Risky Woods

From Sega Retro

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RiskyWoods MDTitleScreen.png

JashinDraxos MDTitleScreen.png

Risky Woods
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Electronic Arts (US, Europe), Electronic Arts Victor (Japan)
Developer:
Original system(s): Amiga
Developer(s) of original games: Zeus Software, Dinamic Software
Genre: Action[1][2]

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP 		¥8,900 (9,167)8,900e[3] EM20006
Sega Mega Drive
US 		$49.9549.95[5] 715601
Sega Mega Drive
EU 		E211SMXI
Sega Mega Drive
UK 		£39.9939.99[7][8] E211SMXI
Sega Mega Drive
BR 		044430
Sega Mega Drive
KR 		GM8086JT
Non-Sega versions

Risky Woods, known in Japan as Jashin Draxos (邪神ドラクソス), is a Sega Mega Drive action platform game developed and published by Electronic Arts. A port of the titular 1992 Amiga game Risky Woods, it was first released in the United States and Europe in December 1992.[5][6]

The Mega Drive version, developed by Electronic Arts in-house programmer Steve Wetherill, has some deliberate aesthetic changes which differentiate the port from the original, Spanish-developed home computer version.

Story

The ancient monks who preserve the wisdom of the Lost Lands have been frozen in stone by antagonist Draxos and his minions. Young protagonist Rohan must venture into the Risky Woods to release them.

Gameplay

Risky Woods MD, Monk.png

Monk

Risky Woods MD, Gatekeeper.png

Gatekeeper

The game is an action platformer played as the young traveler Rohan, who must free the monks of the Lost Lands that have been turned to stone. Enemy monsters include skeletons and flying demons, and enemies respawn frequently. Each stage contains two or three monks, whose stone figures must be attacked to free them. When monks are freed, they cause an explosion that harms all enemies on the screen. Some monks are "bad" monks that harm Rohan instead. The number of monks left to rescue are shown on the bottom of the screen. Once all of the monks have been rescued, the exit to the stage appears.

Rohan walks with Left and Right. He crouches with Down and jumps with B. He attacks monsters by throwing daggers with A, which are unlimited. They are thrown in a straight line and cannot be aimed but can be thrown while crouching or jumping.

Statues called Gatekeepers block the path through the stages and can only be removed by collecting circle-shaped Gate Keys. Each Gate Key has two halves that must be collected. If Rohan is missing a piece when he reaches the Gatekeeper, he is teleported back to it; otherwise, Rohan can throw the Gate Key into the Gatekeeper with C. The statue then plays a "chant" by pressing C again, which is a random sequence of Up, Down, Left, and Right prompts. The player must memorize these and replay them in the correct order to destroy the statue. The chants grow in complexity as the game goes on. When a Gatekeeper is destroyed, it drops "treasure," which usually includes more powerful weapons that Rohan can equip. Picking up the same weapon again upgrades its power level, up to two times. The current weapon level is shown as notches on the bottom of the screen.

There is a time limit to complete each stage, and Rohan loses a life and must restart the stage from the beginning if time runs out. Rohan has a limited number of energy points, which he loses when he takes damage from an enemy monster, and he also loses a life if he runs out of energy points or falls down a bottomless pit and must restart from a predetermined checkpoint. Some items restore his energy points, and he gains an extra life if he gains energy points in excess of his full amount.

Rohan can collect Armor Links that are dropped by slain monsters. When he has collected 33 Armor Links, he gains a suit of Silver Armor that reduces the damage he takes by 50%. When he has collected 67 Armor Links, his armor is upgraded to Gold Armor that reduces the damage he takes by 100%. However, he loses an Armor Link whenever he takes damage (and several Armor Links when he loses a life), so he loses his armor when he drops beneath the required threshold of Armor Links for it.

Rohan can collect skulls that give him allow him to perform a skull-empowered staff ability by holding A, where Rohan stamps his staff against the ground, attacking all enemies on screen. The attack is more powerful depending on the armor that Rohan has equipped. Using this ability consumes a skull and energy points, again depending on the armor equipped (6 energy points for no armor, 3 energy points for Silver Armor, and no energy points for Gold Armor).

Armor

Risky Woods MD, Armor.png
 No Armor
Rohan initially does not wear any armor and takes full damage from all attacks.
Risky Woods MD, Armor.png
 Silver Armor
After collecting 33 Armor Links, Rohan wears a suit of Silver Armor that reduces damage from attacks by 50%. He loses this armor if he drops below 33 Armor Links.
Risky Woods MD, Armor.png
 Gold Armor
After collecting 67 Armor Links, Rohan wears a suit of Gold Armor that reduces damage from attacks by 100%. He loses this armor and reverts to the Silver Armor if he drops below 67 Armor Links.

Objects

Risky Woods MD, Objects.png
 Gatekeeper
Gatekeepers appear in each stage to block the path. Rohan must collect the two Gate Key halves, then throw them into the Gatekeeper with C. The player can then learn a "chant" from the Gatekeeper by pressing C again, which must be repeated back using Up, Down, Left, and Right in order to break the Gatekeeper and clear the way.
Risky Woods MD, Objects.png
 Treasure Chest
Destroy to release items.
Risky Woods MD, Objects.png
 Exit Sign
After rescuing all of the monks in a stage or defeating the boss, the exit appears. Touch the exit to finish the stage.

Items

Items are found in treasure chests or sometimes dropped by defeated monsters. Items are picked up by crouching over them with Down.

Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Armor Link
Most monsters drop Armor Links when they are killed. Collect 33 pieces to equip the Silver Armor, which reduces damage by 50%, or 67 pieces to equip the Gold Armor, which reduces damage by 100%. Rohan can carry up to 99 Armor Links at a time, and he drops Armor Links whenever he takes damage.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Star
Awards 5,000 bonus points.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Battery
Awards 5,000 bonus points.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Cross
Awards 10,000 bonus points.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Arrow
Either awards 10,000 bonus points or sends Rohan back to an earlier point in the stage.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Apple
Either awards 10,000 bonus points or puts Rohan to sleep. When Rohan is asleep, he regenerates energy but loses time.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Jewel
Awards 50,000 bonus points.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Ring
Awards 50,000 bonus points.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Heart
Restores 3 energy points.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Potion
Restores 6 energy points.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Lightning
Temporarily renders Rohan immune to damage.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Fire Djinn
Summons a fire spirit that temporarily follows Rohan and flies toward enemies to attack them.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Hourglass
Restores one minute of time.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Skull
Gives Rohan one use of the skull-empowered staff ability by holding down A. The strength of the attack increases depending on the armor equipped. The attack costs energy points to use, but this is also reduced depending on the armor equipped (6 energy points for no armor, 3 energy points for Silver Armor, and no energy points for Gold Armor).
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Continue
A miniature Rohan that runs away. If Rohan can capture him three times, he gains an extra life.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Gate Key Half
Collect 2 Gate Key halves to form a complete Gate Key, which can be used destroy a Gatekeeper that bars the way to the rest of the stage.

Gatekeeper treasures

These treasures are dropped by Gatekeepers when they explode. Weapons have three power levels, which are upgraded by picking up the same weapon again.

Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Axe
Equips Axes, which are thrown in an arc.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Boomerang
Equips Boomerangs, which fly in a curved path for a distance, then return back to Rohan.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Fireball
Equips Fireballs, which are fast and fired in a straight line.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Magic Dagger
Equips Magic Daggers, which are similar to the default daggers but do more damage.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Morning Star
Equips Morning Stars, which are thrown in a straight line.
Risky Woods MD, Items.png
 Golden Potion
Restores energy points.

Stages

Every third stage is a boss fight, with no monks to rescue or Gatekeepers to destroy.

Risky Woods MD, Stage 1.png

Stage 1

Risky Woods MD, Stage 2.png

Stage 2

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Stage 3

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Stage 4

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Stage 5

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Stage 6

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Stage 7

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Stage 8

Risky Woods MD, Stage 9.png

Stage 9

Risky Woods MD, Stage 10.png

Stage 10

Risky Woods MD, Stage 11.png

Stage 11

Risky Woods MD, Stage 12.png

Stage 12

Versions

Compared to the home computer versions, Rohan has a different outfit (both in-game and in the ending), and the armor system and the puzzles required to destroy the statues are unique to the Mega Drive version. The Mega Drive version also lacks the item shops between stages. Rohan's unarmored appearance and the look of the Gate Keys and Armor Links (called Eye-Keys and Coins in the computer versions) are different.

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English Risky Woods Risky Woods
English (US) Risky Woods Risky Woods
Japanese 邪神ドラクソス Jashin Draxos

Production credits

  • By: Steve Wetherill
  • Original Design: Ricardo Puerto, Raul Lopez
  • Musical Scores: Jason A. S. Whitely, Jose A. Martin
  • Product Testing: Rupert Easterbrook, Chris Johnson, Matthew Webster
  • Additional Graphics: James Savage
  • Quality Assurance: Richard Gallagher
Source:
In-game credits
Risky Woods MD credits.png
[9]
  • Sega Version: Steve Wetherill
  • Original Game Design: Ricardo Puerto and Raul Lopez, Zeus Soft
  • Additional Graphics: Jimmy Savage
  • Music: Jason A.S Whitelv, José A. Martin
  • Producer: Steve Wetherill
  • Product Testing: Matthew Webster, Rupert Easterbrook, Chris Johnson
  • Product Manager: Neil Thewarapperuma/UK. Yvonne Petrak/US
  • Package Design: D•ZYN:PARM
  • Package Illustration: David Rowe
  • Documentation: David Luoto
  • Documentation Layout: Emily Favors
  • Ouality Assurance: Jim Newmn
Source:
US manual
Risky Woods MD US Manual.pdf
[10]

Magazine articles

Main article: Risky Woods/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1993-03: "March 1993" (1993-02-08)
Logo-pdf.svg

Artwork

  • RiskyWoods MD Art Cover.jpg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
55 №6, p32/33
72 №18, p67
Sega Mega Drive
 64
Based on
2 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
50
[11]
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
55
[12]
Consoles + (FR)
83
[13]
Cool Gamer (RU)
50
[14]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
79
[15]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
40
[16]
Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)
74
[17]
Freak (IL)
79
[18]
Game Power (IT)
75
[19]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
78
[5]
Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
20
[20]
Joypad (FR) PAL
81
[21]
Joystick (FR) PAL
84
[22]
Mega (UK) PAL
64
[23]
MegaTech (UK) PAL
84
[24]
Micromanía (segunda época) (ES)
78
[25]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
74
[8]
Player One (FR)
80
[26]
Play Time (DE)
75
[27]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
65
[28]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
79
[29]
Sega Zone (UK) PAL
90
[30]
Sega Force (SE)
81
[31]
Sega Force (UK) PAL
74
[32]
Sega Force (UK) PAL
64
[33]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
37
[34]
Supergame (BR)
84
[35]
Supersonic (FR)
89
[36]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
65
[37]
Video Games (DE) PAL
63
[38]
Sega Mega Drive
 70
Based on
30 reviews

Risky Woods

Mega Drive, JP
RiskyWoods MD JP Box.jpg
Cover
RiskyWoods MD JP CartTop.jpg
RiskyWoods MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
RiskyWoods MD JP Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, US
RiskyWoods MD US cover.jpg
Cover
RiskyWoods MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Risky Woods MD US Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
RiskyWoods MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
RiskyWoods MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Risky Woods MD EU Manual.jpg
Manual
Mega Drive, BR
RiskyWoods MD BR cover.jpg
Cover
RiskyWoods MD BR Cart.jpg
Cart
Risky Woods MD BR Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, KR
RiskyWoods MD SK Box.jpg
Cover
RiskyWoods MD KR carttop.jpg
RiskyWoods MD KR cartback.jpgRiskyWoods MD KR cart.jpg
Cart

Technical information

Main article: Risky Woods/Technical information.

References

  1. ↑ File:RiskyWoods MD JP Box.jpg
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
  3. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "March 1993" (JP; 1993-02-08), page 66
  4. ↑ Sega Visions, "November/December 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 93
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 GamePro, "May 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 65
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 GamesMaster, "January 1993" (UK; 1992-12-03), page 14
  7. ↑ Sega Force, "February 1993" (UK; 1993-01-14), page 97
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Mean Machines Sega, "December 1992" (UK; 1992-11-xx), page 122
  9. ↑ File:Risky Woods MD credits.png
  10. ↑ File:Risky Woods MD US Manual.pdf, page 14
  11. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 189
  12. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "March 1993" (JP; 1993-02-08), page 22
  13. ↑ Consoles +, "Février 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 68
  14. ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 170
  15. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "February 1993" (UK; 1993-01-15), page 78
  16. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 26
  17. ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 84
  18. ↑ Freak, "3/93" (IL; 1993-xx-xx), page 1
  19. ↑ Game Power, "Febbraio 1993" (IT; 1993-0x-xx), page 54
  20. ↑ Hippon Super, "March 1993" (JP; 1993-02-04), page 38
  21. ↑ Joypad, "Décembre 1992" (FR; 1992-1x-xx), page 94
  22. ↑ Joystick, "Janvier 1993" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 237
  23. ↑ Mega, "January 1993" (UK; 1992-12-17), page 60
  24. ↑ MegaTech, "December 1992" (UK; 1992-11-20), page 40
  25. ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Febrero 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 54
  26. ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1992" (FR; 1992-12-10), page 141
  27. ↑ Play Time, "5/93" (DE; 1993-04-07), page 101
  28. ↑ Sega Power, "March 1993" (UK; 1993-02-04), page 42
  29. ↑ Sega Pro, "February 1993" (UK; 1993-01-14), page 40
  30. ↑ Sega Zone, "December 1992" (UK; 1992-11-xx), page 22
  31. ↑ Sega Force, "4/93" (SE; 1993-07-08), page 18
  32. ↑ Sega Force, "February 1993" (UK; 1993-01-14), page 96
  33. ↑ Sega Force, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-06), page 75
  34. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 87
  35. ↑ Supergame, "Abril 1993" (BR; 1993-04-xx), page 10
  36. ↑ Supersonic, "Février 1993" (FR; 1993-xx-xx), page 17
  37. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 144
  38. ↑ Video Games, "2/93" (DE; 1993-01-27), page 90


Risky Woods

RiskyWoods MDTitleScreen.png

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