The Mask (video game)

Last updated
The Mask
TheMaskJPBoxShotSNES.jpg
North American cover art
Developer(s) Black Pearl Software [1]
Publisher(s)
Designer(s) Matthew Harmon
Todd Tomlinson
Dan Burke
Programmer(s) Matthew C. Harmon
Composer(s) Phil Crescenzo
Platform(s) Super NES
Release
  • NA: October 1995 [1]
  • EU: October 26, 1995
  • JP: December 27, 1996
Genre(s) 2D action platformer
Mode(s) Single-player

The Mask is a 1995 side-scrolling action video game created by American studio Black Pearl Software for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System which is based on the film of the same name. The film, in turn, was loosely based on the Dark Horse comic book series of the same name. [2]

Contents

The game received moderately positive reviews from critics, who were particularly pleased with its faithful recreation of the humor and visual style of the film, while criticizing the level design and difficulty.

Story

Dorian Tyrell and his gang of rogues are secretly planning to take over Edge City, a small and prosperous city where the nightlife revolves around the wealthy patrons who attend the nightclub that Dorian owns and operates for the benefit of himself and his henchmen. [3] Stanley Ipkiss, a mild mannered bank clerk who is unlucky and bullied transforms into the namesake character after discovering a green Loki mask. The Mask and Stanley must stop Dorian Tyrell and his plan, and save Tina Carlyle the woman that they both love. [2]

Gameplay

The Mask uses his huge "living" horn to defeat one of the enemies in the game. TheMaskSNESLoudHornPic.jpg
The Mask uses his huge "living" horn to defeat one of the enemies in the game.

The player has to navigate through Ipkiss' apartment, a high-rent district, outside and inside the bank, the local park, inside the local prison (complete with enemies wearing stereotypical striped prison uniforms), and finally through a ritzy nightclub to fight his evil nemesis, Dorian (who is also wearing the mask). [2] All the major bosses in the game resemble characters from the film like Mrs. Peenman, the angry landlady, along with careless repairmen Irv and Burt Ripley, who repaired Ipkiss' vehicle. [4]

If the player runs out of health, then he returns to being Ipkiss, wearing his pajamas. Many of The Mask's moves featured in the game were based on scenes in the movie, such as the mallet (in which he uses to smash the alarm clock from the first movie), the tornado, the massive guns he pulls from his pocket during the final confrontation during the first movie, and the huge "living" horn. [2] It also features other moves, such as a sneaking move which makes The Mask invisible (his enemies do not see him), a dash move (as well as a "superdash" move where he runs at supersonic speed), and his primary attack which is a basic punch move with cartoon boxing gloves. Many of those special moves (the mallet, guns, horn, etc.) use The Mask's "Morph" power, which are replenished by power-ups. If his morph meter runs out it slowly replenishes to a smaller amount than that he started out with, much like the ammo replenishes for the main gun in Earthworm Jim .

The ending of the video game involves dancing with a 16-bit representation of Cameron Diaz accompanied by big band music. [5] Cameron Diaz's breakthrough role was as Tina Carlyle (Dorian Tyrell's girlfriend) in the actual film.

Development

Though the game is ostensibly based on the movie, the graphics were based on the cartoony style of the comic book rather than the movie. [6] The game took longer to develop than anticipated, not being released until over a year after the movie's theatrical release. [7]

The beta version of The Mask played more like a beat 'em up rather than a side-scrolling action game. Damage in the beta version came in a series of expressions, similar to the various faces used in the 1993 first-person shooter Doom . Different backgrounds were placed in the incomplete version that were scrapped in the retail version. Violent-looking attacks like a projectile-firing gun and a karate-style low kick were deleted from the final version. [8]

A version of the game was also in development for the Sega Genesis but was canceled. [9] According to a spokesperson, due to the Super NES version taking longer than expected, the Genesis version would not have been completed until two years after the film appeared in theaters, too late to significantly benefit from the license, and was cancelled because of this. [7]

In one speedrun of the game, designer Matt Harmon said that a carnival-themed level was scrapped from the game. [10] In the stage select screen, there exists an unused level called "Wild Ride", and it is possible that this is that level.

Reception

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the variety of abilities, the faithfulness to the humor and style of the source material, and the graphics, especially the animation, while criticizing the levels as overly large, to the point of being repetitious and easy to get lost in. [11] GamePro similarly applauded the game for its heavy use of characters and visual gags from the film, as well as the Mask's many abilities, but said that the graphics of enemies and backgrounds "are closer to '93 standards than '95 potential." They summarized that "Carrey's wild character is still fresh, and solid gameplay makes this lightweight adventure a fun trip." [23] A reviewer for Next Generation was most enthusiastic about the fluid, cartoonish animation and the secret ways of using the backgrounds to move around the level. He was more forgiving of the level design than EGM, commenting that "while the level mazes are, at times, too convoluted for their own good, they're certainly inventive." He gave it three out of five stars, concluding that "The title could have used some difficulty tweaking, and it lacks any sort of save or continue feature, but overall it's a solid, enjoyable surprise." [16]

Related Research Articles

<i>Earthworm Jim</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Earthworm Jim is a 1994 run and gun platform game developed by Shiny Entertainment, featuring an earthworm named Jim, who wears a robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The game was released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, before being subsequently ported to a number of other video game consoles.

<i>Donkey Kong Land</i> 1995 video game

Donkey Kong Land is a 1995 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It condenses the side-scrolling gameplay of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country (1994) for the handheld Game Boy with different level design and boss fights. The player controls the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong as they defeat enemies and collect items across 30 levels to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile King K. Rool.

<i>Earthworm Jim 2</i> 1995 video game

Earthworm Jim 2 is a 1995 run and gun platform video game and the sequel to Earthworm Jim, and the second and final game in the Earthworm Jim series developed by original creators Doug TenNapel, David Perry and Shiny Entertainment. It was released in late 1995 and early 1996 depending on region and video game console, initially being released for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, before being ported to other platforms.

<i>Revolution X</i> 1994 video game

Revolution X is a shooting gallery video game developed by Midway and released in arcades in 1994. The gameplay is similar to Midway's earlier Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but is themed around the band Aerosmith. The oppressive New Order Nation regime and their leader Helga have abducted Aerosmith, and players use a mounted gun to control onscreen crosshairs and shoot enemies. The members of Aerosmith are hidden throughout the game's international locales and must be found in order to receive the game's true ending.

<i>The Mask</i> (1994 film) Film by Chuck Russell

The Mask is a 1994 American superhero comedy film directed by Chuck Russell and produced by Bob Engelman from a screenplay by Mike Werb and a story by Michael Fallon and Mark Verheiden. It is the first installment in the Mask franchise, based on the comic book series of the same name published by Dark Horse Comics. It stars Jim Carrey in the title role along with Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, and Cameron Diaz in her film debut. Carrey plays Stanley Ipkiss, an ordinary man who finds a magical wooden mask that transforms him into the titular green-faced troublemaker that has the ability to cartoonishly alter himself and his surroundings at will. Filming began on August 30, 1993, and concluded in October 1993.

<i>Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City</i> 1994 side-scrolling action video game

Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City is a side-scrolling action video game developed by Electronic Arts and published by Ocean for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in North America on November 21, 1994 and in Europe on March 11, 1995. A Sega Genesis version was planned, but never released.

<i>Corpse Killer</i> 1994 video game

Corpse Killer is a horror-themed rail shooter developed and published by Digital Pictures for the Sega CD, Sega CD 32X, 3DO, Sega Saturn, Windows 95 and Macintosh computers. An interactive variation on the zombie film genre, it utilizes live-action full motion video in a format similar to other games developed by Digital Pictures. Reviews for the game were mixed, generally criticizing the repetitive gameplay and low video quality, though many reviewers enjoyed the campy nature of the cutscenes. Corpse Killer was the first CD game released for the Sega 32X. It was later remastered for Steam, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

<i>Terminator 2: Judgment Day</i> (arcade game) 1991 video game

Terminator 2: Judgment Day or T2 is a light gun shooter based on the film of the same name, produced by Midway Manufacturing Company as an arcade video game in 1991. Developed in tandem with the movie, several actors from the film reprise their roles for the game and are featured as part of the game's photorealistic digitized graphics. The game's plot largely follows that of the film, casting up to two players as the T-800 "terminator" cyborg from the film, sent back in time to protect John Connor from assassination by the T-1000 terminator. A success in arcades, home conversions of the game were released by Acclaim Entertainment for various platforms under the title of T2: The Arcade Game to avoid confusion with the numerous tie-in games also based on the movie.

<i>Mickey Mania</i> 1994 video game

Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse is a 1994 platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Sony Imagesoft for the Super NES, Sega Genesis and Sega CD. In the game, the player controls Mickey Mouse, who must navigate through various side-scrolling levels, each designed and based on classical Mickey Mouse cartoons. The game was later released on the PlayStation in 1996 as Mickey's Wild Adventure in PAL regions by Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Imagesoft's successor. A second game, Mickey Mania 2, was intended to be released, but was cancelled due to Traveller's Tales focusing on other games.

<i>The Jungle Book</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Disney's The Jungle Book is a series of platform video games based on the 1967 Disney animated film of the same name. The game was released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1994 for the Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and MS-DOS. While gameplay is the same on all versions, technological differences between the systems forced changes – in some case drastic – in level design, resulting in six fairly different versions of the 'same' game. This article is largely based upon the Genesis version.

<i>The Lion King</i> (video game) 1994 video game

The Lion King is a platform game based on Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King. The game was developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for the Super NES and Genesis in 1994, and was ported to MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Gear, Master System, and Nintendo Entertainment System. The Amiga, Master System, and NES versions were only released in the PAL region. It is the final licensed NES game worldwide. The game follows Simba's journey from a young cub to the battle with his uncle Scar as an adult.

<i>Tin Star</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Tin Star is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Software Creations and released by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in North America in November 1994. Starring anthropomorphic robot characters, it follows a seven-day adventure of the titular sheriff who fights the criminal Bad Oil Gang from taking over the town of East Driftwood.

<i>Alien 3</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Alien 3 is a run and gun game based on the 1992 film of the same name. It was released for the Genesis and Amiga in 1992, then for the Commodore 64, Game Boy, Game Gear, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Master System.

<i>Batman Forever</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Batman Forever is a beat 'em up video game based on the film of the same name. Though released by the same publisher at roughly the same time, it is an entirely different game from Batman Forever: The Arcade Game. The game was followed by Batman & Robin in 1998.

<i>Demolition Man</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Demolition Man is a pair of action video games based on the film of the same name. Acclaim Entertainment published the 16-bit version, which features run and gun gameplay, for the Super NES, Sega Genesis and Sega CD. Virgin Interactive released a completely different game for the 3DO that combined several distinct gameplay styles. In both games, the player controls John Spartan, the main character from the film, as he attempts to find and defeat his nemesis, Simon Phoenix.

<i>Waterworld</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Waterworld is a series of video games released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Virtual Boy, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy, based on the film of the same name, along with unpublished versions for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar, 3DO and PlayStation. These games were produced by Ocean Software. The SNES and Game Boy games were released only in Europe in 1995 and the Virtual Boy game was released exclusively in North America in November 1995. It was released for PC in 1997. The game received widespread negative reviews and the version released for the Virtual Boy is generally considered to be the worst game of its 22 releases.

<i>The Pagemaster</i> (video game) 1994 video game

The Pagemaster is a platform game released in conjunction with the 1994 film The Pagemaster for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis. It was developed by Probe Software, published by Fox Interactive and distributed by FoxVideo.

<i>True Lies</i> (video game) 1994 video game

True Lies is a top-view run and gun video game based on the 1994 film True Lies. The game was developed by Beam Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment. Four different versions of the game were released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, and Game Boy. The home versions and portable versions are drastically different from each other, but have similar play mechanics.

<i>Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues</i> 1994 video game

Jurassic Park 2: The Chaos Continues is a 1994 video game and a non-canonical continuation of the Jurassic Park series, developed and published by Ocean Software for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is a sequel to the SNES game Jurassic Park.

<i>Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures</i> 1994 video game

Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures is a 1994 platform video game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a video game adaptation of the Indiana Jones films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). The game was developed by Factor 5 and published by JVC Musical Industries. The story is told through cutscenes and text and is mostly faithful to the movies. Its release coincided with that of Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, also released by JVC and LucasArts and in the same platform style as the Super Star Wars trilogy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Release date". GameFAQs . Retrieved 2008-09-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Game information". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  3. ↑ "Story of The Mask video game" (in Japanese). Netsurf. Archived from the original on 2014-05-17. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
  4. ↑ "Major enemies of The Mask video game". Ain't it Cool News. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  5. ↑ "Description of the game's ending". Video Game Museum. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  6. ↑ "The Mask". GamePro . No. 72. IDG. September 1994. pp. 52–53.
  7. 1 2 "Cart Queries". GamePro . No. 89. IDG. February 1996. p. 13.
  8. ↑ "Description of the beta version". Unseen 64. 10 October 2010. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
  9. ↑ Interview: Matt Harmon Sega-16. Retrieved on 8-26-13.
  10. ↑ The Mask SNES :: Live SPEED RUN (09:22) (Hard) by Mr K #AGDQ 2014 on YouTube
  11. 1 2 "Review Crew: The Mask". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Vol. 8, no. 11. November 1995. p. 41. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  12. ↑ Lucas, Victor (October 20, 1995). "The Mask". The Electric Playground . Archived from the original on January 26, 1997. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  13. ↑ Baggatta, Patrick (November 1995). "The Mask". Game Players . No. 58. p. 52. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  14. ↑ Fish, Eliot (September 1995). "The Mask". Hyper . No. 22. pp. 46–47. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  15. ↑ Christoph (January 1996). "The Mask". Mega Fun (in German). p. 84. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  16. 1 2 "The Mask". Next Generation . No. 11. Imagine Media. November 1995. p. 189.
  17. ↑ "Now Playing". Nintendo Power . No. 76. November 1995. pp. 102–107. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  18. ↑ Nemesis. "The Mask". Superjuegos (in Spanish). No. 45. pp. 90–91. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  19. ↑ Forrester, Simon (December 1995). "The Mask". Super Play . No. 38. pp. 40–41. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  20. ↑ Danny (November 1995). "The Mask". Total! . No. 47. pp. 40–41. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  21. ↑ "The Mask". Video Games (in German). February 1996. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  22. ↑ Nick; Skull (October 1995). "The Mask". Nintendo Magazine System . No. 31. pp. 26–29. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
  23. ↑ "ProReview: The Mask". GamePro . No. 86. IDG. November 1995. p. 88.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.