Spirou

From Sega Retro

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Spirou title.png

Spirou
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Infogrames
Developer:
Licensor: Éditions Dupuis S.A., TF1, CinéGroupe
Sound driver:
Sega Mega Drive
GEMS
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1
Official in-game languages:
  • Français
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Español
    • Release Date RRP Code
    Sega Mega Drive
    EU     		T-151026-50
    Sega Mega Drive
    NL     		T-151026-55
    Sega Mega Drive
    UK     		T-151026-50
    Non-Sega versions

    Spirou is a 1995 action game for the Sega Mega Drive and Super NES by Infogrames based on the Spirou & Fantasio comic book series. It was only released in Europe.

    Story

    Spirou, a journalist who wears a bell boy's uniform, and his friend Fantasio visit New York for an international conference of scientific research. When the pair arrives at the conference, Count Champignac, their long-time friend and one of the inventors at the conference, has disappeared. It turns out that Cyanida, a maverick "gynoid" robot, has kidnapped the count. With Count Champignac's inventions, Cyanida's intention is to make robots rule the earth and make all humans into slaves. While Spirou tries to save Champignac and stop Cyanida, Fantasio gathers intel in order to help Spirou.

    Gameplay

    The game is a platformer played as Spirou, who is accompanied by his pet squirrel Spip. The goal of each level is to make it to the exit at the end. Spip occasionally points Spirou in the right direction or indicates important objects. Spirou walks with Left or Right and runs by holding A. He can push objects by walking into them or pick up some items with Down. He ducks with Down while standing or slides with Down when running. He jumps with B and leaps extra high with A+B. He enters doorways with Up and climbs ladders with Up and Down. He grabs the corners of ledges and high wires automatically (and jumps off with Down or pulls himself up to a platform with Up).

    After the third level, Spirou meets with Fantasio, who gives him a Micropulser, a gun resembling a hairdryer that shoots enemies to microscopic size. Spirou shoots the Micropulser with C. The Micropulser can only be used when standing, not when ducking or jumping, but it can be aimed in diagonal directions with the D-Pad. He can shoot while on a ladder; he normally shoots away from the ladder, but he can shoot in a specific direction with Left+C or Right+C.

    Spirou has a health bar, shown as bars behind his portrait in the top-left of the screen, which allows him to take six hits before he loses a life. If the player has extra lives left when losing a life, the level restarts completely; there are no checkpoints. If there are no extra lives left, the game is over.

    The game has three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, and Hard). It has a password system, but there is only one valid password (for halfway through the game).

    Items

    Platforming

    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Hat
    Collect 50 for an extra life.
    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Heart
    Restores one health point to Spirou.
    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 1 Up
    Gives the player an extra life.

    Special

    These are special items that appear in some levels.

    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Snuffletrump
    An unusual creature sent by Count Champignac and Fantasio to deliver items to Spirou in the Mountain and Jungle levels.
    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Zipline Pulley
    Allows Spirou to use a zipline. Dropped by flying robots after they are destroyed. Found in the Roofs level.
    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Sandotron
    Turns a stone door into sand. Found in the Mountain level.
    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Eye
    Opens a door when two eyes are placed in a stone face. Found in the Catacombs level.
    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Bomb
    Blows up a platform or a door. Found in the Cave level.
    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Phials of Zzi
    Causes a plant to grow very quickly. Found in the Jungle level.

    Flying

    These items are found in the Chase level.

    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Flying Fish Robot
    Shoot down to release an item.
    Spirou MD, Items.png
    		 Fuel
    Refuels Spirou's flying machine.

    Levels

    Spirou MD, Stage 1.png

    		The Street
    Spirou sets off in pursuit of Cyanida after she kidnaps Count Champignac.

    Spirou MD, Stage 2.png

    		Toyshop 1
    Spirou catches up to Cyanida, but she shoots him with one of Count Champignac's inventions and shrinks him to ten centimeters tall. Spirou can hang on to the balloons released by some of the toys and ride on the toy airplanes.

    Spirou MD, Stage 3.png

    		Toyshop 2

    Spirou MD, Stage 4.png

    		The Subway
    Fantasio restores Spirou to normal size with a antidote he found in the Count's bedroom. Fantasio also gives Spirou a Micropulser gun that he found and tells him that Cyanida is building an army of robots in an abandoned factory in the north of the city.

    Spirou MD, Stage 5.png

    		The Factory

    Spirou MD, Stage 6.png

    Spirou MD, Stage 6 Boss.png

    • Spirou MD, Stage 6.png

    • Spirou MD, Stage 6 Boss.png

    		The Roofs
    Spirou must acquire pulley hooks from the flying robots to use the ziplines. At the end of the level, he faces Cyanida in a robotic contraption.

    Spirou MD, Stage 7.png

    		The Chase
    Password:
    Spirou MD, Passwords.png
    Spirou MD, Passwords.png
    Spirou MD, Passwords.png
    Spirou MD, Passwords.png
     
    Spirou defeats Cyanida and recovers Count Champignac, but she escapes. Spirou gives chase in one of the Count's inventions. This level plays like a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up. Spirou moves in any direction using the D-Pad and shoots with A, B, or C. The flying machine uses fuel as it flies, and it crashes if it runs out of fuel, but Spirou can collect fuel pick-ups. It also crashes if it collides with terrain (regardless of how much health Spirou has remaining).

    Spirou MD, Stage 8.png

    		The Mountain
    Spirou crash-lands in the mountains. He does not have the Micropulser for this level. He must acquire the Sandotron from a Snuffletrump, a fantastic creature sent by Fantasio to aid him. The Sandotron, which resembles an umbrella, allows Spirou to transform stone into sand. He uses the Sandotron with C.

    Spirou MD, Stage 9.png

    		The Catacombs
    Spirou must place the eyes in the stone faces to open doors. He grabs an eye with Down and puts it in place with Up.

    Spirou MD, Stage 10.png

    		The Cave
    Spirou swims using the D-Pad and BBBBB. He has a limited amount of air underwater and drowns if he runs out. Some robots drop bombs that are used to collapse a platform and blow open a door. Spirou can also bait submarines into blowing up a door with their missiles.

    Spirou MD, Stage 11.png

    		The Swamp

    Spirou MD, Stage 12.png

    		The Jungle
    With Spirou stuck in the jungle, the Count sends another Snuffletrump to deliver phials of Zzi, a superstrength fertilizer. Spirou must place the phial by a plant (indicated by Spip) with Down and shoot it with the Micropulser to make the plant grow.

    Spirou MD, Stage 13.png

    		The Secret Base
    After destroying the energy source in the base, Spirou has 60 seconds to leave.

    Spirou MD, Stage 14.png

    		The Final Fight
    Spirou fights Cyanida.

    Production credits

    Mega Drive version

    • Programmed by: Frédéric Bibet, Lionel Laissus, Frederic O'Rourke
    • Tools programmers: Yannic Turbé, Vincent Pourieux
    • Graphics: Pascal Casolari, Frédéric Jaquemoud, David Hamblin, Laurence Billon, Céline Fillon, Delphine Personnaz, Etranges Libellules
    • Sound & Music: Frédéric Mentzen, Thierry Caron
    • Design: Rodolphe Furykiewicz
    • Executive Producer: Edith Protière
    • Production: Bruno Bonnel
    • Thanks to : Patrick Pinchard, Stéphane Donnet et les Editions Dupuis, Stéphane Baudet, Nicolas Pothier, Nadège de Bergevin, Olivier Robin, Sylvain Branchu and all the testing department.
    Source:
    EU manual
    Spirou MD EU Manual.pdf
    [2]


    Game Gear version

    • Production: Bruno Bonnell
    • Executive Producer: Edith Protiere
    • Production Assistant: Lionel Arnaud
    • Design: Ruben Gomez, Rodolphe Furykiewicz
    • Developed by Bit Managers and IWP: Isidro Gilabert, Alberto Gonzalez, Ruben Gomez, Ricardo Fernandez, Sergio Palacios, Daniel Lopez, Alberto Pleguezuelos
    • Thanks to: Stephane Pradier and all the testing department.
    Source:
    In-game credits


    Magazine articles

    Main article: Spirou/Magazine articles.

    Promotional material

    Power Pegasus + Spirou as a prize in the quiz show PL

    Physical scans

    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Score Source
    {{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
    Based on
    0 review
    Sega Retro Average 
    Publication Version Score
    1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
    40
    		[3]
    Consoles + (FR) PAL
    85
    		[4]
    Hobby Consolas (ES)
    77
    		[5]
    Joypad (FR) PAL
    74
    		[6]
    Mega Force (FR) PAL
    87
    		[7]
    Mega Fun (DE) PAL
    65
    		[8]
    Player One (FR) PAL
    85
    		[9]
    Sega Magazin (DE)
    80
    		[10]
    Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
    56
    		[11]
    Sega Pro (UK) PAL
    69
    		[12]
    Sega Megazone (AU)
    59
    		[13]
    Super Juegos (ES)
    80
    		[14]
    Todo Sega (ES)
    85
    		[15]
    Top Consoles (FR) PAL
    70
    		[16]
    Top Secret (PL)
    100
    		[17]
    Tricks 16 bit (RU)
    83
    		[18]
    Video Games (DE) PAL
    69
    		[19]
    Sega Mega Drive
    		 74
    Based on
    17 reviews

    Spirou

    Mega Drive, EU
    Spirou MD EU Box.jpg
    Cover
    Spirou MD EU Cart.jpg
    Cart
    Spirou MD EU Manual.pdf
    Manual
    Spirou MD EU RegCard.pdf
    Reg Card
    Spirou MD EU Poster.jpg
    Poster
    Spirou MD EU pcb.jpg
    PCB
    Mega Drive, EU (Re-Issue)
    Spirou MD EU Cover Reissue.jpg
    Cover
    Spirou MD EU Cart.jpg
    Cart
    Spirou MD EU Manual.pdf
    Manual
    Spirou MD EU RegCard.pdf
    Reg Card
    Spirou MD EU Poster.jpg
    Poster
    Mega Drive, CZ (Datart)
    Spirou MD CZ Box Front.jpeg
    Cover
    Spirou MD EU Cart.jpg
    Cart
    Notavailable.svg
    Manual
    Mega Drive, NL
    Robbedoes MD NL Box.jpg
    Cover
    Spirou MD EU Cart.jpg
    Cart
    Spirou MD EU Manual.pdf
    Manual

    Unreleased versions

    Spirou GG title.png

    Spirou
    System(s): Sega Game Gear
    Publisher: Infogrames
    Developer: Bit Managers
    Genre: Action
    Number of players: 1
    State before cancellation: Late in development
    Status of prototype(s): Prototype dumped

    A somewhat different Sega Game Gear version was also developed and completed by Bit Managers, slated for a 1996 release, but its release was cancelled by Infogrames; a late prototype ROM containing the full game circulates around the Internet; it is very similar to the 1996 released Game Boy version.

    Technical information

    Main article: Spirou/Technical information.

    References

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Games World: The Magazine, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-0x-xx), page 38
    2. ↑ File:Spirou MD EU Manual.pdf, page 59
    3. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 220
    4. ↑ Consoles +, "Juillet/Août 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 108
    5. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 76
    6. ↑ Joypad, "Juillet/Août 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 59
    7. ↑ Mega Force, "Été 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 82
    8. ↑ Mega Fun, "09/95" (DE; 1995-08-23), page 70
    9. ↑ Player One, "Septembre 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 114
    10. ↑ Sega Magazin, "August 1995" (DE; 1995-07-12), page 28
    11. ↑ Sega Magazine, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-07-13), page 84
    12. ↑ Sega Pro, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-08-10), page 64
    13. ↑ Sega Megazone, "Summer '95/'96" (AU; 1995-xx-xx), page 38
    14. ↑ Super Juegos, "Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 58
    15. ↑ Todo Sega, "Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 52
    16. ↑ Top Consoles, "Julliet/Août 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 112
    17. ↑ Top Secret, "Luty 1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 59
    18. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 173
    19. ↑ Video Games, "9/95" (DE; 1995-08-30), page 98


    Spirou

    Spirou title.png

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