Marvel Land

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Marvel Land
Developer(s)	Namco
Publisher(s)	Namco
Platform(s)	Arcade, Sega Mega Drive
Release date	1989
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players, alternating turns
Input methods	8-way Joystick; 1 button
Cabinet	Upright, cabaret, and cocktail
Arcade system	Namco System 2
Display	Horizontal orientation, Raster

Marvel Land is a platform arcade game released by Namco in 1989.

1 Gameplay
2 Arcade Versions
3 Ports
4 Trivia
5 References
6 External Links

[edit] Gameplay

In Marvel Land you play as Prince Paco (Talmit in English),^[1] who is on a quest to save Princess Luxy (Wondra in English) from the evil Mole King (Japanese: 魔王モウル; Maō Mōru). The gameplay was in the platformer style so popular at the time. Powerups included dragon wings which allowed you to jump higher and fly (to a certain extent), shoes that allow you to temporarily walk faster, and a clone powerup that allowed you to whip multiple copies of yourself at other enemies in a line. Using these items makes it easier defeating enemies and collecting various items to increase your score.

All of the game's four levels take place in a fantasy amusement park, the "Marvel Land" of the title. Most levels take place outside with various obstacles in your way. Other levels include a ride on a roller coaster and even a walk through a funhouse. At the end of the regular outside levels, you jump through a large target where you can earn extra points.

The game has enemies that consist of a variety of mole-like baddies and a wide range of other creatures. Boss battles are performed at the end of the last level of all four worlds. They are unique in that they are played more like a minigame which can consist of rock paper scissors, musical chairs or even tug of war. After you defeat a boss you rescue a fairy (Princess Luxy after you defeat the final boss), and are treated to a bonus stage where you catch falling stars for points in a float parade at night.

After the minigame against the Mole King the game takes on the regular "final boss" theme and you have to fight him as he claims "If you think you've beaten this mole, you've got another thing coming! This time, it's for keeps!". At this point, the chances of winning are proportional to how many bosses you defeated earlier. This game features a lot of secret "warp" areas that will allow the player to bypass most of the game. However, defeating each of the three regular bosses grants the player powerful orbs; these orbs are required to defeat the Mole King in the final battle.

[edit] Arcade Versions

Marvel Land hit arcades in both the U.S. and Japan in 1989. Although they are basically the same game in both countries, there are some noticeable differences between both versions:

The music and sound is of better quality and more upbeat in the Japanese version. There is also added music for when you lose a life.
The character control is much tighter in the Japanese version of the game.
The placement of enemies and items varies in both versions.
The Japanese version gives you an option of playing an "easy" or "normal" mode, where the U.S. version doesn't provide such an option.

[edit] Ports

Marvel Land was ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and released in the United States, Japan, and Europe, all in 1991. The European port, however, was re-titled Talmit's Adventure.

[edit] Trivia

Some rides featured in levels along with the bonus level parade floats contain popular Namco characters such as Pac-Man (1980), Pooka from Dig Dug (1982), Solvalou from Xevious (1982), Mappy (1983), Grobda (1984), Paccet from Baraduke (1985), Amul (in dragon form) from Dragon Spirit (1987) and Berabow Man (1988).
The pink female robot that appears in the game (受付小町; Uketsuke Komachi) later appears in the Namco Museum series behind the museum's information desk.