Taz-Mania

Overview

Taz-Mania is a 2D platformer based on the TV animation of the same name. Taz is tasked with crossing various 2D platformer stages, using his cyclone spin and voracious appetite to his advantage. The game was released on all three Sega platforms of the era: The Sega Master System, Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear.

It is not to be confused with the Super Nintendo Taz-Mania, which is a combative racing game with a different developer that was released the following year.

Plot

After being told by his father the tale of a lost valley, where there were giant seabirds that could laid eggs big enough that could feed Tazmanian devils for a year. Taz decides to go on a quest to find one of the giant eggs himself, on the prospect of potentially making the biggest omelet in the world!

Gameplay

Taz-Mania is 2D side scrolling platformer/adventure game, where players control the famous Tasmanian Devil across several different stages, including factories, an ice level, a mine and many more.

Taz can use his famous Spin to attack enemies and knock them out of the screen, travel faster and jump farther , he is also able to perform several actions as carrying objects to reach ledges, and even a fire breath attack. Taz can also eat many of the items found through the stages, some like chili peppers will give beneficial abilities like the aforementioned fire breath, while others like bombs will give the old Tasmanian Devil less pleasant effects.

The Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version was also one of the first to feature a tagged soundtrack, meaning that the music in the game would react to players actions, something that was considered innovative at the time.