Michael Jackson's Moonwalker
From Sega Retro
- For the Sega System 18 arcade game, see Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (System 18).
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Michael Jackson's Moonwalker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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[1][2][3], Arcade[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1-2 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.[14][15]
Contents
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.[16]
Gameplay
Mega Drive version
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.[16] 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 ![]() ![]() | |
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.[17] Michael can grab the tree branches in this round with ![]() ![]() | |
Cavern | |
The music for this round is "Billie Jean." Michael can enter the caverns in this round with ![]() | |
The Enemy Hideout | |
The music for this round is "Bad." Michael can activate the teleporters in this round with ![]() | |
Michael's Battle Plane | |
Michael's spaceship moves with the D-Pad and attacks with ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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.
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 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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
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.[19]
Master System version
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
77 | |
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Based on 34 reviews |
Mega Drive, SE (Rental) |
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Mega Drive, AU |
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Master System version
Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
72 | |
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Based on 18 reviews |
Master System, BX† |
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Mega-Tech version
Technical information
- Main article: Michael Jackson's Moonwalker/Technical information.
References
- ↑ File:Moonwalker md jp cover.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-20 09:51)
- ↑ File:Moonwalker SMS KR backcover.jpg
- ↑ File:Moonwalker SMS EU 6lang cover.jpg
- ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video/c/0_oOwBPdcV0/m/kL2cZZd6ZyUJ
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 MegaTech, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 93
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Raze, "September 1991" (UK; 1991-07-25), page 76
- ↑ Sega Power, "April 1991" (UK; 1991-03-07), page 11
- ↑ Mega Play, "March/April 1991" (US; 1991-04-xx), page 32
- ↑ GamePro, "March 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 83
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Mean Machines, "January 1991" (UK; 1991-01-03), page 35
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "February 1991" (UK; 1991-01-16), page 80
- ↑ Ação Games, "Maio 1991" (BR; 1991-05-21), page 08
- ↑ File:BangorDailyNews US 1990-01-17; Page 19.png
- ↑ File:DetroitFreePress US 1990-12-13; Page 36 (3C).png
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/michael-jacksons-moonwalker-genesissms
- ↑ The Cutting Room Floor: Proto:Michael Jackson%27s Moonwalker (Genesis)
- ↑ File:Moonwalker MD credits.pdf
- ↑ https://archive.ph/9gwQz
- ↑ File:Moonwalker SMS credits.pdf
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 134
- ↑ ACE, "November 1990" (UK; 1990-10-xx), page 89
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "September 1990" (JP; 1990-08-XX), page 25
- ↑ Buzz! Computers (UK) (+0:00)
- ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 32
- ↑ The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 48
- ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 132
- ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 127
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "November 1990" (UK; 1990-10-16), page 80
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "September 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 18
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 72
- ↑ Famitsu, "" (JP; 1990-xx-xx), page 1
- ↑ The Games Machine, "Dicembre 1990" (IT; 1990-1x-xx), page 36
- ↑ Game Informer, "July 2001" (US; 2001-0x-xx), page 106
- ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Febrero 1992" (ES; 1992-0x-xx), page 79
- ↑ Joystick, "Octobre 1990" (FR; 1990-xx-xx), page 88
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 93
- ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "November 1990" (JP; 1990-10-08), page 63
- ↑ Mega, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 21
- ↑ Mega Play, "November/December 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 29
- ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 79
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 Mean Machines, "January 1991" (UK; 1991-01-03), page 44
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 140
- ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1990" (FR; 1990-xx-xx), page 24
- ↑ Power Play, "11/90" (DE; 1990-10-12), page 140
- ↑ Raze, "December 1990" (UK; 1990-10-25), page 42
- ↑ Sega Power, "April 1991" (UK; 1991-03-07), page 10
- ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 54
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 Sega Pro, "February 1992" (UK; 1992-01-16), page 19
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 66
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 86
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 114
- ↑ Zero, "December 1990" (UK; 1990-1x-xx), page 130
- ↑ The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 22
- ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 142
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "March 1991" (UK; 1991-02-16), page 94
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 146
- ↑ GamePro, "March 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 82
- ↑ Joystick, "Mai 1991" (FR; 1991-0x-xx), page 146
- ↑ Mega Play, "March/April 1991" (US; 1991-04-xx), page 45
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 135
- ↑ Player One, "Mai 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 20
- ↑ Power Play, "7/91" (DE; 1991-06-12), page 137
- ↑ Score, "Srpen 1994" (CZ; 1994-08-01), page 57
- ↑ Sega Power, "April 1991" (UK; 1991-03-07), page 18
- ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 58
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 71
- ↑ Tilt, "Juin 1991" (FR; 1991-0x-xx), page 80
- ↑ Video Games, "2/91" (DE; 1991-06-07), page 78
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker | |
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