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Fantasia Sega Mega Drive Genesis

Fantasia Sega Mega Drive Genesis

A Week With... Fantasia

The most exciting title screen in the history of video games Ever.

Year Released: 1991
Developer: Infogrames/Sega
System Featured: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Also available on: Nothing
Now available on: Nothing

Last year, I spent a week playing The Terminator on the Sega Mega Drive, and each day of that week, I wrote down my thoughts and opinions about the game. Ive decided to revisit this idea, this time plumping for a game that many wouldnt even consider playing for ten minutes, let alone a week. That game is Fantasia, a game released back in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. In an era of amazing Disney-licensed games (Castle of Illusion, Quackshot, World of Illusion, Aladdin), Fantasia is the one that seemed to get released without any product-testing beforehand. Rumour has it that it was actually withdrawn from sale a few months after its release, although, apart from reading this in an issue of Mean Machines once upon a time, Ive never read anything else to confirm this. Fantasia is widely regarded as being a massive failure, the dark sheep in the Mega Drives flock of fantastic Disney tie-ins. But, its a game that I actually remember with a certain level of fondness, and so Ive decided to see if I can rekindle some of this love for it.

But before I get on with my first days report, heres a bit of a back story. Back in the late 1980s, I received a Sega Master System for Christmas. Although it never worked properly due to having a faulty power button, I still loved it. In 1990, I upgraded to a Sega Mega Drive and it wasnt long until I discovered the wonders of Castle of Illusion, a game which remains one of my favourites even today. I read in a magazine that Mickey Mouse would be returning in a follow-up. That follow-up would be Fantasia, and preview screenshots looked fantastic. More than likely, as I was only 12 at the time, I drooled at the images in my magazine. It wasnt until the following year that Gladiators started and I discovered the joys of gazing at delights such as Jet, and realised that there was something more beautiful in life than video games. Anyway, I believe that Fantasia came out in the summer of 1991, shortly after Sonic the Hedgehog. To raise funds to purchase both Sonic and Fantasia, I traded in my faulty Master System and its games. As I recall, Sonic was released first, and it kept me entertained for many days of my summer holiday that year. Fantasia was released probably around August time, and I think I picked it up on its release day, even before Id seen reviews of it in magazines. I didnt believe that there was any way the game could be bad.

 ?

This part of the games last stages is about as far as I managed to get back in the early 1990s

I got Fantasia home, popped it into my Mega Drive, and readied myself for some platforming perfection. It didnt take me long to realise that something had gone incredibly wrong and that Fantasia just wasnt the game I expected it to be. Still, back then, when youd spent �40 on a game, you had to make sure you got your moneys worth, and I persevered with the game. I got used to the games controls, its dodgy collision detection, and began to figure out where I could find the notes required to complete the games gigantic levels. And, I actually grew to tolerate it, even enjoy it, and have some fond memories of it. Not because it was a good game, but because it was a game that I dedicated so much time to. I wasnt going to let it beat me, and I was so used to the games quirks that they didnt bother me anymore. I never did complete it, although I believe I came within inches of doing so, and from what I gather, the ending wasnt worth it anyway.

So, here we are in 2012, 21 years after I first played the game, probably 20 years after I last played it (I ended up swapping it for ToeJam and Earl a year or two after getting it), and its time to see if I can grow to enjoy Fantasia again. And heres my experience from Day One.

Day One: Sunday 1st April 2012
Mickey Mouse, AKA The Sorcerers Apprentice, is on a mission to locate musical notes that have been stolen by an evil wind while he slept. No musical notes, no music. His adventure will take him through many of the scenes of Walt Disneys animated spectacle, Fantasia. And its many characters. And it all takes place as a dream. And thats the plot.

The aim of the entire game is written in these four lines

This is pretty much the plot Ive put together from the text on the back of the games box and the text in the intro to the game. An intro that lasts all of 10 seconds. The intro features a harsh-sounding rendition of Toccata and Fugue in D minor, which begins the games theme of using classical music for its soundtrack. After the short introduction, a rather uninspiring title screen pops up, and then a demo begins if you wait long enough. Like Castle of Illusion, before you start the game, you are taken to the games options screen. You have the option of setting the game to Very Hard (listed on the options screen as "Easy"), Ridiculously Hard (Normal) and Impossibly Hard (Hard). You can also change the number of lives that Mickey has, which are known as dreams in this game. It is set at 3, although you can only decrease them, if you feel man enough. You can also decrease the number of continues, again set as default at the maximum of 3. You can also change what button does what. As the default, A is the button for a little spell, B is for a big spell, and C makes Mickey jump.... eventually.

Options! Options! Get yer options ere!!!

Mickey is pondering whether to walk slowly, turn slowly or jump slowly.

And then its onto the game. Level One begins in the Sorcerers workshop, and sees Mickey quickly coming against an onslaught of foes which take the form of dancing toadstools, buckets and brooms, and cauldrons. And in the background is a horrible rendition of The Sorcerers Apprentice tune which sounds like the Mega Drives audio chip is thumping to get out of the console so that it doesnt get abused any more. Still, the graphics on this stage are actually quite good, with some nice foreground parallax scrolling, which sometimes obscures the action, but thats more than likely the reason its there.

Enemies! Enemies! Get yer enemies ere!

It doesnt take long to realise why this game is so widely derided. The controls are awful. Youd expect that a character in a platform game will respond immediately to your commands. But, in Fantasia, Mickey Mouse has a certain sluggishness about him. There isnt a delay in reacting to your commands, but there is definitely a short "build-up" to Mickey fully complying with whatever action youre wanting him to do. This is most noticeable when jumping or changing direction. When jumping, its as if Mickey has some chewing gum stuck to his feet, and when changing direction, rather than just instantly switching to face the opposite way, the game features a quick animation of Mickey turning. Impressive as it may be, it just doesnt suit the type of game. In a game like Flashback, it works, but in Fantasia, its not good. The problem with Fantasia is that each level is ramjammed with enemies. Take a look at the pictures to the left for example. Or the picture below.

Reminds me of a dream I had once. Unicorns, blue cupids and windy heads.

Now, if youre a platforming fanatic, youll probably get moist in your pants on seeing the challenge that these screenshots present, the opportunity to wipe out all of the nasties scattered around them. And it could be quite fun if Mickey controlled well. But, as he doesnt, it isnt that much fun at all. Exacerbating things even more is Mickeys method of attack. He defeats enemies by landing on their heads. However, this isnt a Mario-style head-landing, where you need to do little more than just land on top of the enemy. It isnt even a Castle of Illusion bottom bounce, where you simply press the jump button a second time to ensure that Mickeys ass comes into contact with your enemys head. Nope, in Fantasia, you have to push down. This doesnt sound too bad, but carrying it out in the game just doesnt feel right. Another problem is that you need to land at least twice on each enemy to get rid of them (unless you play on easy, but thats cheating). This means that to defeat them, you have to hang around to complete the second attack. As there are so many enemies around, and they seem to just come at you endlessly, there is little point in attempting to clear the screen of as many as you can. So instead, you just kind of use the enemies as platforms, and bounce on them throughout the game. Mickey can also destroy enemies by casting spells. You pick up "spell points" by collecting gigantic spell books that fly through the levels. A small spell costs 1 point, and appears completely useless when casting them at an enemy. I can appreciate that 1 spell point might not destroy an enemy, so a second is required, but the first spell could at least stop the enemy in its tracks or force it back a little (thus readying you to leap on its head), or even just show that its taken a hit. Instead. once youve cast a spell at them, they just carry on coming at you. with no visible sign that youve caused any damage to them. So, you end up using big spells, which cost 3 points. These do usually have the desired effect, but as picking up spell points is quite rare, you tend only to use them as a last resort, instead keeping to the strategy of bouncing through the levels. Argh! So frustrating!!

Camoflauged somewhere here is a frog. Fortunately, Mickey has just collected a note and is invicible, for about 2 seconds.

Underwater shenanigans ahoy!

Anyway, that paragraph was a little longer than I expected it to be, but I thought Id explain in depth exactly what I think is wrong with how the game controls. Getting back to the game, and after a bit of practice, I eventually got to the doorway at the end of the Sorcerers workshop. After which, its time to pop outside, and hop across lily pads, crocodile heads, seagulls and erratic platforms. Like the first, this level has nice graphics with a soundtrack that doesnt sound quite as horrible as the first, but is still not pleasing to the ears. Its basically a softer version of the theme from the first level. There are a couple of portals in the level which take you underwater. To be fair, Mickey doesnt control too badly underwater, apart from if you try to turn, in which case he suddenly loses his buoyancy, and if you get hit by an enemy, theres little chance youll recover and youll end up bumping into every other enemy you come across. Underwater, Mickey can collect pearls. What for? The idea of the game is to collect notes. But, I can only find one note in the entire first level, yet when I get to the end of it, Ive apparently found four. Maybe the pearls double as notes. Ill come onto the note-collecting a little later. But first, lets get erratic.

As mentioned above, Fantasias levels are full of enemies. Something else it has its fair share of is moving platforms. Although the enemies and platforms have their own individual patterns, they are never the same as any enemy or platform of the same breed. And their patterns of movement appear to be quite erratic. Some enemies will move slowly, and then suddenly speed up. Or theyll jump a little bit, and then jump a bit higher. Or theyll hover over your head, and then suddenly fly at you, for no reason at all. Or theyll just move in one direction, and then decide to change direction. And the platforms; rather than just gliding smoothly in the gravity-defying way that platforms in video games tend to do, they also move slowly, and then speed up, and then move slowly again. Or theyll stop moving as soon as you step on it. Or motionless ones will start moving. Or theyll just drop to the ground. Or youll step on one and something else unrelated will take place on the screen. Theres no logic to which platform does what. You just have to memorise their movements for when you replay the level. The only way of getting through the levels without doing this is just to keep jumping through them. Again, its like having to bounce your way through the level on the heads of your enemies. Its more a case of getting through the levels rather than playing the levels. And of course, the games bad controls makes doing this even more difficult.

Scattered sparcely through the levels are stars which allow you to replenish some of your energy. However, keeping with the theme of everything being put into the game just to annoy you, the stars have a habit of moving just as youre about to collect them. And then suddenly changing direction. You probably lose more energy trying to collect a star than you would have if youd have just left it. And, what how much energy do the stars give you? Some give you 1 energy point, some 2 and some 3. Which does what? Theres no way of telling. Bizarre!

The treasure chest of doom! Or endless repeating of the same level! Avoid!

So, when youve reached the end of the lily pad level, youre back in the Sorcerers workshop for more of the same. Theres a bonus level to be found in a doorway on this level, which gives you an opportunity to collect some magic and stars. And have a breather. When youve collected them all, or come into contact with an enemy, you return to the normal game, and eventually come to the door to the end of the level. But no, this isnt the door to the end of the level. It looks like one, just like the door at the end of the first version of the same level. But, going into it takes you back to the lily pad level. Grrrr!! No, you didnt want that door - you wanted an identical door a bit further along the level. You should have known that. Dumbass! So, back in the lily pad level, seeing as thats where we are now, theres another opportunity to collect the note from it. Theres also a point in this level where you think youve discovered a secret location (by jumping into an open box of treasure) only to find that its actually taken you to a point a bit further back on the same level. Yep, youll discover this "secret" once, and then remember to tell yourself never ever go into it again. Logical? No. Frustrating and pointless? Yes.

Eventually I got to the end of the second Sorcerers workshop, and went through the correct door to meet the conductor waiting for his musical notes. And I handed him four notes, that Id somehow found, although I only recall finding one, or maybe two if we count the one from repeating the lily pad level. But, this isnt enough. The conductor wants more! So, he sends me right back to the beginning again, to find more notes for him! And this is when I realise why you may need to keep jumping into that treasure box - to repeat the same section of the game and keep getting the same one note. After doing this a few times, and sometimes - accidentally - going for a swim in the underwater stage, I returned to the conductor, to find I now have loads of notes to give him. Quite where I found all of these notes, I have no idea. I also have no idea how many notes the conductor actually needs to let me through to the next stage. But it seems that he has enough, and Im on my way to the next stage.

My! What a big foot you have!

The following stage is a prehistoric-themed level, with dinosaurs flying over your head, or just randomly swooshing down to take it off (this is what happens when Mickey waves his Greggs steak bake around). There are giant dinosaur feet to walk under, or jump over, or just to walk through and deduct some of your energy. And there appear to be a number of bonus levels, or sub levels, or whatever. One of them has fireballs flying around, with you having no hope of ever avoiding them. It also appears to have platforms that are invisible and only appear when you successfully land on them. I didnt last long on this level. The other sub level isnt quite as dangerous, but is still a nightmare. But it seems to contain quite a few notes, so its worth playing through, just to build up your collection. This is pretty much as far as I got on Day 1. Part way through Dinosaur Kingdom, or Dino World, or Jurassic Park, or wherever it is. I would say something about the music on this level, but I think Ill save it until tomorrow.

DAY 2: Monday 2nd April 2012
So, day two of my week of hell. Okay, its not quite up there with the one John Bishop did recently for Sport Relief, but its not going to be easy to get through. Yep, its time for more fun and frustration with Fantasia. Despite the game obviously winding me up yesterday, theres something about it that has drawn me back to it. Instead of a feeling of dread at having to tackle the game again for a second day, Ive actually been looking fotward to it.

Im not really sure why this is. Maybe Im a crazy sadist. Or maybe its because, now Ive finally got the hang of the games horrible controls, and am starting to make sense of all of the illogical stuff thats been put into the game with no other purpose but to annoy the crap out of me, I feel that its a game I want to master. I think, deep down, there is a good game hidden there. Deep deep down, that is. However, although frustrating and unfair games usually piss me off and I give up with them, I feel that I want to take Fantasia on. Im not sure if Im trying to prove a point to the games developers that no matter how hard you try to make a game as absurd and unplayable as you possibly can, its not going to beat me. Or maybe Im trying to prove to myself that, seeing as I was able to get quite far into the game when I was young, I should still be able to do it now. And Im not going to rest until I better my younger self. Yes, my week with Fantasia is a challenge, not a game.

Despite being the main attraction, Mickey still has to do battle with crocodiles and seagulls before he can gain entrance to DisneyWorld.

So, how did day two go? I managed to get slightly further than yesterday. I whizzed through the first level, even without accidentally sending myself to previous parts of the same level. Somehow, even though Im sure I didnt locate any extra notes to the previous day, I managed to collect the required number to let me through to the second level. Just to clarify level ones level structure, it goes a little like this:

1) Sorcerers Workshop stage
2) Lily pad stage, containing two underwater sub-levels, plus one secret passage to a previous part of this stage
3) Sorcerers Workshop part two, which contains two bonus levels, one located in a clearly-marked doorway, the other as a random part of the background graphics. This stage also contains a doorway taking you back to the lily pad level.

There be bonuses in that there door, there be.

Level two takes place in Prehistoric times. It is just one level, with prehistoric birds attacking you at random, and features three sub levels. Like level one, this is another bitch of a level, and some of the sub levels are just plain evil. The first appears to take place in a cave and is where you can find a number of musical notes. There are some drops where you have to take a hit on your energy. This is one of the several frustrating elements of the game. Whereas in other games, you only lose energy when you make a mistake, in Fantasia, its actually necessary for you to lose energy just to progress. This seems to take something away from the games, I dont know, integrity. That might be the word. Basically, it feels like it is cheating you out of energy. Whether youre a good gamer or not, theres no way to complete the game without deliberately having to take an energy hit just to get over a certain point. The good thing about this level is that, as there are a number of musical notes, and a couple of stars, you can also replenish your energy quite easily and gain some lives (a musical note awards 3 energy points & 1 life - you can have a maximum of 9 of both). And also, when you leave the level, you can re-enter it, to collect even more notes. This may be a good way of completing level two, as the other two sub levels are nasty. As you can only enter sub-levels by touching fairies (ahem!), you can avoid entering them by avoiding the fairies, instead just repeat the easiest one over and over again until you think you have enough notes to satisfy the conductor at the end of the level. If you do decide to tackle the sub levels, the second takes place in a room where balls of fire woosh around your head. Logically, you can bounce your way through this level, and hope you have enough energy to take the collisions that you will most definitely have in it. The reward for this level? Two stars! Two pissing stars! All they give you is one energy point each. I used up 8 to get through the level. The final sub level in level two appears to take place in a desert, with background music that sounds nothing like it came out of Fantasia - the movie. There are cactus legs walking across the ground, prehistoric birds randomly crapping stuff on you, or swooping down at your steak bake, and some highly annoying insects. No matter how calmly I approached this level, with the intention to take my time and time my attacks, I always ended up almost throwing my control pad at the cat in frustration. I dont think I came too far to the end of the level, but I didnt complete it. Argh! So, thats how far I got today. Still on level two, but a little further than yesterday.

The first of level twos sub levels. Balls!

Another of level twos sub levels. Fireballs!

The third of of levels twos sub levels. And a cactus leg is about to creep up on Mickey.

Something I will add before I sign off is that the music on level two is once again horrible. Its a rendition of Igor Stravinskys Rite of Spring. However, listening to it with earphones reveals that, very faintly, there is some attempt at putting together something melodic and making it a bit special, a very quiet symphony in the background. However, the part of the tune that dominates throughout the level sounds like its being farted out of the backside of one of the prehistoric lizards that feature in this level.

DAY 3: Tuesday 3rd April 2012
Today, I made quite a lot of progress in the game. In fact, I very nearly completed it, and think I even got further than I ever managed to get when I played the game all of those years ago. And, reluctantly, I have to admit that I kind of enjoyed it.

Once again, I got through level one, collecting 6 notes, somehow. I suppose I kind of cheated my way through the prehisteria of level two. Or it feels a bit like I cheated. I repeated the first sub level a couple of times to build up my note collection, and skipped entering the other two sub-levels (yep, it is possible to skip these just by not walking into the fairy that causes you to enter them). I actually did this purely to find out how large level two actually is, but found that the end comes quite soon after the third sub level. I left the level, and found the Id actually got enough notes to complete it, so I went onto level three.

The end of level two. Not sure where I managed to find all of those notes, but Im not complaining.

A spot of island hopping here. And another bonus level.

After the violence of jurassic earth, level three is much lighter in theme and style. Apparently each of the games four levels are based on the elements. Level one is based on water, hence the mop and bucket people walking around, as well as the lily pad level and its underwater sub levels. Level two is based on earth, and uses prehistoric Earth as its theme. Level three is based on air, and feels suitably airy-fairy, with dancing flamingoes and hippos and trees and all of that kind of stuff. The background music on this stage and its sub levels is a selection of familiar classics, although, once again, arent the most pleasant of renditions. What makes this level stand out from the rest is the fact that it scrolls vertically (upwards or downwards). For this, youll be required to bounce upwards on the heads of enemies, although there are some clouds - with typical erratic movements - to assist. As enemies still insist on moving seemingly randomly, there are occasions when you accidentally jump into them, just because their movement pattern isnt easy to predict. That said, it isnt really that difficult to progress through this stage, and you might think that youve contributed some well-honed gaming skills to doing so, whereas in fact its actually more

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