ClayFighter

From Sega Retro

n/a

ClayFighter title.png

ClayFighter
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console
Publisher: Interplay, Ballistic
Developer:
Sound driver: GEMS
Peripherals supported: Six Button Control Pad
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US
T-125036
Videogame Rating Council: GA
Sega Mega Drive
EU
T-125036-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Mega Drive
PT
Sega Mega Drive
UK
£44.9944.99[2] T-125036-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Mega Drive
GR
Sega Mega Drive
AU
FCLA03SMC
OFLC: G8
Sega Mega Drive
BR
046700
Tectoy: Todas as Idades
Wii Virtual Console
US
800pts800[3]
ESRB: Teen
Wii Virtual Console
EU
800pts800[4]
Wii Virtual Console
AU
800pts800[6]
OFLC: Parental Guidance (PG)
Non-Sega versions

ClayFighter is a fighting game developed by Visual Concepts and published by Interplay in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive. This game is a port from the Super Nintendo, with several gameplay changes taken from the updated SNES version, ClayFighter: Tournament Edition. The game was most known for its colorful graphics, with each character modeled from clay to give the game its unique look.

Story

A meteor made entirely out of clay crash-lands on the grounds of a humble American circus. The goo from the interstellar object contaminates all of the circus's attractions, transforming them into bizarre caricatures of their former selves, with new superpowers.

Gameplay

ClayFighter, Stages, N. Boss.png

N. Boss

The game is a one-on-one fighting game similar to Street Fighter II. It features eight playable characters, battling each other to become the "King of the Circus." Two characters contend, using a variety of moves and special techniques, to drain the other's vitality bar. Battles are played to the best of three rounds. A bomb with a long fuse appears on the bottom of the screen to indicate the time limit; when the fuse burns completely, the bomb explodes, defeating the character with the least vitality remaining.

Characters move with Left and Right and crouch with Down. They jump with Up and jump ahead or back with Up-left or Up-right. Punches are done with X (quick), Y (medium), and Z (brutal) and kicks are done with A (quick), B (medium), and C (brutal). Light attacks are faster and hard attacks deal more damage. When playing with a standard three-button control pad,  START  toggles between punches and kicks. Each character has a set of special moves performed with special button combinations.

Throws and holds are done by holding the D-Pad toward an opponent and pressing a hard punch or kick button (depending on the character used). Attacks, other than grapples, can be blocked by holding the D-Pad away from the opponent. Blocking can be done while standing or crouching. Characters can become dizzy and uncontrollable from being attacked repeatedly. When a character receives heavy damage, the word "KO!" may appear above them. If they are hit with a special move during this time, they take extra damage.

Modes

The one-player game has the selected character battle through several matches against all of the game's characters, including a few rematches against previously beaten opponents, before facing the game's final enemy, N. Boss. A second player can join with  START  to challenge the first, with the winner continuing the game. There are three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, and Hard) for computer-controlled opponents and twelve game speeds.

There is also a dedicated two-player mode, where players can choose a character, a handicap, and any stage.

Characters

Note: Move lists assume that the character is facing right. When facing left, Left and Right should be reversed.

P Any punch button
 LP  Light punch
 MP  Medium punch
 HP  Hard punch
K Any kick button
 LK  Light kick
 MK  Medium kick
 HK  Hard kick

Playable

Taffy, Tiny, and Bonker are fought twice in the single-player game.

ClayFighter MD Sprite Portraits.png
Bad Mr. Frosty
A snowman with a bad attitude. His special attacks include throwing snowballs, spitting sharp balls of ice, sliding along the ground and kicking his opponent, and turning into a snow boulder and rolling into his opponent.
Move list
Name Command Description
Frozen Fist Down Down-right Right P Bad Mr. Frosty throws his fist, a snowball, across the screen.
Ice Ball Left Down-left Down Down-right Right P Bad Mr. Frosty spits out an ice ball.
Snow Ball Hold Left for 2 seconds, then Right+P Bad Mr. Frosty curls into a big snowball and rolls himself across the screen. This move can also be performed in midair.
Aerial Snow Ball Hold Down for 2 seconds, then Up+K Bad Mr. Frosty curls into a big snowball and rolls himself in an upward arc.
Slide Kick Down Down-right Right K Bad Mr. Frosty collapses onto the ground and slides forward.
Flying Headbutt Right Down-right Down P Bad Mr. Frosty leaps forward with a headbutt.
Big Arm Sideswipe Hold Down for 2 seconds, then Up+P Bad Mr. Frosty bashes his opponent with a large fist. The range of this attack is about half the width of the screen. This attack inflicts the "KO!" status on opponents.
ClayFighter MD Sprite Portraits.png
Taffy
A fighting piece of taffy whose attacks mainly involve stretching and twisting his thin but super-flexible body. As a result, Taffy uses some of the longest-reaching moves in the game. He can also twist himself tightly to cause himself to spin at his opponent while his arms flail.
Move list
Name Command Description
Taffy Whack Punch Left Left P Taffy does a powerful punch.
Taffy Whack Kick Left Left K Taffy does a powerful kick.
Two-Fisted Charge Down Down-right Right P Taffy charges forward, attacking with both fists. This move can also be performed in midair.
Taffy Tornado Left Down-left Down Down-right Right P Taffy twists himself tightly, then unwinds with a spinning attack forwards.
Flying Taffy Tornado Right Down-right Down P Taffy twists himself tightly, then unwinds with a spinning attack in an upward arc.
Dizzy Fake Right Down-right Down P Taffy pretends to be dazed until he is hit or until the player presses P.
ClayFighter MD Sprite Portraits.png
Tiny
A buff, large-toothed wrestler-type character with a penchant for posing, who does not really rely on wrestling. Instead, he uses his big fists to charge across the screen and punch, as well as rolling himself into a ball and flinging himself at foes.
Move list
Name Command Description
Sucker Punch Down Down-right Right P Tiny charges across the screen with a powerful punch.
Backfist Whip Down Down-left Left P Tiny charges across the screen with a powerful punch.
Medicine Ball Hold Left for 2 seconds, then Right+P Tiny curls himself into a ball and hurls himself across the screen. This move can also be performed in midair.
Aerial Medicine Ball Hold Down for 2 seconds, then Up+K Tiny curls himself into a ball and hurls himself in an upward arc.
ClayFighter MD Sprite Portraits.png
The Blob
A blob of clay. A self-proclaimed master of "goojitsu," his specialty is "morphing" into objects to attack his opponent, with his specialty being transforming into a buzzsaw and cutting his opponent in half. He is said to be highly intelligent, despite being made up of the slimy dregs of the mutagenic meteor.
Move list
Name Command Description
Clay Spit Down Down-right Right P The Blob spits a gob of clay across the screen.
Somersault Headbutt Down Down-left Left P The Blob rolls forward, then attacks with a headbutt.
Buzzsaw Hold Left for 2 seconds, then Right+P The Blob transforms into a sawblade and throws himself across the screen.
Slide Smack Left Down-left Down Down-right Right P The Blob slides along the ground.
Clay Stomp Down+ HK  The Blob transforms into a giant shoe and stomps downward, which can attack on the way up as well as the way down.
ClayFighter MD Sprite Portraits.png
Blue Suede Goo
An Elvis impersonator with wildly exaggerated features, including a big gut and even bigger hair. He throws musical notes at his opponent and uses his hair as a blade. His name is a parody of the 1950s song "Blue Suede Shoes," a version of which Presley recorded on his debut album.
Move list
Name Command Description
Humming Attack Down Down-right Right P Blue Suede Goo shoots a musical note across the screen.
Hair Slice Left Down-left Down Down-right Right P Blue Suede Goo swings his hair, slicing nearby opponents.
Hair Blade Right Down-right Down Down-left Left P Blue Suede Goo whips his hair forward to attack from long range.
Song of Pain Left Down-left Down Down-right Right Left P Blue Suede Goo shoots a musical note across the screen. In the Super NES version, this ability throws multiple notes; in the Mega Drive version, it only throws a single note, likely due to a bug.
ClayFighter MD Sprite Portraits.png
Ickybod Clay
A scarecrow-like ghost with a pumpkin head. He can teleport and throw balls of ectoplasm at foes. His name is a play on Ichabod Crane from "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and his pumpkin-head is based on the Headless Horseman from the same tale.
Move list
Name Command Description
Ecto Ball Down Down-right Right P Ickybod Clay shoots a fireball across the screen.
Ecto Punch Right Down-right Down P Ickybod Clay jumps into the air with an uppercut.
Dart Dive Hold Left for 2 seconds, then Right+P Ickybod Clay dashes forward, then strikes downward with both hands. This move can be performed in midair.
Teleport Left  LK + MK  Ickybod Clay teleports to the left side of the screen.
Teleport Right  MK + HK  Ickybod Clay teleports to the right side of the screen.
ClayFighter MD Sprite Portraits.png
Helga
An obese opera singer dressed in Viking attire. She is Blue Suede Goo's rival and attacks by hurling herself at her opponents, stabbing them with the horns on her helmet, and by belting a high vocal note for a sonic scream.
Move list
Name Command Description
Viking Ram Down Down-right Right P Helga jumps in the air while spiraling, with her horned helmet forward. Her jump covers about half the width of the screen.
Viking Jump Down Down-right Right K Helga jumps in the air and attacks with her stomach.
Viking Yodel Hold Left for 2 seconds, then Left Down-left Down Down-right Right P Helga yodels, emitting damaging sound waves in front of her.
Viking Leap Hold Left for 2 seconds, then Left Down-left Down Down-right Right K Helga leaps across the screen and attacks with her posterior.
ClayFighter MD Sprite Portraits.png
Bonker
A cheerfully manic clown whose arsenal includes deadly pies, killer cartwheels, a spraying flower, and the big hammer that gives him his name.
Move list
Name Command Description
Flying Pie Down Down-right Right P or K Bonker throws a pie across the screen. He throws a high pie with P or a low pie with K.
Cutting Cartwheel Hold Left for 2 seconds, then Right+P Bonker dashes across the screen while cartwheeling.
Flower Spray Left Down-left Down Down-right Right P Bonker sprays water a short distance in front of him with his flower pin.

Bosses

Clayfighter, Sprites, N. Boss.png
N. Boss
The final boss is an anthropomorphic string of pearls with two eyes (one wide open, one half closed). His name is a play on M. Bison from Street Fighter II and the phrase "end boss."

Stages

Stages are chosen randomly in the single-player mode but can be chosen manually in the two-player mode. N. Boss shares a stage with the Blob.

ClayFighter, Stages, Bad Mr. Frosty.png

Bad Mr. Frosty
ClayFighter, Stages, Bad Mr. Frosty.png

ClayFighter, Stages, Taffy.png

Taffy
ClayFighter, Stages, Taffy.png

ClayFighter, Stages, Tiny.png

Tiny
ClayFighter, Stages, Tiny.png

ClayFighter, Stages, The Blob.png

The Blob
ClayFighter, Stages, The Blob.png

ClayFighter, Stages, Blue Suede Goo.png

Blue Suede Goo
ClayFighter, Stages, Blue Suede Goo.png

ClayFighter, Stages, Ichybod Clay.png

Ichybod Clay
ClayFighter, Stages, Ichybod Clay.png

ClayFighter, Stages, Helga.png

Helga
ClayFighter, Stages, Helga.png

ClayFighter, Stages, Bonker.png

Bonker
ClayFighter, Stages, Bonker.png

Versions

Debuting a year after its Super NES counterpart, ClayFighter on the Mega Drive is roughly the same as on Nintendo's console, but makes a number of graphical cutbacks (particularly in the introduction sequence) to accommodate for the lack of native sprite scaling and rotation. Most of the in-game graphics employ dithering techniques to cater for the Mega Drive's smaller colour palette and lack of semi-transparency support, and the top heads-up-display features a solid black background, masking the top portion of the in-game scenery. Many voice clips are also missing in the Mega Drive version.

History

Legacy

In 2009, Interplay ported the Mega Drive version of the game to the Virtual Console for the Wii.

In 2022, the game was included in the North American and European versions of the Mega Drive Mini 2.

A remastered version of the game was announced by Interplay in 2015,[7] but it never materialized. Interplay sold the intellectual property rights to the franchise the year after.[8]

A sequel, ClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay, was released for the SNES in early 1995. A Sega 32X version was announced but ultimately cancelled.

Production credits

Ringler Studios
  • Produced by: Ed Ringler
  • Senior Programmer: Dave Castelnuovo
  • Additional Programming: Doug Mackall, John bartak, Chris Oke, Lee Romans
  • Technical Director: Chris Oke
  • Grafix: Klee Miller, Gary Platner
  • Product Managers: Bill Johnson, Dustin Howard
Interplay Productions
  • Executive Producers: Brian Fargo, Alan Pavlish
  • Producer: Jeremy Airey
  • Line Producer: Mike 'Paco' Greene
  • Director of Quality Assurance: Kirk 'Koik' Tome
  • Lead Tester: Ryan Rucinski
  • Quality Assurance: Reginald Arnedo, David Simon, Robert Rooke
Visual Concepts
  • Game Design: Gregory A. Thomas, Matthew Crysdale, Jason Anderson, Jeff Thomas
  • SNES Programming: Jason Andersen
  • Art Direction: Matthew Crysdale
  • Art: Leandro Penaloza, Matthew Crysdale
  • Additional Art: Eric Browning, Alvin Cardona, Dean Lee, Philip Vaughan
  • Sound and Music Engine: Jason Andersen, John Schappert
  • Technical Assistance: Scott Patterson
Clay Design and Animation by Danger Productions
  • Direction: Ken Pontac, David Bleiman
  • Sculptors: Josephine Huang, Ralph Miller
  • Animation Design: Doug Post
  • Clay Animation: Ken Willard
Interplay
  • Producer: Michael Quarles
  • Game Design: Jeremy Airey
  • Assistant Producer: Eric Demilt
  • Music: Mitchell Stein, Brian Luzietti
  • Title Music: Brian Luzietti
  • Soundfx and Samples: Charles Deenen
  • Title Music Concept: Charles Deenen, Brian Luzietti
  • Vocals: Euphony
  • Voices: Michael McConnohie, Steve Bulen, Melodee M. Spevack, Brian Luzietti, Charles Deenen
  • Vocal Arrangement: James Peacock
  • Audio Production: Charles Deenen
  • Technical Assistance: John Phillip Britt
  • Director of Quality Assurance: Kerry Garrison
  • Assistant Director of Quality Assurance: Rodney Relosa
  • Testers: Bill Church, Kirk Tome, Chris Tremmel, Frank Alberry
Game Manual
  • Writers: Feargus Urquhart, Eric Demilt
  • Computer Graphics: Larry Fukuoka
  • Illustrations: Vince Carino
  • Layout Design: Bruce Warner
  • Package Cover Sculpture: John Lemmon Films
  • Executive Producer: Brian Fargo
Copyright (C) 1994 Interplay Productions, Visual Concepts Co.
  • The Posse: Steve Chiang, John Schappert, John Andersen
  • The Interplay Posse: Jeremy Airey, Rodney Relosa, Kirk Tome, Bill Church
Source:
In-game credits
ClayFighter MD credits.pdf
[9]

Interplay Productions
  • Executive Producers: Brian Fargo, Alon Pavlish
  • Producer: Jeremy Airey
  • Line Producer: Mike "Paco" Greene
  • Director of Quality Assurance: Kirk "Koik" Tome
  • Lead Tester: Ryan Rucinski
  • Quality Assurance: Robert Rooke, Reginald Arnedo
Ringler Studios
  • Produced by: Ed Ringler
  • Senior Programmer: Dave Castelnuovo
  • Technical Director: Chris Oke
  • Graphics: Klee Miller, Gary Planter
  • Product Managers: Bill Johnson, Dustin Howard
Game Manual
  • Computer Graphics: Larry Fukuoka
  • Layout/Design: Ulises Gerardo, Bruce Warner
  • Illustration: Vince Carino
Source:
US manual
ClayFighter MD US MDMini2 manual.pdf
[10]

Digital manuals

Magazine articles

Main article: ClayFighter/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in EGM² (US) #1: "July 1994" (1994-07-19)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Mega Force (FR) #34: "Décembre 1994" (1994-12-02)
Logo-pdf.svg
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Print advert in Sega Megazone (AU) #49: "March 1995" (1995-0x-xx)
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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)
30
[17]
Alaab Alcomputtar (SA)
80
[18]
Consoles + (FR)
79
[19]
Electronic Games (1992-1995) (US) NTSC-U
67
[20]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
66
[21]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
80
[22]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
66
[2]
Joker (SI)
82
[23]
Joypad (FR) PAL
81
[24]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
54
[25]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
47
[26]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
47
[27]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
56
[1]
Player One (FR)
86
[28]
Play Time (DE) PAL
47
[29]
Sega Magazin (DE)
47
[30]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
55
[31]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
49
[32]
Sega Megazone (AU)
77
[33]
Todo Sega (ES)
89
[34]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
59
[35]
VideoGames (US)
80
[36]
Sega Mega Drive
65
Based on
22 reviews

ClayFighter

Mega Drive, US (Assembled in USA)
ClayFighter MD US Cover.jpg
Cover
Clayfighter md us cart.jpg
Cart
ClayFighter MD US Colour Manual.jpg
Manual
Mega Drive, US (Assembled in Mexico)
ClayFighter MD US Box.jpg
Cover
ClayFighter MD US AssembledInMexico Cart.jpg
Cart
ClayFighter MD US B&W Manual.jpg
Manual
Mega Drive, US (cardboard) (Majesco Sales)
ClayFighter MD US Box Back Cardboard.jpgNospine.pngClayFighter MD US Box Front Cardboard.jpg
Cover
ClayFighter MD US AssembledInMexico Cart.jpg
Cart
ClayFighter MD US B&W Manual.jpg
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
Clayfighter MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
Clayfighter MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Clayfighter MD EU Manual.jpg
Manual
ClayFighter MD EU pcb.jpg
PCB
Mega Drive, FR

ClayFighter MD FR Manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, PT
ClayFighter MD PT cover.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, GR (Zegetron)

Clayfighter MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, AU
ClayFighter MD AU Box Back.jpgNospine.pngClayFighter MD AU cover.jpg
Cover
ClayFighter MD AU cart.jpg
Cart
ClayFighter MD AU Manual.jpg
Manual
Mega Drive, AU (alt)
CClayFighter MD AU alt Box Back.jpgNospine.pngClayFighter MD AU alt cover.jpg
Cover
Clayfighter MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Clayfighter MD EU Manual.jpg
Manual
Mega Drive, BR
ClayFighter MD BR Box.jpg
Cover
ClayFighter MD BR Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, ZA
Clayfighter MD ZA Box.jpg
Cover
Clayfighter MD EU Cart.jpg
Cart

Technical information

Main article: ClayFighter/Technical information.

External links

  • Nintendo catalogue pages: US, UK, AU

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mean Machines Sega, "December 1994" (UK; 1994-10-28), page 88
  2. 2.0 2.1 Games World: The Magazine, "April 1995" (UK; 1995-0x-xx), page 12
  3. 3.0 3.1 http://www.nintendo.com:80/games/detail/s2w8G9MCpa8iwNpN3sGc9CZ_CPpob_Qa (Wayback Machine: 2011-02-03 16:53)
  4. 4.0 4.1 http://www.nintendolife.com/games/megadrive/clayfighter (Wayback Machine: 2017-06-13 22:43)
  5. https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Virtual-Console-Wii-/Clay-Fighter--276698.html (archive.today)
  6. http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=catalogue&prodcat_id=41&prod_id=19729&pageID=4 (Wayback Machine: 2012-04-03 03:03)
  7. https://www.pcgamer.com/interplay-announces-remastered-clayfighter-coming-in-2016/
  8. https://www.usgamer.net/articles/interplay-selling-off-its-ip-portfolio (Wayback Machine: 2022-08-02 18:07)
  9. File:ClayFighter MD credits.pdf
  10. File:ClayFighter MD US MDMini2 manual.pdf, page 17
  11. EGM², "August 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 2
  12. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "September 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 112
  13. GamePro, "November 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 116
  14. EGM², "November 1994" (US; 1994-1x-xx), page 258
  15. Sega Visions, "December/January 1994/1995" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 148
  16. VideoGames, "January 1995" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 38
  17. 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 48
  18. Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-06-xx), page 80
  19. Consoles +, "Avril 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 156
  20. Electronic Games (1992-1995), "December 1994" (US; 1994-1x-xx), page 166
  21. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "September 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 32
  22. GamePro, "December 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 112
  23. Joker, "Oktober 1994" (SI; 1994-xx-xx), page 29
  24. Joypad, "Mars 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 92
  25. MAN!AC, "03/95" (DE; 1995-02-08), page 69
  26. Mega Fun, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-23), page 85
  27. Mega Fun, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-23), page 118
  28. Player One, "Avril 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 104
  29. Play Time, "12/94" (DE; 1994-11-09), page 104
  30. Sega Magazin, "Dezember 1994" (DE; 1994-11-17), page 83
  31. Sega Power, "January 1995" (UK; 1994-11-17), page 62
  32. Sega Pro, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-29), page 46
  33. Sega Megazone, "October 1994" (AU; 1994-xx-xx), page 32
  34. Todo Sega, "Marzo 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 38
  35. Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 43
  36. VideoGames, "December 1994" (US; 1994-1x-xx), page 128


ClayFighter

ClayFighter title.png

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