Got a penchant for the more eccentric games of the world? Wacky Wednesdays focuses on the curious, the bizarre, and the charmingly absurd. As usual with The Seasoned Gamer, nothing is off limits. Not every game will be good, but sometimes finding a game that is completely odd can be just as awesome. Welcome to The World of Weird.
Released in 1991 for the Sega Genesis, the quirky Decap Attack is your classic platformer. The player takes control of the lazily named Chuck D. Head, a creation of mad scientist Frank N. Stein. Frank apparently created Chuck to battle the villain Max D. Cap, who has come to the surface with an army of baddies to essentially fuck shit up. Chuck’s job is to save various regions of the planet by jumping on and face punching the enemies to bits, and by face punching I mean punching with his face. Chuck’s face is, for obvious reasons, located in his stomach area. From time to time the player will locate a small skull that Chuck places on top of his torso, where a person’s head would normally be. The player can then throw the head at the endless stream of attacking bastards.
This game is actually a remake of the Japanese game Magical Hat No Buttobi Tabo! Daiboken. This version has been westernized to become more appealing to European and American consumers. The original featured a little boy with a fancy hat and this version features some mutant abomination. I’ll let you draw your own assumptions as to how that makes any sense.
Although making sense is not something this game does very well, it does succeed in providing a rather fun time for the player. I particularly enjoy the way the game feels. It’s rewarding to leap in the air and use the float mechanic to travel over a long distance and land directly onto a bad guy’s melon. And the game play is tight. You know how some platformers feel like there is a little lag in the jump or that the character slides just a little too far when he lands? This game doesn’t have any of that.
If there is something to complain about, it is that the story line is pretty weak. But a game like this doesn’t really need a solid story. It’s fun for a bit and the price is right. This copy only set me back six bucks from a competitively priced retro game shop. And last but not least, Decap Attack has a kick ass soundtrack. Don’t take my word for it, check out this short gameplay video.
Once you get the hang of the controls and you get in that groove where the jam feels just right… Man, that’s good time retro gaming.
The Seasoned Gamer 