Warlock (video game)

Last updated
Warlock
Warlock (video game).jpg
Packaging for the European Mega Drive version
Developer(s) Realtime Associates
Publisher(s) Acclaim Entertainment [lower-alpha 1]
Platform(s) Genesis, Super NES
ReleaseMay 26, 1995
Genre(s) Action
Platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Warlock (also stylized Beware the Ultimate Evil of Warlock) is a side-scrolling action video game based on the 1989 horror film series of the same title. It was released on May 26, 1995 through Acclaim Entertainment for the Genesis and Super NES platforms. [1] A version for the Atari Jaguar was planned by Trimark Interactive but never released. [2]

Contents

Story

Once every thousand years, the sun and the moon align together. When this happens, the Evil One sends his only son, the Warlock, to Earth to gather six ancient runestones. When assembled, the runestones give the possessor ultimate power to undo the Earth's creation. Using sorcery inherited from his ancestors, a modern druid must travel through time to prevent the Warlock from finding all of the runestones.

Gameplay

As a druid, the player is armed with seven different spells that will aid him in his battle against the Warlock. Up to 255 spells of a certain kind can be carried, although the status bar only shows up to nine.

  1. weak smart bombs
  2. strong smart bombs
  3. healing
  4. revival
  5. protection
  6. tremor
  7. time reversal

Reception

Next Generation reviewed the SNES version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "There's nothing wrong, just nothing notable." [6]

Captain Squideo of GamePro gave the Genesis version a negative review, remarking that the game is highly derivative of other platform shooters, and that it suffers from delayed controls, overly small enemies, and a lack of variety in the gameplay. [8] A reviewer for Next Generation gave the Genesis version one out of five stars. He too found the game overly derivative, and commented that "Some of the backgrounds are well shaded, and the accompanying music is a touch on the eerie side, but all this game does is to prove that bad movies make horrible side-scrolling action games." [5]

The SNES version was better received. Upon its release The Post and Courier gave a positive review for the game, saying that the SNES version's graphics were better than those of the Genesis/Mega Drive port and that the game was overall good for novice and young players. [9] GamePro's Bro' Buzz gave the Super NES version a more mixed appraisal than Captain Squideo's Genesis version review. He also criticized the delayed controls, but praised the organ music and sound effects, and concluded "Warlock won't set your system on fire, but ... it's a good intermediate adventure with some truly challenging puzzles." [10] However, in 1999, Game Informer gave the SNES version 3.5 out of 10, saying, "While visually appealing at times, Warlock is repetitive and lacking in interesting enemies, and the only thing that challenges the player is the horrid play control of the character." [11]

In 2012, Complex included the game on its list of "The 10 Greatest Wizards in Video Games" due to the versatility of the druid player. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Zoop</i> 1995 video game

Zoop is a puzzle video game originally developed by Hookstone and published by Viacom New Media in 1995 for the Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, MS-DOS, Macintosh, PlayStation, Game Gear, and Game Boy, then in 1996 for the Saturn and Jaguar. Zoop has similarities to Taito's 1989 arcade video game Plotting, but Zoop runs in real-time instead. Players are tasked with eliminating pieces that spawn from one of the sides of the screen before they reach the center of the playfield. By pointing at a piece and shooting it, the player can either swap it with the current player color and thus arrange the same color pieces in a row or column, or match the color.

<i>Primal Rage</i> 1994 arcade video game

Primal Rage is a fighting game developed and released by Atari Games for arcades in 1994. The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth called "Urth". Players control one of seven prehistoric beasts, that battle each other to determine the planet's fate. Matches feature many of the conventions of fighting games from the era, including special moves and gory finishing maneuvers. Ports were released for home video game consoles and personal computers. Efforts to perfectly emulate the arcade original have been unsuccessful due to the use of an unusual copy protection method. Toys, comics, a novel and other merchandise tie-ins were produced. More than 1.5 million copies of the game were sold.

<i>Ballz</i> 1994 video game

Ballz is a two-player 2.5D action fighting video game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, the Super NES (SNES) and the 3DO. It was developed by PF.Magic and published by Accolade in 1994. The 3DO version was released as a director's cut in 1995. Ballz offered three difficulty levels over a total of 21 matches. Its distinguishing quality was that each of the characters were composed completely of spheres, granting a pseudo-3D look. Although the game was not a tremendous success, PF.Magic reused its graphics technology in a successful line of virtual pet titles, Petz.

<i>The Itchy & Scratchy Game</i> 1995 video game

The Itchy & Scratchy Game is a platform video game that was released for the Super NES, and Game Gear. It stars the cat and mouse pair Itchy & Scratchy from the adult animated sitcom The Simpsons, and features the classic gory violence from the show. The main character is Itchy, who has to fight Scratchy. Reception of the game has been generally negative.

<i>Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure</i> 1994 video game

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is a side-scrolling action-platform video game developed by Activision in conjunction with Kroyer Films and originally published in North America and Europe in 1994. The fourth installment in the Pitfall! franchise, players assume the role of Pitfall Harry Junior as he embarks on a journey through the Mayan jungles of Central America in an attempt to rescue Pitfall Harry, his father and the protagonist of previous entries in the series, from the evil Mayan warrior spirit named Zakelua. Its gameplay mainly consists of action and platforming mixed with stage-based exploration using a main six-button configuration.

<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.

<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/Mega Drive version.

<i>Troy Aikman NFL Football</i> 1994 video game

Troy Aikman NFL Football is an american football video game originally developed by Leland Interactive Media and published by Tradewest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System first in North America in August 1994. Officially licensed from the National Football League, it prominently features former NFL player Troy Aikman, who became the first member of the 1993 Dallas Cowboys to have his namesake in a game, followed by his teammate Emmitt Smith in Emmitt Smith Football.

<i>Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars</i> 1995 video game

Wayne Gretzky Hockey NHLPA All-Stars is a Super NES and Genesis/Mega Drive hockey video game that features Wayne Gretzky and other NHLPA players.

<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>The Incredible Hulk</i> (1994 video game) 1994 video game

The Incredible Hulk is a 1994 video game released for the Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, and SNES. Developed by Probe Software and published by U.S. Gold, the game is based on the Marvel Comics superhero Hulk and showcases him within the context of a side-scrolling action game with platforming and beat 'em up elements. The narrative involves the Hulk attempting to thwart the world domination bid of his nemesis, the Leader, while engaging in combat with other arch-rivals.

<i>Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a fighting video game developed and originally published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in Europe for the Sega Genesis in June 1994. It is based on the 1993 film of the same name, which is a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. Following the events of the movie, players take control of Bruce Lee across several stages that takes places in different time periods of his life and fight against some of his adversaries.

<i>Judge Dredd</i> (1995 video game) 1995 video game

Judge Dredd is a side-view action video game released for the Super NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Gear and Game Boy originally released in 1995. The game is based on the 1995 film Judge Dredd, which was itself an adaptation of the Judge Dredd strip from 2000AD.

<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.

<i>Fever Pitch Soccer</i> 1995 video game

Fever Pitch Soccer, known as Head-On Soccer in North America, is a soccer video game originally developed and published by U.S. Gold for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1995.

<i>Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls</i> 1994 video game

Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls is a fighting game developed by Leland Interactive Media and published by Tradewest for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis in 1994. A port for the Atari Jaguar developed by Telegames was released the following year. It is an American-produced sequel to the Double Dragon series by Technōs Japan, who had little to no credited involvement in the development of the game outside of licensing the IP to the publisher outside Japan.

<i>FIFA Soccer 96</i> 1995 video game

FIFA Soccer 96 is a football video game developed by Extended Play Productions and released by Electronic Arts in 1995. It was released for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Saturn, Sega 32X, Game Gear, PlayStation, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and MS-DOS compatible operating systems.

<i>Izzys Quest for the Olympic Rings</i> 1995 action video game

Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings is a 1995 action video game developed by Alexandria and published by U.S. Gold for the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. In the game, the player controls Izzy, the mascot of the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics.

<i>Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Crossroads of Time</i> 1995 video game

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Crossroads of Time is a 1995 action-adventure video game for the Genesis and Super NES platforms, based on the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Critics praised the game's authentic recreation of the look and feel of the TV series, but often criticized its gameplay as repetitive and clunky.

<i>Newman/Haas IndyCar featuring Nigel Mansell</i> 1994 video game

Newman/Haas IndyCar featuring Nigel Mansell, released in Japan as Nigel Mansell Indy Car (ナイジェルマンセル・インディカー) and in South America as Newman/Haas IndyCar Estrelando Nigel Mansell, is an IndyCar racing video game developed by Gremlin Interactive and published by Acclaim, which was released in 1994 for the Super NES and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

References

  1. ↑ "Warlock (information)". IGN. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  2. ↑ Halverson, Dave (May 1994). "Jaguar's Domain". GameFan . Vol. 2, no. 6. Shinno Media. pp. 90–92.
  3. ↑ Markus (May 1995). "Warlock". Mega Fun (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  4. ↑ Markus (May 1995). "Warlock". Mega Fun (in German). Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Warlock". Next Generation (6). Imagine Media: 112. June 1995.
  6. 1 2 "Finals". Next Generation . No. 5. Imagine Media. May 1995. p. 102.
  7. ↑ Andy (May 1995). "Warlock". Total! . No. 41. pp. 52–53. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  8. ↑ "ProReview: Warlock". GamePro . No. 69. IDG. April 1995. p. 44.
  9. ↑ "Video Game of the Week". The Post and Courier. May 18, 1995. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  10. ↑ "ProReview: Warlock". GamePro . No. 69. IDG. April 1995. p. 63.
  11. ↑ "Classic GI (Warlock; SNES)". Game Informer . No. 75. July 1999. p. 78.
  12. ↑ "The 10 Greatest Wizards in Video Games". Complex. Archived from the original on 2014-03-03. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  1. ↑ Released under the LJN brand name on the SNES.
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.