Tails' Skypatrol
From Sonic Retro
- "Tails Sky Patrol" redirects here. For the McDonald's LCD game, see Tails Sky Patrol (LCD game).
| Tails' Skypatrol | ||||||||||
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| System(s): Sega Game Gear | ||||||||||
| Publisher: Sega | ||||||||||
| Developer: SIMS, JSH | ||||||||||
| Genre: Action[1], Shooting[2] | ||||||||||
| Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||
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Tails' Skypatrol (テイルスのスカイパトロール) is a Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off game for the Sega Game Gear which was released exclusively in Japan. Players assume command of Miles "Tails" Prower in a permanent flying state, who must save an island by defeating the evil villainess Witchcart. This is the only appearance by Witchcart and her companions in any Sonic or Sonic-related game. Dr. Eggman, the villain of most Sonic games, is not featured in the game nor referenced.
The game appears designed for younger audiences but is extremely difficult, as Tails falling, bumping into an object or touching the ground makes the player lose a life.
It is partially unknown who has made the game, since the credits of the games are full of abbreviated names and pseudonyms. Very few "real" names actually exist, and whether there are one or two people is also never confirmed.
Contents
Story
One day, Tails decides to go on an adventure of his own, independent from Sonic, and explore in the sky with no destination in mind. During his flight, he discovers a lone island in the middle of the ocean, and decides to make a landing there, where he discovers steel tracks stretching across the land and not a single animal in sight. This doesn't appear to be the work of Dr. Eggman, but is the work of Witchcart, a mysterious human figure who has taken over the island and intends to turn anyone who opposes her into crystals, and sends her minions out to patrol the various areas of the island. Even if Sonic isn't around, Tails is determined to stop her and save the island.
Gameplay
Tails' Skypatrol is not a traditional platformer and instead is more similar to a shooter. There are no Rings or Chaos Emeralds to be collected and Tails is constantly "suspended" in flight mode. Tails cannot stop moving during gameplay, unless the game is paused, and he cannot turn around to move in the opposite direction at will. He can, however, move up and down by pressing 
or 
on the D-Pad. He can also slow down by holding 
or speed up by holding 
.
The objective of the game is to fly to the end of the stage, avoiding obstacles and destroying enemies with a golden Ring, which he can throw as a projectile by pressing 
or 
. Holding or before releasing will make the Ring spin around Tails, strengthening the throw and making the Ring go farther, similar to how the Spin Dash move works in traditional Sonic games. The Ring can also be used to latch on to any number of devices the player will encounter in each stage, ranging from gymnastics bars to railcarts, however the Ring cannot latch on to objects while it is spinning around Tails.
The screen is fixed and constantly moves along with Tails. In order to stay afloat, Tails' flight meter, which slowly drops to zero, must be replenished by collecting Mint Candy scattered in each level. After taking a hit from an enemy or projectile, Tails will begin spiraling out of control. Rapidly pressing or before he runs into the ground or a wall will stop the descent and regain control of Tails, but will cost a portion of the flight meter. If Tails collides with the terrain or runs out of flight meter, he will lose a life. Extra lives can be gained by earning 10,000 and 30,000 points.
Items
Scattered throughout each level are several items which can be picked up for bonuses:
| Mint Candy (ミントキャンディ)[3] | |
|---|---|
| Replenishes the power gauge. Candy can be found in sets of 1, 2, or 3, replenishing a quarter, half, or all of the flight gauge respectively. | |
| Crystal (クリスタル)[3] | |
| Adds 1,000 points at the end of the level. | |
| Bell (ベル)[3] | |
| Same effect as a Checkpoint marker in the traditional Sonic games. When activated, Tails will return to this point if the player loses a life. | |
| 1UP[3] | |
| Gives Tails an extra life. | |
| Muteki Star (ムテキスター)[3] | |
| Temporary invincibility from all obstacles, including walls. |
Level objects
Throughout the game, the player will come across a number of common objects that the player can interact with in some way. The player may avoid some of these by holding or to spin Tails' Ring.
| Pole (ポール)[4] | |
|---|---|
| When Tails' Ring latches onto it, he will swing up/down the pole and be launched forward. | |
| Bar (バー)[4] | |
| Catapults Tails in the direction of the arrow next to it. | |
| Catapult (カタパルト)[4] | |
| Catapults Tails forward at high speed. | |
| Daruma Block (だるまブロック)[4] | |
| A wall that can be broken down by hitting the blocks with Tails' Ring. Hitting the gold block destroys the wall instantly. | |
| Balloon (バルーン)[4] | |
| A balloon that Tails can hang on to to float upwards without draining his flight gauge. | |
| Kurukuru Panel (くるくるパネル)[5] | |
| A rotating wall. The player must avoid contact with it while it's rotating. | |
| Switch Bolt (スイッチボルト)[5] | |
| A switch with a spike ball orbiting around it. Hitting it will make the spike ball change direction. | |
| Truck (トロッコ)[5] | |
| Moves forward when Tails' Ring latches on to it, carrying him along the track. | |
| Omori (おもり)[5] | |
| A heavy weight that weighs Tails down to the ground. It can be pulled off ledges. | |
| Bonmetal (ボンメタル)[5] | |
| Strange round blocks that suddenly appear to block Tails. They can be destroyed piece-by-piece by tossing the Ring at them. | |
| Switch (スイッチ)[5] | |
| A switch that toggles objects such as walls. |
Levels
| Training Area | |
|---|---|
| The first level and, as it suggests, the tutorial level, though it gives no instructions on how to play the game. It is more like a very easy example of the rest of the game, not including enemies or other level specific gimmicks. | |
| Rail Canyon Area | |
| The first 'true' level in the game. Level features many pine trees and graphics seen throughout more traditional Sonic games. It's the first level in the game to feature enemies such as turtles that throw projectiles and balloons that try and blast you out of the sky. Destroying the bottom half offers Tails a free balloon. At the end of the level, the player will face the game's first boss, Hocke-Wulf, who is a blue wolf on a flying bike that throws bombs at Tails. | |
| Ruin Wood Area | |
| The second level in the game takes place in what looks like an old mine, later in the level the player will enter a mountainous area. Enemies for this level include skeleton-like creatures that spring up from the ground and throw their bones at the player and 'capture berries' which will clamp onto Tails' ring if he gets too close, holding him in place momentarily. The boss at the end of the level, Bearenger, will throw projectiles at Tails, three at a time. | |
| Metal Island Area | |
| The third level takes place in the sky, supposedly on an airship of sorts, and features fans that create strong gusts that can blow Tails into hazards or enemies. The level enemies feature bird-like robots that swoop down to attack, then retreat. At the end of the level Tails will confront the third boss, Carrotia, which is a very feminine rabbit on a flying carrot. | |
| Dark Castle Area | |
| The last level in the game. This level features, along with an unforgiving difficulty and a surplus of traps, octopus-like robots that will hurl beach balls at you and the game's final boss, Witchcart, who will constantly cast magic sparks at Tails. |
History
Development
|
Main article: Tails' Skypatrol/Development |
Legacy
Due to its nature as a spinoff title released exclusively in Japan, Tails' Skypatrol had become one of the more obscure titles in the Sonic franchise, and would not see an official Western release until its inclusion as an unlockable game in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut in 2003.
The game would not be adapted into any comics until 2016 when Archie Comics' Sonic Universe featured the "Eggman's Dozen" story arc that ran from issues #83 to #86, adapting Witchcart and her minions with different names, designs and backgrounds as well as having the events of Tails' Skypatrol take place immediately after the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in flashbacks. In 2022 the IDW Publishing one-shot Sonic the Hedgehog: Tails' 30th Anniversary Special was published, featuring a story that serves as a spiritual sequel to this game and Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, where Witchcart and her minions had taken over Flicky Island and captured Sonic, thus Tails must defeat them again with the help of the Flickies.
Versions
Also released on
- Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut for the GameCube (2003) and PC (2004)
- Sonic Gems Collection for the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 (2005)
- Sonic PC Collection for the PC (2009)
- Sonic Origins Plus for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Steam and Epic Games Store (2023)
Production credits
|
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Main article: sega:Tails' Skypatrol/Production credits |
Manuals
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Main article: Tails' Skypatrol/Manuals |
Magazine articles
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Main article: sega:Tails' Skypatrol/Magazine articles |
Artwork
Cover art
Logo
Tails
Tails
Tails
Physical scans
 Reception »
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| Game Gear, JP |
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  Cover
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 Cart |
Technical information
ROM dump status
| System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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256kB | Cartridge (JP) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/gamegear/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-12-07 04:57)
- ↑ File:TailsskypatrolBox jp.jpg
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 File:TailsSkypatrol GG JP manual.pdf, page 21
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 File:TailsSkypatrol GG JP manual.pdf, page 22
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 File:TailsSkypatrol GG JP manual.pdf, page 23
| Tails' Skypatrol | |
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Manuals |
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| Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems | |
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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 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
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