Developer: Blue Sky Software Publisher: Sega Release: 10/24/95 Genre: Action
Sega of America was one of the most aggressive publishers of the 90s. In addition to localizing their Japanese titles they partnered with many development teams across Europe and the US both big and small to broaden their library. There were some brilliant teams in that bunch that are no longer with us like Clockwork Tortoise. But in my opinion one of the most important was Blue Sky Software. This versatile team created Shadowrun, both Jurassic Park titles, and World Series Baseball. They mastered the hardware and that was no more evident than with Vectorman. This awesome title is one of the system’s last big titles and a high note to go out on.
Mankind has finally done it. After years of pollution the Earth is an inhospitable mess. Humanity takes to the stars and leaves orbots to clean the planet while they are away. A supervisory robot named Raster is accidentally connected to a nuclear missile and his personality flips. Now calling himself Warhead Raster gains control of all robots and plans to destroy the humans when they return. Only lone robot named Vectorman escapes reconditioning due to being in space at the time. Vectorman is now humanity’s last hope to avoid war.
Vectorman is a hybrid title with equal parts platforming and action like Mega Man. He can fire orbs of light from his right arm and has a handy double jump. The game has a massive array of power-ups that fall in to a few categories. Orbs restore health or expand your life bar. Point multipliers increase your score and can stack. This is important as you gain extra lives at set thresholds and with the right combination can earn multiple lives at once. Weapons are temporary but powerful. The most frequent is the bolo gun but there is also a spread shot, and machine gun. Lastly there are various transformations that are usually used to access hidden areas of which there are many.
The level design emphasizes large open spaces with secrets everywhere. It has a lot in common with Turrican in that regard. But unlike that game the levels are never so large they are annoying. Many of the secrets require the various morph modes and it is generally worth your while to explore. The game has a lot of different items and encourages you to play around. The time limit is the only thing limiting your exploration. It is not perfect and there are flaws. The large sprites are impressive but also make platforming imprecise as you must rely on blind leaps of faith. The action is constant and enemy placement can be cheap. With explosions and particles flying left and right it is easy to get lost in the chaos. The game also slows down but that is expected; they are pushing the system farther than anyone thought possible.
It isn’t all straightforward platforming action. Every few levels the game will switch the viewpoint and mechanics for a creative boss battle. In my opinion these levels are where Vectorman stumbles. The fight against Metalhead is confusing as the viewpoint shifts and it is hard to tell what is going on. The battle can be over in seconds, whether you kill him first or more than likely you die instead. Rock ‘n’ Roller is frustrating as you wait for the ground to scroll allowing you to get in position to attack. Stayin’ Alive looks cool but is my least favorite. You get smacked around endlessly as you try to find a few spare seconds to mercifully end the level as fast as possible. Even though I do not like these stages they are few. I appreciate the attempt at adding variety even if I don’t like it.
There were many technically brilliant games toward the end of the 16-bit era and Vectorman is one of the best. The game uses pre-rendered graphics like Donkey Kong Country but excels in a different way through smart art choices. Most of the sprites are separate 3d balls moving in unison. This gives them a smooth look and fantastic animation. The designers work around the system’s limited color palette by setting the game on a ravaged Earth. This is one of the few titles that break the Genesis’ 64 color limit by using the system’s shadow/highlight mode. It moves from one fantastical set piece to the next and although it begins to repeat itself it is still impressive nonetheless.
It is the minute details that add up and make Vectorman look spectacular. Your shots illuminate your body and the environment in a convincing manner. They make extensive use of shadow and light in a manner not common in that generation. There is a generous amount of parallax scrolling and line scrolling that gives the backgrounds depth. The waterfall in day five composed of thousands of falling particles is mind boggling and never fails to impress. Not every environment is impressive but as a whole the developers knock it out of the park. And they grace the game with a great soundtrack to make it the total package.
In Closing
Vectorman is that rare title that marries technical finesse with solid gameplay. This is easily one of the top action games for the system. Although it did not receive the attention it deserved (a victim of timing) Sega have re-released it on so many platforms you have no excuse not to play this game somehow. You will not regret it.
“Vectorman is a hybrid title that combines the platforming of Mario and Donkey Kong with the action of Mega Man.”
But…Mega Man is HEAVY on platforming. The whole game has been summed up by Arin “Egoraptor” Hanson as “Jump ‘n Shoot Man” in his Mega Man Sequelitis video because it’s equal parts shooter and platformer.
For some reason I have always looked at Mega Man as action first even after all these decades despite the heavy platforming. To be honest even as I was writing this review that part stuck out but I kept it in, sometimes you need someone else to point it out.