"Short game, but fun while it lasts"

When I was a kid, my favorite cartoon shows was Talespin. Since things haven't really changed much in the last 20 years, even back then every good (and not good) show needed some merchandise to cash in on the success - among them a videogame. The thing with TaleSpin, and most of the NES games based on popular Disney shows, is that instead of going for a cheap never-before-heard of developing studio, Disney went with Capcom (they also made classics like Mega Man and Bionic Commando). This really shows in the quality of the game; it holds a much higher quality standard than most license games.


Graphics

The graphics are bright and colorful. While they're not the most detailed on the NES, they're above the early games (this was released later in the consoles life span) and too much details to the backgrounds would've just made it hard to see what's going on. As it is now, the sprites stand out clearly to the backgrounds, making it easy to see what's an enemy who needs to be avoided. Most sprites manage to fit the theme of the game/level, and the (few) things taken from the TV series are recognizable. The biggest change made I'd say is the Sea Duck, which has been rebuilt to become a small open aircraft more similar to the pirates - if Wild Cat didn't mention her as THAT plane in a cutscene, I would've just thought Baloo got a different plane for this game.

There are eight levels in the game, each taking place in a different environment, meaning that the graphics will be varied during your playthrough. The levels range from the seaside, to a baseball stadium, a haunted house and a jungle. One thing which strikes me as quite odd is the fact that they didn't take a chance to throw in a few "visual cameos" - flying through a volcano is mentioned and done a LOT in the series. Why not add it here? A lot of games have volcano levels, and this is one where it really would be justified considering the source material. Also, couldn't we, just for one level, get to see Louie's Bar somewhere in the background? Or fly around that tropical island. Just seems like wasted opportunities to me.

Between the levels, and as beginning/ending of the game, there are "cutscenes", and while they're not that detailed and only consist of the cast (mostly Rebecca) talking - with animated mouths - they're still a nice touch.


Sound effects and music

The music is good and works well while playing the game, but isn't really something you will remember when looking back at it. It's pretty much your standard, up-beat, light game music, and as far as I can tell it sounds like it use pretty much of the NES sound chip, unlike some other games which just finds a bassline and goes along with it for a whole level.

Just like when it comes to levels, I miss the tunes from the TV show. As far as I can tell, only the main theme is featured, which is a shame since there are some melodies from the series which are really good and I think it would be possible to work them into the game.

The sound effects are nothing special for the NES. There are those small jingles which play when you pick up items or an extra life, enemies make a sound when you hit them and you can hear when you shoot or flip the plane (more about that later). The sound effects really aren't that great sounding, but it's good to have as an indication if you hit a boss or the bullet just bounced off. Overall, sound isn't this games strong point, but it works.


Story

The story is pretty basic. As in the series, Baloo is working as a cargo pilot for Higher For Hire, owned by Rebecca Cunningham. The game consists of eight different "missions" where you have to deliver cargo to different places, all while avoiding enemies and obstacles. In the intro, it's also mentioned that the air pirates are very active at the moment, which not only explains the large quantity of enemies in the stages (not all of which are air pirates), but also why you are picking up cargo and money bags as bonus items - other planes dropped them!

One thing which surprises me a bit is the lack of references to the show. As I mentioned in the graphics section - HOW could they throw in a baseball stadium stage but not a volcano stage? Also, while most of the main cast is here - Baloo, Kit, Rebecca, Molly, Don Karnage, Wild Cat, Shere Khan - but I still think they could've thrown in some more references to minor characters and places (there are some, but not many), just to please the fans. Chip'n'Dale:Rescue Rangers, another Capcom-developed Disney game, has a lot of cameos by less-used and even one off characters in the show, as enemies or similar.


Controls

I really like the controls of the game. It's not overly complex, it's easy to learn and the game doesn't show any of that control slowness many third party games did back in these days - in some games you press a button then it takes a second for it to actually happen something on the screen. Here, most of the time, it happens as soon as you press the button.

The directional buttons are used to control the plane, both left/right and up/down. You won't push the screen forward as in some other scrolling games (like Super Mario Bros), instead it's auto-scrolling and you need to follow more or less maze-like environments and avoid enemies. An alternative to avoid the enemies, is to shoot them down with bullets fired by the B button. Enemies will take one to four shots to go down, while bosses take a lot more. At first, you can only fire one bullet at a time, but it can be increased as the game goes on.

The strangest feature of the game, though, is what's done with the A button. With it, you can flip the plane. It's exactly what it sounds like - the sprite is turned upside down and flipped, meaning you will go backward (why they turned it upside down instead of just mirror is is beyond me...). This also causes the screen to scroll backwards if you're in a horizontal scrolling area, so it's a great way of avoiding getting screen crushed. It's also used in some boss fights to fire backwards, and can be used to slow the spawning of enemies by pressing it repeatedly, making you almost "hover" in the same spot.

The game is paused and unpaused with the select button, which just freezes the screen. With a press of the start button, you get the stats screen, which shows you the current score, extra lives and such things. Since it also pauses the game, the use for select is very limited.

The only problem I've got with the controls is that while they are responsive, it can be a problem with to many button inputs at once. I've sometimes had difficulties with flipping the plane, which I think it's caused by pressing up or down at the same time you press right or left (you still keep your thumb in the direction you're going, even if the NES doesn't support real diagonal controls as far as I know). This is something you'll learn to counter, and won't be much of a problem.


Gameplay

So, while you probably already understood this, let's sum it up - Talespin is an auto-scrolling, flying shoot 'em up. But there's more to it than that.

Unlike most normal shoot 'em ups, the game is easy. Very easy. What's interesting is that when I played this game as a kid, I found it rather hard, so maybe it was just trying to be adjusted to the age group it was aimed for - unlike many kid games for the NES which are still hard even now when I'm a grown-up and experienced gamer. But as it is now, it's easy - you can take three hits before going down (four with an upgrade) and hearts to fill up the energy are pretty easy to come by. For a good gamer, the 8 levels of the game can be beaten in less than half an hour.

Still, beating the game isn't the only thing there is about it. In all levels but the last one, there are money bags and load crates just sitting there on the ground or hanging in the air waiting for you to pick them up. There are also money bags hidden which only shows up when you shoot a specific spot in a level. These bags and crates won't really affect the game directly in the levels, but after each level you get a score and cash, based on how many you managed to collect. Hidden in levels are also bonus stages, which appears like the secret bags when you shoot at them. In these stages you fly as Kit up in the clouds, popping balloons which contains extra lives or fruit. Fruit isn't really as interesting as the other stuff, but can be found the same way (lying around or hidden until shot at) and adds to your total score. Finding all items and bonus levels adds a bit to the replayability of the game.

Unlike most other shoot 'em ups, you can't collect any power ups in the stages. Instead, you stop by to talk to Wild Cat after each level, where you can used the money gathered from items to buy upgrades. There are six different things to buy - extra health (upgrades from 3 hearts to 4), extra speed, rapid and super rapid fire (2 and 4 shots on screen at the same time), continues and extra lives. Which order you pick these in is affected by your playing style, and is a great little "strategy" aspect of the game.

One of my favorite things of the game is the bosses, as most of them are unique and feel interesting. What can be a bit boring is that some of them have "safe spots", where you can just sit and throw bullets at them while they have no means of attacking you, and some gets into their "vulnerable" position at random, meaning sometimes you'll have to wait long for them to open up. Still, half of the fights are really fun and intense.

While the game is easy, the fact that it's short makes it a pretty fun game to try out some self-imposed challenges with. Since it's so short, you won't lose several hours of work just because of one mistake. A no-damage run is entirely possible, and a no-upgrade run would probably work too (though later bosses would become really hard).


TOTAL

I like the game. It's short, a bit too easy for the experienced gamer, but it's still very nice with it's colorful graphics and songs that just sound upbeat and happy and are easy to listen to. The game also features some replay value, good boss fights and you can build some strategy around the upgrade choices. The idea of going backwards in a shoot 'em up is also pretty original and it both works fine and adds an extra dimension to the game.

So, as long as it lasts, the only problem I can come up with is the small control issues and the fact that it doesn't feel like it ties in well with the show. I give Talespin 7 out of 10.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/02, Updated 05/02/11

Game Release: Disney's TaleSpin (EU, 09/24/92)