Mr. Bones (video game)
| Mr. Bones | |
|---|---|
 North American Saturn cover art | |
| Developer(s) |
Zono Incorporated Angel Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Jeff Fort |
| Producer(s) |
E. Ettore Annunziata Crisi Albertson |
| Designer(s) |
E. Ettore Annunziata William Novak |
| Artist(s) | Jason Hough |
| Writer(s) | E. Ettore Annunziata |
| Composer(s) | Ronnie Montrose |
| Platform(s) | Saturn |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Mr. Bones, is a multi-genre video game released for the Sega Saturn in 1996, created for SEGA by Ed Annunziata and Zono Incorporated. The game's soundtrack was composed and performed by famed guitarist Ronnie Montrose.
Story
DaGoulian, a mad philosopher who believes that one can only "ensure the survival of good by making evil thrive",[2] sets out to purify the world with evil. By playing a special set of drums powered by science and alchemy, he is able to tap into a primal power which he calls "skeletal magnetism" (or "skeletism") and summon the dead from their graves as his skeletal soldiers.
One inmate of the cemetery, however, is pure of heart and is thus resurrected not with red (evil) skeletism, but with blue (good) skeletism. Because of this, he retains his free will. This fact is quickly noticed by DaGoulian, and he orders his newly created army to destroy this rebel, who calls himself simply "Mr. Bones."
Mr. Bones soon becomes determined to stop DaGoulian's plan. He must find a way to counteract the evil of red skeletism before DaGoulian's minions catch up to him.
Gameplay
One of Mr. Bones' most distinctive qualities is in it having very few levels which share the same style of gameplay; with only a few exceptions, almost every level looks and feels different from the rest. Some levels simply change the camera perspective, while others offer up their own distinct genre. The most common thread running throughout the game is that of an action/platform game with slight gameplay and viewing angle variations per level, but at times the styles diverge far more drastically, ranging from a music/rhythm game to a Breakout-style game to a game of memorization. Once a level has been beaten, the player can return directly to that level from the main menu any time they choose.
Music
The soundtrack was composed and performed by guitarist Ronnie Montrose, with Jim Hedges credited for "SMPC Music". Montrose also appears in one of the game's video sequences as the blind man who gives Mr. Bones his guitar.
Soundtrack
| Mr. Bones soundtrack[3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Manifesto" | 6:56 |
| 2. | "Bones Is Bones" | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Who's Out There?" | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Don't Think Play" | 3:54 |
| 5. | "The Village" | 3:55 |
| 6. | "In This World" | 3:41 |
| 7. | "The First Thing" | 5:05 |
| 8. | "Dry Moat" | 6:00 |
| 9. | "The Valley" | 4:31 |
| 10. | "By the Way" | 4:47 |
| 11. | "Red to Blue" | 5:27 |
| 12. | "Shadow Monster" | 3:35 |
| 13. | "Mausoleum" | 4:33 |
| 14. | "Icy Lake" | 3:06 |
| 15. | "The Last Word" | 5:37 |
| Total length: | 69:55 | |
- Ronnie Montrose – Electric guitar, Acoustic guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Penny Whistle, "Little People" Vocals
- Myron Dove – Bass
- Billy Johnson – Drums
- Joe Heinemann – Keyboards
- Michele Graybeal - Percussion, Snares and Brushes, "Little People" Vocals
- Produced by Ronnie Montrose
- Engineered by Gordon Lyon
- Voice of Mr. Bones - Fitz Houston
Legacy
In spite of some positive buzz, the release of Mr. Bones was met with little fanfare and it quickly faded into obscurity. However, the game did develop a cult following among retro gamers, not only because of its originality and level variety, but also because of the video sequences peppered throughout the adventure, combining live-action footage with computer-generated characters and environments. The cinematics were designed and directed by Allen Battino, who also performed the role of Mr. Bones via motion capture. Ronnie Montrose’s guitar playing was also motion captured using sensor gloves and transferred to the Mr. Bones animation.
References
- ↑ Release data, GameFAQs.com.
- ↑ Mr. Bones disk 2, audio track 10.
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r241222