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Tails Adventures

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Tails Adventures
System(s): Sega Game Gear
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
ROM size: 512kB
Genre: Action
Release Date RRP Code Rating
Sega Game Gear
JP
1995-09-22 ¥3,800 G-3372
Sega Game Gear
EU
1995-09 €? 2583-50
Sega Game Gear
UK
1995-09 £29.99[1] 2583-50
Sega Game Gear
US
1995-11 $? 2583
Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
JP
2013-04-03[2] ¥286 (300)[2] ?
Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
US
2013-06-20[3] $4.99[3] ?
Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
EU
2013-06-20[4] €4.99[4] ?
Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console
UK
2013-06-20[4] £4.49[4] ?

Tails Adventures (テイルスアドベンチャー), also known as Tails Adventure, is an 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 2 (explaining why he lacks his spinning attacks throughout the game). Conversely, the English version tells that Sonic and Tails are simply taking a break from dual adventuring, and Tails has come to Cocoa Island to relax.

Cocoa Island is a beautiful little paradise that rests atop a coral reef and cannot be found on any map. It's said that the legendary Chaos Emeralds rest here...

It's a sunny afternoon on Cocoa Island, and Miles Prower is taking a nap just outside his research lab, Tails House. His slumber is interrupted by a huge explosion, and before Tails can say "stop, drop, and roll" the whole place is ablaze. A frantic Flicky bird reports the bad news to a confused Tails: the imperial Battle Kukku army has invaded Cocoa Island. The dictator Great Battle Kukku 15th has discovered the Chaos Emeralds on the island, and intends to use them to conquer the entire world (clever, that). Tails is the only one who can put a stop to the imperial army, but he has never faced this kind of danger before... is he up to it?

Gameplay

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. HP is replenished by collecting Rings, which can be found by blowing up some walls or defeating enemies. He starts with 10 HP, but that number maxes out at 99 when all six Chaos Emeralds have been collected. 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 glitch in the game where one can gather as much air time as one wants simply by pressing 2 to make Tails fall in mid-flight, holding up and pressing 2 again before Tails has the chance to descend too far. It is possible to master this cheat 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 26 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. 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 1 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.

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 1, 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 1 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 1 to activate, Up+2 to fly, and 1 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 1 to warp back to Tails' House. Coco Island
Night Vision Lights up the pitch-black passages of Polly Mt. 2 using infrared technology. Press 1 to activate. Green Island
Speed Boots Allows faster ground travel by pressing 1 while walking. Poloy Forest
Super Glove Allows Tails to lift and place rocks by pressing 1 and throw them with 2. 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 1. Polly Mt. 1
Sonic Allows Tails to perform the Spin Dash. Hold 1 to charge, then release to blast forward at high speed, smashing through barriers and enemies in Tails' path. Caron Forest
Item Radar Helps Tails locate unacquired items remaining in a stage. Polly Mt. 2
Radio Changes the background music. Each time 1 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. If you've got 5 Emeralds and procure the sixth, Tails' ring capacity will max out 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 1 repeatedly for a barrage. Starting item
Extra Speed Hold 1 to build up speed, then release 1 and press 2 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

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

Manuals

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Tails Adventures manuals

Artwork

Physical scans




Sega Game Gear
69 Sonic Retro Average
Based on 3 reviews
Publication Score Source
Sega Power (UK) 74 №73, p50
Sega Pro (UK) 85 #51 Pg 67
Famitsu (JP) 48 №354 ,[1]
Game Gear, US
Tails Adventure Game Gear US Cover.png
Cover
Ta gg us cart.jpg
Cart
Game Gear, EU
TA EU Boxart.jpg
Cover
Game Gear, JP
TailsAdventures GG JP Box Back.jpgTA JP Boxart.jpg
Cover

External links

References


Tails Adventures
Ta title.png

Main page
Maps


Manuals
Magazine articles
Reception


Development
Hidden content
Bugs
Technical information

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems
Sega Master System
Sega Game Gear
 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    
 Unreleased  Sonic's Edusoft