Tails' Skypatrol
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is a 1995 horizontal-scrolling shooter video game published in Japan by
Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
for the
Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
. It is a spin-off of the ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' franchise, and one of two Game Gear games to star Sonic's sidekick Tails. The player controls the titular character in his quest to stop the evil witch Witchcart before she conquers an island and turns its inhabitants into crystals. Gameplay involves shooting enemies, collecting power-ups, and defeating bosses. ''Skypatrol'' was developed by Japan System House with assistance from
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, a part-owned subsidiary of Sega at the time. It was in development as an educational game for a cancelled handheld system, before being moved to the Game Gear. It did not feature the ''Sonic'' branding until it was presented to Sega, which requested the main character be replaced with Tails. ''Skypatrol'' received mixed reviews, with critics focusing specifically on its high difficulty and poor controls. It has been re-released through '' Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut'' (2004) and ''
Sonic Gems Collection ''Sonic Gems Collection'' is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the featur ...
'' (2005).


Gameplay

''Tails' Skypatrol'' is a horizontal-scrolling shooter set within the ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' universe. Its plot involves Sonic's sidekick,
Miles "Tails" Prower , better known by his nickname , is a fictional character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Tails also appears in his own spin-off series, comic books, cartoons, and films. He is the second character to consistently appear by Sonic's side ...
, traveling to a tropical island to stop the villainous Witchcart, who has turned its inhabitants into crystals. Tails flies by spinning his two tails, is always flying, and can be maneuvered up and down to avoid obstacles and left and right to slow down or speed up. Collecting mint candies replenishes Tails' constantly-depleting flight meter. If Tails is hit by an enemy, he falls toward the ground and the player must recover. Touching a level's environment will cost the player a life. Tails' uses a gold ring as a weapon that can be thrown to defeat enemies, bypass traps, and retrieve items. There are five scrolling levels to traverse, which vary in difficulty and take place in locations such as forests and castles. Levels conclude with a boss fight against one of Witchcart's henchmen. The player has unlimited continues and will begin at the start of that particular stage after losing all of their lives.


Development and release

''Tails' Skypatrol'' was developed by Japan System House (JSH), a company known for its work on 8-bit conversions of
Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
games throughout the early 1990s, with assistance from part-owned Sega subsidiary
SIMS Sims, sims or SIMS may refer to: Games * ''The Sims'', a life simulation video game series ** ''The Sims'' (video game), the first installment, released in 2000 ** ''The Sims 2'', the second installment, released in 2004 ** '' The Sims 3'', th ...
. JSH initially developed the game not as part of the ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
'' franchise. The game was originally intended as a launch title for an unreleased handheld console, which used original characters and had a more educational focus. When the system was cancelled, the company chose to remake the game for the
Game Gear The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily competed with Nintendo's Game Boy, ...
, a handheld that posed similar hardware specifications and the same screen resolution. Upon completion, it was presented to Sega, which requested that the main character be replaced with Tails. Along with ''
Tails Adventure ''Tails Adventure'' is a platform game developed by Aspect and published by Sega in 1995 for the Game Gear. The game stars Tails from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series in a solo adventure, as he collects an array of items to help him explore ...
'', it is one of two ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games on the Game Gear to star Tails. ''Tails' Skypatrol'' was released in Japan on April 28, 1995. It is included as an unlockable extra in '' Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut'' (2003), alongside eleven other ''Sonic'' Game Gear games. The 2005 compilation ''
Sonic Gems Collection ''Sonic Gems Collection'' is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the featur ...
'' includes ''Tails' Skypatrol'' and several other ''Sonic'' and Sega games.


Reception

''Tails' Skypatrol'' received largely unfavorable reviews. Upon release, a reviewer for ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' found it to be among the weakest entries in the ''Sonic'' series, particularly for its poor controls and harsh difficulty. However, they commented that its drastically-different gameplay made it a unique and interesting game on its own. In reviewing the game's inclusion in ''Sonic Gems Collection'', Louis Bedigian stated that ''Tails' Skypatrol'' is "the most interesting of these ncluded Game Gear games as it’s entirely airborne with Tails collecting rings and solving simple puzzles." ''
1Up.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...
'''s Jeremy Parish called the game and ''
Tails Adventure ''Tails Adventure'' is a platform game developed by Aspect and published by Sega in 1995 for the Game Gear. The game stars Tails from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series in a solo adventure, as he collects an array of items to help him explore ...
'' "garbage that I wouldn't even want to play on Game Gear, let alone on
GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...
." Retrospectively, ''Tails' Skypatrol'' reception has been similar. ''
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'' ranked ''Tails' Skypatrol'' 26th of 28 Sonic the Hedgehog series games, above only the 2006 video game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' and 2005's ''Shadow the Hedgehog''. Reviewer Nadia Oxford called the game "adorable", but difficult to control with the large sprites used in the game, similar to other titles for the Game Gear. The editor of ''USgamer'', in the same list, called the game "a pretty obvious cash-in on the brand". Writing for ''
Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' soon became ...
'', Kim Wild stated that the game's awkward controls and camera angle made playing the game frustrating. Apollo Chungus of ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' was more positive about the game. He gave credence to the game's high difficulty because of the nature of Tails'
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and poor teaching in the "training" level, but also stated "there's something to enjoy" for players who get used to the game. Chungus had praise for the game's graphics and sound, but was critical of the game's short length and repetitive
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fights. He called the game as a whole "a decent romp that’s worth checking out for fans of Tails and the curious".


See also

*''
Sonic Triple Trouble ''Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble'' is a 1994 platform game developed by Aspect and published by Sega for the Game Gear. It is the sequel to '' Sonic Chaos'' (1993) and features classic side-scrolling ''Sonic'' gameplay. The player contro ...
'' *''
Sonic Blast ''Sonic Blast'' is a 1996 Side-scrolling video game, side-scrolling platform game, platform video game known for its use of Pre-rendering, pre-rendered visuals. To stop Doctor Robotnik from using Chaos Emerald shards to fortify his base, the pl ...
''


Notes


References


External links

* * {{Sonic the Hedgehog 1995 video games Sega video games Game Gear games Game Gear-only games SIMS Co., Ltd. games Single-player video games Horizontally scrolling shooters Video games about children Video games about foxes Video games about witchcraft Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off games Video games developed in Japan