Developer: Taito Publisher: Taito Release: 11/12/92 Genre: Action
I was a latecomer to New Zealand Story. Despite the massive number of ports I avoided the game for no other reason that I could. But once I gave the NES version (under the name Kiwi Kraze) a try I fell in love with the gameplay. While the numerous versions for the innumerable PC platforms varied in their quality one would expect the 16-bit platforms to fare better. But while the PC Engine edition is pretty good is Sega Genesis counterpart goes a different route. It is the same great game with some unique content that will be interesting even to fans of the other versions.
In the arcade New Zealand Story has many revisions, each with significant differences. Pretty much every major platform received some version of the game and they are all based on different versions of the arcade original. The Sega Genesis version is the most unique as it is based on the arcade prototype that was never released. This means the levels are vastly different from all other releases, which is both good and bad. If you are familiar with the other versions than this makes for a new experience. But the brutal difficulty may turn you away.
The goal in every stage is simple: navigate your way through each massive level to find one of your friends locked in a cage. Now that I think about it the later Cool Spot has this exact same premise. Aiding in this endeavor is an infinite supply of arrows. Although Tiki is a bird he cannot fly. Even worse in this version you cannot slow fall by flapping your wings. This is a huge loss as it was a last minute life saver. New Zealand Story was bit unique among platformers at the time as you can touch enemies with no consequence. Only projectiles can kill Tiki which gives the game a unique flavor.
Each level in New Zealand Story is a massive playground of tunnels and open fields. Even though your goal is simple finding the caged Kiwi is not. Like most of the home ports this version removes the mini-map that helped in navigating each stage. To get around each stage Tiki can hijack the numerous “vehicles” enemies ride on. Be it balloons, zeppelins, blimps, or UFOs, the game encourages you to hijack them at every turn. In fact they are often mandatory for progress. Yet despite this the game still finds ways to incorporate the precision platforming of a typical platformer. The early levels start simple but by the end become elaborate mazes of thin passages that are easy to get lost in. How they manage this despite being able to jump through most walls and platforms is brilliant.
Unfortunately the Sega game has less content than the other versions. There are only thirteen levels compared to the twenty in every home port. This is due to being based on the prototype rather than the world release. The first half of the game features completely new levels that are larger than the original stages. Seriously the maps are three times bigger and more elaborate! They also pack them full of harder enemies that do not usually show up until later. The second is remixes of world 3 and 5 and completely omits world 4. While the “new” content makes this version unique it is insanely hard and the game was already difficult to begin with.
New Zealand Story was always a tough one and the Genesis game is a step above. Enemies are more aggressive from the start and will actively swarm and hunt you down. The harder enemies in the arcade game show up earlier as well. The collision detection is not great; I had many instances where I clearly leaped over spikes yet still died. The physics for the vehicles is also frustrating. If you slightly graze a wall you will bounce around and regaining control is a hassle. For a game with such a tight timer I ran afoul of the grim reaper many times because of these problems. If the balance were better this could have been one of the definitive editions of the game even with less content. As it is this one is for experts only.
In Closing
The Genesis version of New Zealand Story is one of the better ports despite the missing content and a fun game overall. It is as hard as Ghouls ‘n Ghosts despite its cute exterior yet I found myself coming back for more. First on the NES, then on the DS, and now on the Genesis, I like this game in all its forms and recommend it.
