Wagyan Land (Sega Game Gear review)

Developer: Now Production
Publisher: Namco
Released: 1991

Wagyan Land is a platformer and an enhanced port of the 1989 Nintendo Famicom title of the same name.

+ World map has multiple routes for you to explore, which is a great incentive to return for repeated attempts.

+ Enemies can be stunned to create platforms, which is a brilliant gimmick for strategically traversing the environments.

+ Later stages add a few new wrinkles to keep things fresh, including spring boots that allow you to stomp on bad guys.

+ Colourful graphics are reminiscent of Namco's Pac-Land (1984, Arcade) and there's some neat platform layering effects.

- Like Yo Noid! (1990, NES), the game has an identity crisis and doesn't stay on one idea long enough to make an impact.

- Word chain boss battles slow the gameplay down unnecessarily and it's tough for non-Japanese speakers to partake.

- Obtaining four Wagyanizers grants invincibility, but it's too overpowered and allows you to skip 60-70% of most levels.