Status scoopings Feb 13, 2023
Well, let's start with this: we have this at the local retro arcade on a compilation machine. I noticed it has a really cool looking adventure-style world map (which really is just you moving from one area to another with no control, but still), great colors, and a great jingle. So I decided I would play this more thoroughly on …
Well, let's start with this: we have this at the local retro arcade on a compilation machine. I noticed it has a really cool looking adventure-style world map (which really is just you moving from one area to another with no control, but still), great colors, and a great jingle. So I decided I would play this more thoroughly on MAME at home.
The gameplay was as frustrating on MAME as it had been on the machine. It's like the worst parts of Mr. Do's Wild Ride, with the clunky dodging aspect, and simply repetitive and not fun after only 2 stages. The jingles and colors continue to be top-notch though, but you might as well just play any other Universal game--say any Mr. Do--for that. The icing on the cake was when I noticed the "Masakari tribe" concept, tainting even the beautiful world map. Why did this game have to be vaguely, and completely irrelevantly, based in "Africa"? Why are the sprites over-the-top caricature-esque? Welp, I was already going to write this one off, but now I just outright don't have any respect for it either. No wonder it was passed on back in 84 and promptly forgotten. I had to add this game to the database, and now I regret it heh. Best leaving this one forgotten and only found on cheap arcade comps.
