SEGA GENESIS / MASTER SYSTEM

The console version of the game was released on the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, the SEGA Master System consoles. It was released on August 1990 in North America and Japan, as well as in Europe on January 1991. In this game, Michael Jackson has to rescue the children and defeat Mr. Big. The game is largely based on Michael Jackson’s music video of “Smooth Criminal“. The game’s levels and music were borrowed from the film (though many of the music tracks were taken from both Jackson’s Bad and Thriller albums as well) and the player has the ability to destroy enemies by making them dance. Jackson can become a robot by rescuing a certain child and then grabbing a comet that falls from the sky.

The gameplay is focused on finding children, all of whom resemble Katie from the movie, who are scattered throughout the levels, some behind objects such as doors. Most of the objects are either empty or contain enemies. Jackson’s standard attack is a stylized high kick that is commonly incorporated into his dance routines; in the Genesis version, Jackson’s attacks fire off blue sparks, giving him greater offensive range. If the player continues to hold the attack button, and moves Jackson backwards, he performs his Moonwalk dance move. Jackson also has a special attack button which, when held, will cause him to start spinning; releasing it will cause him to throw his hat at enemies, destroying them instantly, but if the button is held for longer, Jackson will bring all on-screen enemies together to start dancing to his music. Once the choreography is finished, all enemies are damaged or defeated. These special attacks cost Jackson some health, sapping up to half his full life bar at full charge. Rescuing children restores some of Jackson’s health. Once all children are rescued, Bubbles the chimpanzee will mount on Michael’s shoulders and point him in the direction of the level’s final confrontation, where Mr. Big taunts him before sending waves of enemies for Jackson to defeat (on the Master System version, Bubbles is absent, and the levels cut straight from the final child to the enemy rush).