games (UK) 70 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 71 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 64 Joystick (FR) PAL 90 Mega Play (US) NTSC-U 68 Mean Machines (UK) 80 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 80 Player One (FR) 91 Power Play (DE) 55 Score (CZ) 58 Sega Power (UK) PAL 83 Sega Power (UK) PAL 50 Sega Pro (UK) 81 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 85 Tilt (FR) 40 Video Games (DE) 59

	72
Based on 18 reviews

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker

Master System, US
Cover
Manual

Master System, EU (6 languages)
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, EU (8 languages)
Cover
Cart Manual

Master System, UK (VHS bundle)
Cover

Master System, BX†
Cover
50x50px Manual

Master System, PT
Cover

Master System, AU (Horizontal manual; Hotline/NIAL stickers)
Cover
Cart

Master System, AU (Vertical manual; NIAL sticker)
Cover
Cart

Master System, AU (Not for rental sticker)
Cover
Cart

Master System, BR (cardboard)
Cover
Cart File:MJMoonwalker SMS BR Manual.pdf Manual

Master System, BR
Cover

Master System, KR
Cover
Cart

Master System, KR (Alt)
Cover

Master System, KR (Alt B)
Cover

Mega-Tech version

Mega-Tech,
Cover
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Michael Jackson's Moonwalker/Technical information.