Tails Adventures

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Tails Adventures
System(s): Sega Game Gear, Virtual Console
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Aspect M2
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1
Official in-game languages: English 日本語
Release Date RRP Code Rating JP 1995-09-22 ¥3,800 G-3372 US 1995-11 $? 2583 EU 1995-09 €? 2583-50 UK 1995-09 £29.99 2583-50 JP 2013-04-03 ¥286 (300) ? US 2013-06-20 $4.99 ? EU 2013-06-20 €4.99 CTR-N-GAVP-EUR UK 2013-06-20 £4.49 CTR-N-GAVP-EUR DE 2013-06-20 €4.99 CTR-N-GAVP-EUR

Tails Adventures (テイルスアドベンチャー), referred to as Tails Adventure on western packaging, is a spin-off adventure game for the Sega Game Gear. The game was developed by Aspect Co. Ltd and released in 1995. It was Tails' first lone adventure game released in the West (with Tails' Skypatrol not seen outside Japan until 2003) and a departure from the usual high speed action common in many games of the Sonic franchise.

Story

The different language manuals give different accounts of Tails' Adventures' place in the Sonic storyline, with the Japanese version citing it as as a prequel to Tails' first appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 2Media:TA JP Manual.pdf (explaining why he lacks his spinning attacks throughout the game). Conversely, the Western versions tell that Sonic and Tails are simply taking a break from adventuring togetherMedia:TailsAdventures GG US SonicGems manual.pdfMedia:TailsAdventures GG EU manual.pdf, and Tails has come to Cocoa Island to relax.

It's a sunny afternoon on Cocoa Island, a beautiful little paradise that rests atop a coral reef, and Miles "Tails" Prower is taking a nap just outside his research lab. His slumber is interrupted by a huge explosion, and the whole place is quickly set ablaze. A panicked Flicky reports to a confused Tails that Great Battle Kukku 15th has invaded the island with his army in search of the Chaos Emeralds that rest on the island, intending to use them to conquer the rest of the world. Tails, having never faced this kind of danger before, sets out to stop them on his own.

Gameplay

Tails making his way through the first level, Poloy Forest.

Contrary to the classic speedy gameplay in the Sonic series, Tails Adventures is a puzzle-based platformer with a strong emphasis on item collecting and backtracking, like a side-scrolling adventure RPG.

Tails can walk, jump (but he doesn't spin), duck, look up, fly, hang on ledges, and throw all manner of bombs. His health is measured numerically by a Ring Item Box at the top left corner of the screen, and the game is over if the number drops to zero. HP is replenished by collecting Rings, which can be found by blowing up some walls or defeating enemies. He starts with a maximum of 10 HP, but that number can be increased by collecting the six Chaos Emeralds. His flight time is limited by the flight gauge, which starts at about 3 seconds and maxes out at about 15, but there is a technique in the game where the player can gather as much air time as they want simply by pressing to make Tails fall in mid-flight, then quickly pressing again before Tails has the chance to descend too far. It is possible to master this technique so that the player barely loses any altitude, but due to the nature of the gameplay in that there are obstacles that prevent Tails from simply 'flying over' them, this technique is only useful for evading small challenges or just for fun.

In total there are 12 stages to complete. There are also 32 items to collect over the course of the game. Each one serves a different purpose, but Tails can only bring 4 items with him into any stage, which can all be equipped at Tails' House. This adds a strategical mechanic to the gameplay, as sometimes the player might need all 4 items to explore one area, but might not be properly equipped to explore another. Memorization is key.

Essential to complete the game in most parts however is the Remote Robot (Mecha Tails in Japan). The Remote Robot is a tiny, all-terrain robotic fox who can squeeze into a lot of places Tails himself can't. When using the Remote Robot, Tails stands in place while player control is switched to the robot. The robo fox can walk, jump, fly, and squeeze into tiny places, it is also invincible to most hazards. Pressing will send it back to Tails. Nearly all of the game's puzzles involve maneuvering the robot to open the path for Tails himself. Under water, the Remote Robot changes into the Sea Fox (Sea Tail in Japan), a small submarine that moves in much the same way the Remote Robot does when flying.

The player's progress is saved via a 16-digit password that is generated based on the stages cleared and items found. If the player gets a Game Over, they can immediately continue from where they left off by selecting "CONTINUE" from the title screen, which will have their most recent password automatically generated. The latest password can be viewed at any time by selecting "CONT." when in Tails' House.

Items

Name	Sprite	Description	Location
For Use on Land
Regular Bomb		Useful against enemies and basic stone barriers. Blows up when it hits something.	Starting item
Large Bomb		Kills all enemies on screen and is the only way to destroy stronger barriers. Explodes several seconds after being placed.	Polly Mt. 2
Remote Bomb		Bomb that does not explode until detonated by pressing , but will explode automatically if it hits an enemy. Useful for sending through small spaces and doorways as the bomb slides towards targets.	Volcanic Tunnel
Napalm Bomb		Creates a flame wave that destroys everything in its path, including enemies several feet off the ground. It's the only way to clear through dense grass.	Cavern Island
Triple Bomb		An enhanced version of the Regular Bomb with a wider explosion radius.	Caron Forest
Wrench		Reverses the direction of the conveyor belts in Battle Fortress 2.	Battle Fortress 2
Helmet		Holding with this equipped will grant invulnerability as Tails ducks under a helmet. Unfortunately, Tails cannot move while using this.	Polly Mt. 1
Remote Robot		A tiny all-terrain robot that can squeeze into tight passages and retrieve items for Tails. Press to activate, + to fly, and again to return to Tails. The robot is invincible to almost all forms of damage but can fall into pits. This item also transforms into the Sea Fox, allowing access to the submarine stages.	Poloy Forest
Hammer		A short-ranged mallet weapon to attack enemies and destroy barriers with.	Volcanic Tunnel
Teleport Device		Press to warp back to Tails' House.	Coco Island
Night Vision		Lights up the pitch-black passages of Polly Mt. 2 using infrared technology. Press to activate.	Green Island
Speed Boots		Allows faster ground travel by pressing while walking.	Poloy Forest
Super Glove		Allows Tails to lift and place rocks by pressing and throw them with .	Polly Mt. 1
Fang		This good luck charm requires no activation. Simply bringing it on adventures will increase the chances of defeated enemies dropping Rings.	Polly Mt. 2
Knuckles		Allows Tails to perform a short-ranged punch by pressing .	Polly Mt. 1
Sonic		Allows Tails to perform the Spin Dash. Hold to charge, then release to blast forward at high speed, smashing through barriers and enemies in Tails' path. It can also be performed in mid-air.	Caron Forest
Item Radar		Helps Tails locate unacquired items remaining in a stage.	Polly Mt. 2
Radio		Changes the background music. Each time is pressed, a different song plays.	Poloy Forest
Chaos Emerald		There are 6 Chaos Emeralds hidden throughout the game. Each one extends Tails' maximum Ring capacity by 10 and his flight gauge by a few seconds. Procuring the sixth Chaos Emerald will max out Tails' Ring capacity at 99.	Poloy Forest (Red) Volcanic Tunnel (Green) Polly Mt. 1 (Purple) Green Island (White) Caron Forest (Blue) Coco Island (Yellow)
For Use at Sea
Proton Torpedo		A powerful torpedo that is fired in front of the Sea Fox.	Caron Forest
Vulcan Gun		The Sea Fox's basic weapon. Press repeatedly for a barrage.	Starting item
Extra Speed		Hold to build up speed, then release and press for a super jump. Required to get through Lake Crystal.	Green Island
Extra Armor		Makes the Sea Fox invincible when activated and lasts until Tails reaches a screen transition.	Volcanic Tunnel
Anti-Air Missile		A missile that attacks enemies and stone barriers above the Sea Fox.	Cavern Island
Spark		Electrifies the water around the Sea Fox, zapping all onscreen enemies and mines.	Poloy Forest
Mine		A mine that can be dropped on enemies and stone barriers below the Sea Fox.	Cavern Island
Rocket Booster		This allows the Sea Fox to fly. Required to access Battle Fortress 1.	Polly Mt. 1

Versions

Also released on

• Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut for the GameCube (2003)
• Sonic Gems Collection for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 (2005)
• Playpal Plug and Play for the Coleco Plug and play console (2006)
• Sonic PC Collection for the PC (2009)
• Virtual Console for the Nintendo 3DS (2013)
• Sonic Origins Plus for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Epic Games Store (2023)

Production credits

• Producer: K.Hasegawa
• Director: K.Hasegawa
• Game Designers: M.Simamura, O.Kodera
• Artists: N.Honda, S.Higashi
• Programmers: K.Oikawa, H.Saigusa, Y.Makishima
• Sound Composer: K.Mixa
• Special Thanks to: T.Ihoroi, P.Tezuka, H.Yoshida, R.Fujimura, R.Hasegawa, O.Nakazato, T.Kojima
• Presented by: Sega

Source: In-game credits

Manuals

Main article: Tails Adventures/Manuals

Artwork

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Physical scans

Reception »

Game Gear, JP
Cover
Cart File:TA JP Manual.pdf Manual

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart

Game Gear, EU
Cover
Cart File:TailsAdventures GG EU manual.pdf Manual

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 5bb6e5d6 MD5 a8bdb1beed088ff83c725c5af6b85e1f SHA-1 da3df145b8e9f2a2e680d2c92939084d4530ed90	512kB	1995-07-21	Cartridge
✔	CRC32 a354ea49 MD5 c2fe111a6e569ec6d58b9ecc32de0e12 SHA-1 8a3c327b328def981779ce436df7857578c01883	512kB		3DS Virtual Console (World)

External links

• Sega of Japan Virtual Console page
• Nintendo catalogue pages: JP, US, UK

References

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems

1991  Sonic the Hedgehog     1992  Sonic the Hedgehog 2     1993  Sonic Chaos | Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine     1994  Sonic Drift | Sonic Spinball | Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble     1995  Sonic Drift 2 | Tails' Skypatrol | Tails Adventures | Sonic Labyrinth | Sonic 2 in 1     1996  Sonic Blast      Demos  Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit) AutoDemo | Sonic & Tails Jitsuenyou Sample | Sonic Drift (demo)  Prototypes  Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear prototype) | Sonic Chaos prereleases | Sonic Spinball (8-bit) prereleases | Sonic Triple Trouble prereleases | Sonic Blast prereleases  Unreleased  Sonic's Edusoft