Chameleon Twist

Developer: Japan System Supply    Publisher: Sunsoft     Released: November 3, 1997     Genre: 3d Platformer

When the Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64 hit their impact on gaming could be felt. Mario 64 was an example of how to do 3d games right and the platformers that followed in its wake were an example of that. The game was so strong that even smaller developers were able to make decent platformers on a budget by following Nintendo’s example. One of the more interesting of that early bunch was Chameleon Twist , a low key release that while average at best still showed promise in its mechanics. I would not rush out to buy it right away but the game is interesting nonetheless.

Chameleon Twist was released by Sunsoft, one of their last releases before finally going under sadly. The story is a loose take on Alice in Wonderland. The protagonist Davy (or one of his friends) is an ordinary chameleon who encounters a rabbit ripped straight from the famous book. He follows said rabbit into a portal and comes out changed into a humanoid form. Now Davy and friends must travel through exotic lands to find a way back home.

Right away Chameleon Twist builds an interesting set of mechanics around Davy’s tongue. Your tongue can be used in a large number of creative ways. First and foremost you can stretch it out a long distance to latch on to poles and swing around. This mechanic makes a number of creative scenarios possible. It doesn’t stop there. You can also use it as a pogo to leap higher as well. Davey can eat nearly anything that touches his tongue. You can swallow as many as twenty enemies and spit them out like a machine gun. The more enemies you swallow the slower you move however.  It’s an excellent trade-off and one the game forces you to make frequently.

The tongue mechanic is the crux of the gameplay and one that would not work as well on a D-pad. The level of precise control you have over its mechanics is what makes the game fun. The level design is at its best when it presents situations that exploit it. Scattered in every level are crowns. While most are in plain sight there are numerous that force you to wander off the beaten path or use your abilities to reach.  Some of these are incredibly difficult to reach and at the very least collecting all of them gains access to a secret world. Even if you don’t pursue that the individual rooms of each stage are like mini puzzles. Despite it’s at times simplicity Chameleon Twist fulfills that initial promise of 3d games in its own haphazard way.

It also has all of the flaws of early 3d gaming. The main culprit is the camera.  The game does not offer full camera control. You can sometimes shift it to the left or right but in most cases you can only zoom in or out. Unfortunately most stages are a series of individual rooms. When you are in a wide open field it is fine. Any time you are in a corner or tight space the camera essentially dies.  It makes the simplest tasks frustrating. Depth perception when platforming is more difficult than it should be. The fixed camera angles in these situations really hurt and this is a platform heavy game. The growing pains of 3d gaming are on full display in Chameleon Twist.

In spite of its flaws Chameleon Twist is an easy game. You will suffer a lot of cheap hits due to the erratic camera angles. However nearly every room has multiple hearts, almost as an apology because of it. Your life bar is extremely long which allows you to make many mistakes before death. But mostly it seems as though Chameleon Twist is incredibly restrained. It presents many interesting scenarios but feels as though it does not want to ask too much of the player out of fear of pushing them away. When it doesn’t such as its awesome boss battles you can see the potential the game has. While you will have some fun in the short time the game lasts it will leave you wanting more.

In Closing

Chameleon Twist is a fun game at times but its simplicity works against it. It has a few multiplayer modes that feel tacked on to add some kind of longevity. Chameleon Twist would have been better served fully exploiting its awesome concept. It had potential but does not make the most of it.