Decap Attack
Encyclopedia
Decap Attack, a westernised version of the Japanese game , is a video game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console. The game is also a part of the Sega Genesis Collection
(Sega Mega Drive Collection) for the PlayStation 2
and PlayStation Portable
and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
(Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection) for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
. It is almost identical in terms of gameplay
to the Japan
ese title Magical Hat Flying Turbo Adventure. However, the graphics, characters and level designs were nearly all changed, since Flying Turbo Adventure was based on the anime
series Magical Hat
for which the license was not obtained outside of Japan. Both are updates of the Master System game Psycho Fox
, and also the NES
game Kid Kool
.
, named Chuck D. Head, through various side-scrolling levels in an effort to battle an underworld army led by Max D. Cap. Levels contain many enemies and hazards that can harm or kill Chuck, and power-ups to collect; at the end of the last level in every area there is a boss to defeat. The player has a small amount of health units
, displayed as heart
s, and a small amount of lives. The fictional island the game takes place on, shaped like a skeleton
, is split apart into many pieces. Individual levels are named after parts of the skeleton, such as Abdomainland or Armington. Some levels require the player to collect a certain item for Dr. Frank N. Stein, the mad scientist
who created Chuck.
Chuck resembles an ordinary mummy, except for the fact that he has no head and he has a face implanted in his torso
. During the game, Chuck attacks enemies by extending his face out to hit them or by jumping on them. While jumping, players can repeatedly hit the jump button to slow down Chuck's descent. Chuck may collect a skull
power-up; which will sit on his shoulders like a head and can be thrown at enemies. Like a boomerang, it will return to him no matter what it hits, or where it goes, but if Chuck gets hit by an enemy or hazard, he will lose the skull. During the game Chuck may also collect a variety of potion
s, which can be collected and used at the player's leisure. The potions consist of powerups typical for the genre, such as invincibility, instantly eliminating all enemies on screen, increasing speed and jumping power, and increasing the range and power of Chuck's punch.
loosely based upon Decap Attack appeared in the UK
's Sonic the Comic
, written and drawn for Nigel Kitching
(with Richard Piers Rayner
co-writing some episodes, and Mike McMahon
drawing a few of those) and a firm fan favourite. The strip contained a very absurdist and manic sense of humour, dealing with the daily life of Chuck, Head (the talking skull who, to Head's annoyance, gets thrown at enemies), the evil-minded Igor (who is constantly trying to kill Chuck) and the stereotypical mad scientist Professor Frank N. Stein, who is actually faking his German accent and really comes from Cardiff
.
Max D. Cap only appeared twice in the strip, in the first story and one where the characters went to Hell
, and was partnered both times with his accountant who is constantly encouraging Max to be more stereotypically evil in his mannerisms. Max is described by the Professor as being one of the most evil beings alive, as he borrowed the Professor's lawnmower and never returned it.
Sega Genesis Collection
The Sega Mega Drive Collection is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, compiled and emulated by Digital Eclipse and released in the U.S. in 2006 and Europe and Australia in 2007...
(Sega Mega Drive Collection) for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
(Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection) for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. It is almost identical in terms of gameplay
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
to the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese title Magical Hat Flying Turbo Adventure. However, the graphics, characters and level designs were nearly all changed, since Flying Turbo Adventure was based on the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series Magical Hat
Magical Hat
is an anime series by Studio Pierrot. The 33 episode series aired on Fuji Television from October 1989 to July 1990.The series stars Hat, the descendant of a hero who fought an evil king and sealed Devildom...
for which the license was not obtained outside of Japan. Both are updates of the Master System game Psycho Fox
Psycho Fox
Psycho Fox is a video game published by Sega for the Sega Master System in 1989.In Psycho Fox, an evil god named Madfox Daimyojin has corrupted the land. The people who want him gone send a hero, Psycho Fox, to get rid of the evil god.-Gameplay:...
, and also the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
game Kid Kool
Kid Kool
Kid Kool and the Quest for the Seven Wonder Herbs, known in Japan as , is a video game released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988 by Vic Tokai.-Summary:It is a platform game akin to the Mario series...
.
Plot
Chuck D. Head, a mummy created by mad scientist Dr. Frank N Stein, is sent to defeat Max D. Cap, who has returned from the Underworld with his army, and reform the scattered islands. After defeating Max, Chuck sluggishly returns home, where Stein rewards him by transforming him into a real human.Gameplay
The player controls a living mummyMummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
, named Chuck D. Head, through various side-scrolling levels in an effort to battle an underworld army led by Max D. Cap. Levels contain many enemies and hazards that can harm or kill Chuck, and power-ups to collect; at the end of the last level in every area there is a boss to defeat. The player has a small amount of health units
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
, displayed as heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
s, and a small amount of lives. The fictional island the game takes place on, shaped like a skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
, is split apart into many pieces. Individual levels are named after parts of the skeleton, such as Abdomainland or Armington. Some levels require the player to collect a certain item for Dr. Frank N. Stein, the mad scientist
Mad scientist
A mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
who created Chuck.
Chuck resembles an ordinary mummy, except for the fact that he has no head and he has a face implanted in his torso
Torso
Trunk or torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies from which extend the neck and limbs. The trunk includes the thorax and abdomen.-Major organs:...
. During the game, Chuck attacks enemies by extending his face out to hit them or by jumping on them. While jumping, players can repeatedly hit the jump button to slow down Chuck's descent. Chuck may collect a skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
power-up; which will sit on his shoulders like a head and can be thrown at enemies. Like a boomerang, it will return to him no matter what it hits, or where it goes, but if Chuck gets hit by an enemy or hazard, he will lose the skull. During the game Chuck may also collect a variety of potion
Potion
A potion is a consumable medicine or poison.In mythology and literature, a potion is usually made by a magician, sorcerer, dragon, fairy or witch and has magical properties. It might be used to heal, bewitch or poison people...
s, which can be collected and used at the player's leisure. The potions consist of powerups typical for the genre, such as invincibility, instantly eliminating all enemies on screen, increasing speed and jumping power, and increasing the range and power of Chuck's punch.
Differences from Magical Hat no Buttobi Tabo! Daibōken
Gameplay remains similar between the two games, albeit the graphics, characters, music and level designs are all changed. Also, in Magical Hat, players are killed if they are hit once, while in Decap Attack, players can choose to have up to four hearts (a total of eight hits) per life (though certain situations, such as touching lava or falling into a pit will cause an instant death). Flagpoles that can restore health in Decap Attack increase lives in Magical Hat.Comic Strip
For many years, a comic stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
loosely based upon Decap Attack appeared in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Sonic the Comic
Sonic the Comic
Sonic the Comic, known to its many readers as STC, was a UK children's comic published fortnightly by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002...
, written and drawn for Nigel Kitching
Nigel Kitching
Nigel Kitching is an illustrator and writer in comics and in books.He is best known for his work in British comics, especially Sonic the Comic.-References:*-External links:***-Interviews:*...
(with Richard Piers Rayner
Richard Piers Rayner
Richard Piers Rayner is an English comic book artist. He is best known for his work on Road to Perdition.-Biography:Richard Piers Rayner began his professional comic career in 1988, illustrating for DC Comics and Marvel Comics. His works include Hellblazer, Swamp Thing, L.E.G.I.O.N., Doctor Fate,...
co-writing some episodes, and Mike McMahon
Mike McMahon (comics)
Michael McMahon is a British comics artist best known for his work on 2000 AD characters such as Judge Dredd, Sláine and ABC Warriors, and the mini-series The Last American....
drawing a few of those) and a firm fan favourite. The strip contained a very absurdist and manic sense of humour, dealing with the daily life of Chuck, Head (the talking skull who, to Head's annoyance, gets thrown at enemies), the evil-minded Igor (who is constantly trying to kill Chuck) and the stereotypical mad scientist Professor Frank N. Stein, who is actually faking his German accent and really comes from Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Max D. Cap only appeared twice in the strip, in the first story and one where the characters went to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, and was partnered both times with his accountant who is constantly encouraging Max to be more stereotypically evil in his mannerisms. Max is described by the Professor as being one of the most evil beings alive, as he borrowed the Professor's lawnmower and never returned it.
External links
- DecapAttack at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- DecapAttack at GameFaqsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...