I may not have been a fan of most of Sega Technical Institute’s output but I can acknowledge that it went a long way toward broadening the system’s library. While Japan cranked out the hits STI created interesting titles alongside the main Sonic the Hedgehog games. Some were innovative like Comix Zone. Some were awful like the Ooze. And then there’s Greendog. This platformer is reminiscent of Pitfall but while it has the look it doesn’t have the gameplay. It’s a hard one to judge as there are aspects of it that are great but just as many that are bad. Where it falls will depend on the player.
Greendog has surfed the biggest waves around and is looking for a new challenge. After wiping out and landing in another world he is forced to find 6 Aztec treasures to remove the cursed necklace around his neck. Bummer.
If I had to sum up Greendog I would say it is the synthesis of everything someone thought was cool. Surf culture was huge in the 90s and Greendog embodies all of that. He surfs! He rollerblades! He can even bust some mean tricks on a skateboard! What more do you want? Tight gameplay. The controls are very loose like its gangly hero and while that isn’t the kiss of death it is annoying. The repetition also holds the game back
Greendog moves at its own leisurely pace, much like its laid-back protagonist. Your only means of attack is a frisbee that can be tossed at multiple angles. There are few other power-ups; clocks stop time, food restores health and points, and you can get some dual frisbee action going. It sounds barebones because it is. Truthfully there aren’t many enemies populating each level. This is a game with a square focus on platforming.
Each of Greendog’s six islands is split into two parts. You pilot a gyrocopter to each island in search of its ruins. The initial landing is usually the most fraught with peril and varied. From restless natives, a decrepit subway station, to the inside of a giant fish tank, the situations you end up in are many. While some of these environments are massive and nonlinear most are a straight path to the exit. Once you delve into the ruins things are kicked up a notch. The ruins present a different kind of challenge. These are more maze like in their construction, tasking you with activating switches and the like to progress. Sometimes you’ll hop on skateboard or rollerblades in a fast-paced forced scrolling sequence for a change of pace. A few even feature boss battles. For all of its content though the controls are a problem.
The best way to describe the controls is floaty. Greendog has no sense of weight and flails about in the air. Greendog is a large sprite which makes it hard to tell if you’ll land on a platform. You’ll frequently fall through platforms that it looks like you’ve clearly landed on which is aggravating. This is a problem a lot of American developed games back then faced and this is one of the worst. The game’s physics are also not tuned properly. Building momentum to perform jumps on skates and such always seems random. Unfortunately these issues come during the game’s most dangerous moments. In spite of these issues somehow Greendog remains compelling, probably because of its low difficulty.
Despite these frustrations Greendog is a surprisingly low stakes affair. It has its share of bottomless pits and spike traps but nothing excessive. Greendog can take a significant amount of punishment before death, although with so few enemies that is rare. Life restoring food is abundant; maybe too plentiful. This plays as though you have an overbearing parent standing over your shoulder at all times. Outside of the occasion pit you’ll rarely die. Most will appreciate the low stress environment but the game could have used some challenge aside from dealing with its sloppy controls.
In Closing
As I mentioned before, Greendog is hard to judge. The slippery controls are frustrating but not game breaking. The gameplay is solid but repetitive. For every good point there is a bad. For the few dollars it will cost you could find worse ways to kill an afternoon. Greendog is worth a purchase but ranks far down on the priority list.
