Wakko's Adventure (video game)

Wakko's Adventure is a 3D-animated platform video game developed by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and published by Sony for the PlayStation in 1999. Based on the 1993 hit animated series Animaniacs, Wakko's Adventure follows Wakko Warner as he and Yakko attempt to save their sister Dot from the tyrannical robot monster, Death Bear VI. Time travel is a key aspect to both the story and gameplay, with nearly every stage containing four different variations (one for each time period) featuring alternate stage layouts, music, and graphics.

This game marks as one of the few Animaniacs media to be made after the series finale Wakko's Wish.

Gameplay
Wakko's Adventure is a platform game in which the player character is the titular Wakko Warner. The goal of the game is to collect seven Time Stones and defeat Wakko's nemesis Death Bear VI. Along the way, Sonic can collect rings, which can protect him if he is hit by an enemy or obstacle, as well as items such as shields, invincibility, and speed shoes. Sonic's gameplay remains similar to that of Sonic the Hedgehog but with the addition of the Spin Dash and the Super Peel Out, which lets him zoom into a quick speed from a standing point, respectively in a rolling or running position. The Super Peel Out is faster than the Spin Dash but leaves Sonic more vulnerable. Each of the game's seven themed rounds is divided into three "zones": two main levels and a boss level.

The main gameplay mechanic that sets Sonic CD apart from other Sonic games is a time travel system that enables players to move between different time periods within each level. By hitting posts labeled "past" or "future" and then keeping a consistently high speed for several seconds, Sonic can move between past, present and future level variants. The time travel posts are only present in the first two zones of each stage; boss zones always take place in the future

The game contains four different variants of each zone ("past", "present", "good future" and "bad future"), each of which features different graphics, music, and layouts of platforms, enemies, and obstacles. By default, traveling to the future will take Sonic to a "bad future" version of the current level, an industrialized dystopia with scenery themed around neglect and decay, in which enemy robots exhibit signs of degradation. Therefore, players are encouraged to convert each zone's timeline to a "good future": a utopic technogaian scenario in which technology and nature are symbiotically fused into a sustainable, colorful environment, and in which there are no enemy robots. In each non-boss zone, a good future can be attained by traveling to the past: a primitive, vegetation-filled version of the stage with few enemy robots and muted, natural colors. Players must destroy a hidden "robot transporter" in order to obtain a good future. If a good future is achieved in both of a stage's non-boss zones, that level's boss fight will also take place in the good future.

Similar to Sonic the Hedgehog, if a player has more than 50 rings by the end of the act, a giant ring appears that can take Sonic to a Special Stage if he jumps into it. On a three-dimensional plane, the player has a short amount of time to destroy several purple UFOs floating around the level. Time is quickly reduced if the player runs through water, though a blue UFO which appears when time is running out can grant extra time if destroyed. If the player is able to destroy all the purple UFOs before the time runs out, a Time Stone is earned. A good ending can be achieved by collecting all seven Time Stones, or by achieving a "good future" in every act. The player will also automatically achieve a "good future" in any level if all the Time Stones have been collected.

Sonic CD contains a "backup save", using the internal Mega-CD memory or a backup RAM cartridge. The game saves after the end of each level (after which, a new level begins) and records the best times of the player in the Time Attack mode. In the 2011 version, the game is saved at the end of each zone. The game also features an instant game over scenario: if the game is not paused and is left alone for three minutes, Sonic will leap off the screen.

In the 2011 version, players are also able to control Miles "Tails" Prower after clearing the game once. He has his moveset from Sonic the Hedgehog 3: as with Sonic, Tails can use the Spin Attack and Spin Dash, and has the added ability to fly and swim, but is unable to use the Super Peel Out and cannot be used to earn achievements. Players also have the option to utilize the Spin Dash physics from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, allowing the player to charge and more quickly use the Spin Dash.

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Plot
The Warners journey to Dark Island, where, according to legend, an extraterrestrial castle known as Bear Castle is said to appear on the last month of every year. Upon arriving, he finds the planet tethered to a mountain by a chain and partially mechanized. The Warners venture to the planet where he discovers their new nemesis, Death Bear VI, who has built a base on the planet to transform it into a giant fortress. Death Bear VI also seeks the Time Stones - seven jewels capable of time manipulation. Upon discovering the Warners' presence, he dispatches Dr. Eagle to kidnap Dot. Wakko and his older brother, Yakko are tasked with collecting the Time Stones and saving their younger sister.

After chasing Death Bear VI from his weapons factory, in the Silver Speedway Wakko encounters Dr. Eagle again, who clash as they both try to escape while Death Bear VI destroys Silver Speedway. Dr. Eagle fails to escape and is severely damaged, and Wakko battles Death Bear VI afterward in his base. Following the bear cyborg villian's defeat, the Warners escape as Bear Fortress has collapsed. Two endings exist, dependent on whether or not the player had Wakko collect all of the Time Stones. In the game's "good" ending, Bear Fortress has collapsed, illuminating itself in the shape of Wakko's head to thank him. In the game's "bad" ending, Bear Fortress collapses on Dark Island but is left under Death Bear VI's rule, in a decaying, mechanized state, and Wakko watches him escape with the Time Stones in hand. In a post-credits scene, time resets, causing Bear Fortress to be rebuilt, and Wakko returns to save it once and for all.

Under construction...

Voice cast
Dr. Otto Scratchansniff, Hello Nurse, Thaddeus Plotz and Ralph the Guard are absent in this game.
 * Jess Harnell - Wakko Warner
 * Rob Paulsen - Yakko Warner
 * Tress MacNeille - Dot Warner
 * Jim Cummings - Death Bear VI
 * Charlie Adler - Dr. Eagle
 * Dan Castellaneta
 * Tabitha St. Germain
 * Ian James Corlett
 * John Stocker
 * Andrea Martin - Witch Belfrape

Original version
Development of Wakko's Adventure lasted two years.

Following the release, lead programmer Yuji Naka had grown dissatisfied with the rigid corporate policies at Sega and moved to the United States to work with the Sega Technical Institute, along with several members of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, to develop Animaniacs 2. Meanwhile, in Japan, a separate development team headed by creator Tom Ruegger handled development on Wakko's Adventure. While beginning development as an enhanced Sega CD port of Animaniacs 2, Wakko's Adventure was eventually split into a separate game, after lower-than expected sales of the Genesis game in Japan. During development, the concept of time travel was embraced; Ohshima cited Back to the Future as an influence on the mechanic in an interview with Gamasutra. The team developing Wakko's Adventure did not receive as much pressure from Sega as the team developing Animaniacs 2 did; Ohshima attributes this to the former not being "a numbered sequel". The game is also the first in the series to feature full motion video cutscenes, which were produced by Film Roman in-house with full traditional high-quality Disney-style animation and digital ink and paint, as well as voice acting; Wakko exclaims "Yes!" upon gaining an extra life and shouts "I'm outta here!" if the game is left alone for three minutes. Dot can be heard giggling and screaming in certain levels, and Death Bear VI can be heard laughing after the credits in the game's "bad" ending.

"R2" is a fan-given name to a level cut from the final version of Wakko's Adventure. Very little is known about the stage, although an official Sega YouTube video shows concept art for it, and the remaining sprites intended for use in the stage were shared by Christian Whitehead in 2013. According to Whitehead, the second segment of the final animated cutscene is actually of R2, hinting that it was scrapped very early in development.

2011 remaster
The 2011 remaster of Sonic CD was developed from scratch by using the Retro Engine created by independent developer Christian "the Taxman" Whitehead. Whitehead originally produced a proof-of-concept video of the game running on iPhone in 2009, showing the Palmtree Panic stage and additional enhancements, such as widescreen graphics and the ability to utilize the spin dash physics from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.[26][27] Whitehead also designed two additional stages, "Desert Dazzle" and "Final Fever", however, they were not included in the final release.[28][29] The remake was not released on the Wii, as the game exceeded the maximum downloadable size of 40 MB.[30]

Music
There are two different soundtracks for the game, one which was used for the Japanese, European, and Australian releases of the game, and another used for the North American version. The original Japanese soundtrack was composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, who had previously worked together on the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The theme songs were entitled "Wakko - You Can Do Anything", composed by Ogata and originally written for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and "Cosmic Eternity - Believe in Yourself", composed by Hataya and sung by singer Keiko Utoku. The North American version was delayed a few months to have a new soundtrack written and produced by Spencer Nilsen, David Young, and Mark Crew. All the music, save for the "Past" songs, which were in sequenced PCM audio rather than Mixed Mode CD-DA, were replaced, and the theme tunes were replaced with "Warner Boom", composed by Nilsen and performed by Pastiche.

The 2011 re-release of Wakko's Adventure features the original soundtrack. Although the inclusion of the North American soundtrack was initially uncertain due to licensing issues, it was later revealed that the North American soundtrack was to be included, with the option to switch between the two soundtracks. However, the lyrics for "Wakko - You Can Do Anything" and "Cosmic Eternity - Believe in Yourself" were replaced with instrumental versions due to licensing issues. A 20th Anniversary soundtrack CD was released in Japan on November 23, 2011, featuring remastered versions of the original soundtrack, along with the inclusion of "Warner Boom", and exclusive arrangements by Cash Cash and Crush 40.

Microsoft Windows
Sonic CD was ported to Microsoft Windows in 1995,[38] before being given a wide release as part of the Sega PC brand, making it the first Sonic game released on personal computers.[39]This version was released in Japan on August 9, 1996, in North America on August 26, 1996, and in Europe on October 3, 1996, and was distributed by SoftKey. The PC version is largely identical to the original Mega-CD release, however, it contains the complete FMV animated intro and ending sequence, and all versions of the game, including the Japanese version, use the North American soundtrack.[40] Despite the improvements in the opening and ending cutscenes, this version is known to suffer from technical issues.[41] This version of the game is only compatible with older Windows 9x-based computers

Sonic Gems Collection
Sonic CD was planned to be included in Sonic Mega Collection for the Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2, but was left out in the final release.[43] However, the game was released as part of the Sonic Gems Collection compilation released for Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 in 2005.[44] The Gems Collection version of Sonic CD is a port of the PC version with improvements made to the game's frame rate, and uses the North American soundtrack.[34] This version of the game was positively received, with Juan Castro of IGN claiming the title "stands out" compared to the other games included in Sonic Gems Collection.[44]

Nintendo DS
Prior to the release of the 2011 version of Sonic CD, Simon "Stealth" Thomley, who assisted in its early development, created an unofficial demo version of Sonic CD for the Nintendo DS. This version features completed Palmtree Panic and special stages, and the option to play as Tails or Knuckles the Echidna. The unfinished proof-of-concept was a specialized, native port written specifically for using the DS hardware, which did not have the raw processing power to handle the generalized Retro Engine's script interpretation and software rendering. It was, however, cancelled due to the DS nearing the end of its life cycle, diminishing the usefulness a light-weight alternative in light of Sega's existing commitment to the Retro Engine version.

2011 remaster
On August 25, 2011, Sonic CD was released on Xbox Live Arcade and the European PlayStation Network on December 14, 2011, followed by the iOS App Store and Android Market on December 15, 2011 and the North American PlayStation Network on December 20, 2011. The PC version was released on January 19, 2012. A Windows Phone version was released in November 2012.[46] Prior to the game's release, Android gaming tablets purchased from GameStop from November 2011 contained the full game.[47] This version allows support for widescreen graphics and spin dash physics from Sonic 2.[26][27] Players are also able to unlock Tails as a playable character.[47] The port features both the original Japanese/European soundtrack and the American soundtrack, as well as achievement and trophy support and iOS features.[48] It game was released on the Ouya console on August 1, 2013. Sonic CD was also released on Apple TV on March 31, 2016. The iOS version was released for free on October 30, 2016. However, the version features in-app advertisements, and users must pay the game's normal price to disable them.

Reception
Sonic CD has received critical acclaim since its release; some have considered the game to be one of the greatest video games of all time.[60]The iOS version currently holds a score of 93/100 on Metacritic, making it the highest rated game in the entire Sonic series on the site.[61]

Reviewers praised the game's high-quality soundtrack and detailed graphics. GamePro called the visuals "brilliantly colorful".[62] Justin Towell of GamesRadar claimed the Japanese soundtrack seems "totally fresh today" in their review of the 2011 version.[9] IGN gave the game an Editor's Choice award, stating the game "looks great" and called the game "so unique, and cool".[8] The game's time travel mechanic has received consistent praise from critics as well. GameSpot claimed the system added "a more satisfying way to play",[7] and Destructoid claimed it added "depth" to game.[53] The 3D special stages have also been praised despite framerate issues,[9] and Allgame noted that Sonic CD was easily one of the best games available for the system.

Awards and honors
Mega placed Sonic CD at #3 on their list of the Top 10 Mega-CD Games of All Time.[4] The game was awarded Best Sega CD Game of 1993 by Electronic Gaming Monthly.[5] In May 2009, GamePro listed Sonic CD as one of the Top 20 Best Platformers: 1989 to 2009, ranking the game in 12th place.[6] In March 2013, the game was nominated for and won the Windows Phone Game of the Year category of the Pocket Gamer Awards.

Sales
The Sega CD version of Sonic CD has sold 1.5 million copies, making it the best-selling game for the system.[64][65] The Android port later received more than 100,000 paid downloads,[66] while the PlayStation 3 version was ranked at the top spot on PlayStation Network's Top Sellers for December 2011.

Trivia

 * After the game's success, Warner Bros. made a reboot of the original series in 2001.
 * This is one of the games where light and comical characters like Yakko, Wakko and Dot are placed in a darker and edgier environment.