TaleSpin
System: TG-16
Release Date: July 1991
Developer: Radiance Software
Publisher: NEC
Genre: Action
Fly your way to adventure and treasure in TaleSpin! Let the opening theme take you back to a simpler time. Baloo the Bear and his sidekick Kit Cloudkicker have been lured to a new quest by King Louie himself. The power of the universe could be at your fingertips, but you must find a stone map in order to unlock the way. Can you survive the seven different locales you’ll have to visit in order to meet your goal?
You can choose which of the first four levels to play. You’re given a bonus objective of collecting a certain amount of a certain item from the show’s cast of characters. This is a side scrolling platformer and you’ll immediately be disappointed by Baloo’s sluggish reaction to your button presses. Basically, you need to front load your jumps or risk missing them. This is especially bad when you’re over water, because that’s an instant death. Baloo has a life gauge that rapidly depletes when you get hit. And you will get hit, because enemies often pop on screen and get an attack off before you can do anything about it. Your hit box is also bigger than your sprite, so you’ll get hit when you really shouldn’t be.
Levels have their gimmicks to them. The jungle has multiple paths for you to take. Underwater brings in a lot of swimming enemies that are all around the screen. Thembria is covered in ice and snow and is slippery as you’d expect. The Aerodrome is full of enemies working for Shere Khan. At the end of the stages, you get to do a bonus stage where Kit glides behind the plane and you collect points and an extra continue if you’re precise.
Baloo is sometimes equipped with weapons that you throw with Button II. The coconuts, snow balls, and water spray are weak and don’t work against all enemies. The air pirates show up and want the map, which takes you into a side scrolling shoot ‘em up stage that frustrated the hell out of me, because the Sea Duck is difficult to maneuver around the screen. When you take control of Kit, he doesn’t come with any defense, you must avoid enemies, but at least you can glide by holding up while in the air. This makes collecting the map pieces a lot easier.
You’re given three lives and three continues, but this is not enough to make it to the end. Luckily, there is a code to give you 42 continues, which I totally used and totally used a bunch of. There are bosses at the end of the stages. As you may expect, they have patterns that you have to learn, but once you do, they’re a pushover. It took me a bit to figure out Colonel Spiggot, but Shere Khan was simple. The final fight against Don Carnage requires a bit of jumping and a lot of rapid fire attacks, but beating him unlocks the treasure you were looking for.
Graphics: 2.5
The sprites look nice, though the animations are a bit stilted. Everything’s colorful enough for me.
Sound: 1.5
The music and sound effects are pretty uninspired overall, but there’s variety.
Gameplay: 1.0
The platforming is really bad and Baloo’s weapons are weak.
Difficulty: 1.5
Levels are short, but 3 continues really aren’t enough. With 42 continues, the game just requires perseverance.
Fun Factor: 1.0
You’ve got your pick of platformers out there and this should not be the one you choose.
Overall Rating: 1.5
TaleSpin earns a C-. This is on the back of graphical fidelity, so don’t be fooled. This is another one of Baloo’s get rich quick failures.