The Ooze
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| The Ooze | |
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| Developer(s) | Sega Technical Institute |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Stieg Hedlund |
| Release date(s) | 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Action game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive/Genesis |
The Ooze is a Mega Drive/Genesis game, created by Sega Technical Institute in 1995.
The Ooze is based on an algorithmically-generated cellular automaton. As such, the main character can be split apart and reformed like a viscous liquid. The gameplay is reminiscent of the Bitmap Brothers' game The Chaos Engine (Soldiers of Fortune in the U.S.). The art style evokes a cartoony (necessitated by the constraints of the medium) H.R. Giger. The story recalls The Toxic Avenger. Some of the programming was fairly advanced for a 16-bit system, for example the speed powerup effect was actually created by decreasing the viscosity of the character.
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[edit] Story
The Ooze starts with Dr. Caine, an excellent scientist who invented an achromatic odorless toxic gas and its antidote. He sneaked into the research lab where he worked in order to find evidence that crimes were being conducted by using the toxic gas he created. He was discovered by his colleagues and disposed of, by means of chemical waste. Little did his former colleagues know that the chemicals did not kill him, but altered him into The Ooze.
[edit] Gameplay
The game takes place from an overhead view. The main character is a puddle of ooze with a head. He can move around and has two attacks. One is stretching out a steerable psuedopod of ooze whose length is only limited by how much ooze he currently has to attack, and it can also be guided around with the control pad. He can also spit gobs of ooze, although this takes off a bit of his puddle. Enemy attacks can cut off a bit of the ooze, and the player will die either if his puddle of ooze is reduced to a very small amount or if his head is attacked directly. He can also die by dropping off the edges of certain areas, or staying on a drain for too long.
[edit] Initial Reception
The Ooze was intended to be bundled with the Sega Nomad, which was essentially a hand-held Genesis and Screen. Unfortunately this device overran its timetable significantly and The Ooze hit the market at the extreme tail end of the Genesis' lifecycle. Since budgets and attention were focused almost exclusively on the launch of the Sega Saturn, very little marketing was done, so the game was all but unknown until word of mouth spread from those who had picked the game up, likely from retail bargain bins.
[edit] Cult Status
The game's status as a cult classic is confirmed by its inclusion in Sonic Mega Collection Plus. It is unlockable in two ways: In the Xbox and PlayStation 2 version, it can be unlocked if you have a Sonic Heroes save. In the Japanese version of Sonic Mega Collection, this was also an unlockable by playing any game on the disc for 30 hours (this method also works on Plus).
The Ooze was also features in the Sega Smash Pack, signalling its "classic" status. It was also included in Arcade Legends Sega Genesis 2, together with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Ecco the Dolphin, where it has gained further popularity from a new audience.
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