Michael Jackson's Moonwalker is a game based on the Moonwalker video movie feature that was released in the arcades as well as for the Sega Genesis and Sega Master System. The home versions were especially well-noted for turning an entire music video into a workable videogame experience, featuring Michael Jackson's signature moves.
Gameplay[ | ]
Michael has to rescue the children, kidnapped by Mr. BIG, using Bubbles the chimp and his moonwalking and dancing (smartbomb) skills. The game's soundtrack features hits such as "Bad", "Smooth Criminal" and "Beat It".
Arcade Version:
During each round, Michael must fight off each and every one of Mr. BIG's henchmen as well as the deadly enemy machines by shooting them with his magical energy or by using his Dance Magic. Some enemies take only one shot to defeat but some of them take several shots to destroy. The longer you hold down on the fire button, the greater the amount of energy Michael can shoot. If Michael uses his Dance Magic, all the enemies on the screen will dance along with him and then they will all be eliminated. However, you are usually only given two Dance Magics at a time.
When you begin each game, you get three lives and one Dance Magic. Everytime Michael is hurt, the energy meter drops. If Michael runs out of energy, a life is lost. If you run out of lives the game ends, but continuous play is available.
During each round, as Michael fight off the enemies, he will find some of the children who are held captive. He must touch each of them in order to free them. Some children give Michael special items such as a Dance Magic or some extra life-energy. Michael has to rescue all children in each and every round.
Later in each round, Michael's pet chimpanzee Bubbles will be seen moving about and if he touches Bubbles, he will turn into a powerful robot called Moonwalker. After Michael has become Moonwalker, he will be able to shoot lasers and fire missiles. Michael must defeat every boss enemy at the end of each round in order to proceed to the next.
At the end of the fifth round, Michael must defeat Mr. BIG and his Death Machine. If Michael gets past this round, Mr. BIG's evil schemes will be crushed and he will be beaten. After that, Michael will turn himself into a spaceship and escape from the Evil Fortress as it explodes. Afterwards, the game ends.
Home Game Version:
Alternate Boxart
The home game versions used a standard side-scrolling platform-jumping approach rather than the isometric 3D view used in the arcade version. Here Michael looks for the kids in five different locales: the Club 30, the street, the woods, the cavern, and the enemy hideout. He contends with various dangers such as thugs, dogs, bombs hidden in cars, and zombies. One common weapon that Michael uses are his kicks, but he can also throw his hat around and use it like a boomerang. When there are more enemies onscreen than he can handle, Michael can invoke his "dance attack" move to get rid of them. After the search for kids, Michael confronts Mr. Big by turning into a giant robot and then into a jet airplane. mr big is a bad guy.
External links[ | ]
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