Developer: NovaLogic Publisher: Sega Release: 1992 Genre: Action
Some games you just know are going to be bad. Licensed games had a terrible reputation in the 8-bit generation due to the likes of Acclaim/LJN and THQ. It would continue during the 16-bit age with new stewards like Hi-Tech Expressions and Mindscape spewing out even worse crap. While Sega and their partners were often better, especially with their Disney games, they were no stranger to bullshit. There was no scenario where Captain Planet & the Planeteers was going to be a good game. But even with such a low floor this game is abysmal.
The evil Zarm, former spirit of the Earth, has kidnapped four of the five planeteers, leaving the sole survivor to hopefully free the others and stop his minions from polluting the Earth. On paper this should have been an easy slam dunk. Captain Planet has a robust set of villains perfect for a video game. The environmental theme allows them to visit locations all around the world looking for trouble for extra variety. Together with each Planeteers elemental powers and you have the recipe for a decent action platformer. Yet somehow it all goes so horribly wrong. Or perhaps not as is typical with licensed games. Let’s just say there is a reason why this is a European exclusive.
Captain Planet has five stages initially that you can play in any order. But here is the rub: you do not get to pick which planeteer to use in each one. Instead the game randomly assigns one for each stage. While you might be thinking this ruins the strategy of pairing a given planeteer’s unique power in particular stages forget it. That is because of the game’s mechanics. Your main attack is elemental, true. However each shot uses planet power which does not regenerate. Once planet power depletes you can only fire weak single shots that are all but useless. The game is stingy with the power-up that restores it which makes it even worse. Most of the appeal of the game is using each hero’s elemental abilities and the game gimps them right out of the gate which is stupid.
Perhaps it is for the best that the game de-emphasizes combat. The hit detection is absolutely terrible and even the weakest enemies are bullet sponges. With combat a bust the game must rely on its platforming and level design. And as you would expect they are awful. There was an opportunity to design a game around each planeteer’s element. Instead you have large mazes with identical corridors and no map. What should be easy search and destroy levels are ruined by confusing layouts, or a straightforward action level featuring infinitely respawning enemies. All of these levels have awful collision detection making basic platforming a nightmare. I am literally trying to think of one stage I enjoyed and can think of nothing.
If there is any one aspect I have to give the game credit it is its few creative boss battles. These are rarely a straightforward war of attrition and usually involve some mechanic for victory. You do not battle Duke Nukem directly. Instead you must stomp out all the radiation fuel rods he uses for power. While you are doing so he drops minions that try to raise them, essentially creating a game of cat and mouse. Hoggish Greedly attacks in a massive tank that is night indestructible. Rather than attack directly you destroy the fuel tanks using the springs and chains around the room. You can also destroy the cannon to make things easier too. Unfortunately the rest are straightforward and suffer from dodgy hit detection. It does not get better for the game’s finale.
You finally get to play as Captain Planet in the finale. This should be the game’s high point and a chance to slightly redeem it. Instead it is a frustrating mess and anticlimactic. As the Captain you take apart the villains fortress piece by piece in a free roaming flight segment. You do not have access to his extensive powers. In fact they are near identical to everyone else: a solo shot or a more powerful spread shot. The only difference is he has unlimited power. While this attack on the fortress should be cool it is riddled with off screen bullets with little room to dodge as Captain Planet is a large target. You also have no chance to heal. If you stomach this end sequence to finish the game you get what I struggle to call an ending for your trouble, further proving you wasted your time.
In Closing
Captain Planet and the Planeteers on the Sega Genesis is a game with its heart in the right place but struggles with almost every aspect of design. It is a relic of the era when licensed games were rushed to market, often with little attention to quality. You can immediately tell this game was created to keep the lights on as there is no care in any facet of its creation. I had no expectations going in to this one but even with a subzero outlook it still managed to surprise me with just how bad it truly is. If you are nostalgic for the show go watch a rerun. The power is not yours with this one.
