Taz: Escape from Mars
Encyclopedia
Taz in Escape from Mars is a video game developed by HeadGames and released by Sega
in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive
and Sega Game Gear
featuring Taz
, the Looney Tunes
Tasmanian devil
cartoon character. The Game Gear version was ported by TecToy to the Sega Master System
and released in 1996 only in Brazil. Taz must escape from Mars
, where he was brought by Marvin the Martian
. The game includes six worlds with two or three levels in each world.
creatures and finds Taz, Tasmanian devil
. Marvin gets the idea of capturing Taz for his zoo and heads to Earth to capture him. Meanwhile, Taz is minding his own business until Marvin beams Taz up into his flying saucer
taking Taz to Marvin's Martian zoo where Taz escapes.
at the end. Each world has a set of unique challenges, many of which closely related. The enemies, though with different shapes and appearances, commonly have the same action for the same type (such as a space ship shooting light rays). There are numerous enemies and powerups.
in the form of moles
. There is also dirt, of which Taz can dig into, often litered with spiky mines. The second level involves a large tunnel boring machine
that constantly moves forward and takes Taz's life away instantly. The boss is a mole in a large spaceship in an area where Taz constantly falls with rocks along the way.
creature with spikes covering its body making several curves and zigzags each time it comes out of the ground.
pulled by mule
s with occasional cows and bull
s along the pathway. Falling off this causes Taz to lose health and get dragged back slowly. Yosemite Sam
sometimes appears here as well with a bird
flying along that drops sticks of dynamite
from the air. The second level involves Taz exploring a Mexican
town. Yosemite Sam fires his guns wildly in two places and it is the first level that introduces going indoors. The boss is a bull fight, of which the bull needs to slam into the walls of the stadium.
.
maze
where Taz must shut off four lasers in order to access Marvin. Touching the lasers causes Taz to take damage. Gravity in the laser maze level is also varies on any of four basic directions: the usual straight down, but also up, left, and right. The boss is Marvin himself in a Lex Luthor
style mechanical exoskeleton.
s (+1 hit point), bread
, fruit
, ham
, and cakes. A special powerup is a medipack which replenishes 6 hit points if eaten, half of Taz's health. Other powerups include a box of rocks and gas
containers. By eating the box o' rocks, Taz can spit out rocks at his enemies. By eating the gas container, Taz can breathe out fire. Each gives ten shots. Extra lives and continues are scattered around in the levels.
Also, there are various power-downs as well that take one hit point away. The most common of which are small black bombs. Others include a time bomb, and a cake with dynamite. When eaten, the object explodes making Taz lose one hit point and become black momentarily.
Other objects include shrink and grow potions. While enlarged, Taz can destroy any enemy by simply touching it and enemy attacks do not damage Taz. While shrunk, Taz cannot destroy anything, but can get through narrow passageways.
By contacting these items in a spin, they are destroyed, useful on the explosives, but bad on the healing items.
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
and Sega Game Gear
Sega Game Gear
The was Sega's first handheld game console. It was the third commercially available color handheld console, after the Atari Lynx and the TurboExpress....
featuring Taz
Tasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes)
The Tasmanian Devil, often referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. The character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros...
, the Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
Tasmanian devil
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936...
cartoon character. The Game Gear version was ported by TecToy to the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
and released in 1996 only in Brazil. Taz must escape from Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, where he was brought by Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian
Marvin the Martian is a fictional character appearing in the Looney Tunes cartoons. Marvin's likeness appears in miniature on the Spirit rover on Mars.-Conception and creation:...
. The game includes six worlds with two or three levels in each world.
The story's beginning
Marvin the Martian visits his Martian zoo and finds an empty cage. He looks in his book for EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
creatures and finds Taz, Tasmanian devil
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936...
. Marvin gets the idea of capturing Taz for his zoo and heads to Earth to capture him. Meanwhile, Taz is minding his own business until Marvin beams Taz up into his flying saucer
Flying saucer
A flying saucer is a type of unidentified flying object sometimes believed to be of alien origin with a disc or saucer-shaped body, usually described as silver or metallic, occasionally reported as covered with running lights or surrounded with a glowing light, hovering or moving rapidly either...
taking Taz to Marvin's Martian zoo where Taz escapes.
The levels
There are 6 worlds, each with 2 or 3 levels and a bossBoss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
at the end. Each world has a set of unique challenges, many of which closely related. The enemies, though with different shapes and appearances, commonly have the same action for the same type (such as a space ship shooting light rays). There are numerous enemies and powerups.
Mars
Taz begins on Mars in the Martian zoo Marvin brought Taz to. Scattered around are teleporters to teleport Taz to different parts of the level. The boss is an alien with long spines going around in circles then shooting exploding mines that bounce around.Moleworld
Moleworld has huntersHunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
in the form of moles
Mole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
. There is also dirt, of which Taz can dig into, often litered with spiky mines. The second level involves a large tunnel boring machine
Tunnel boring machine
A tunnel boring machine also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They can bore through anything from hard rock to sand. Tunnel diameters can range from a metre to almost 16 metres to date...
that constantly moves forward and takes Taz's life away instantly. The boss is a mole in a large spaceship in an area where Taz constantly falls with rocks along the way.
Planet X
Planet X involves some flying, and a little water. The first half of the first level involves land exploration with sliding along waterfalls and fast-moving rivers at the last half. The second level is entirely extensive waterfalls. The third level is entirely flying. The boss is a large green centipede-likeCentipede
Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300. Centipedes have an odd number of pairs of...
creature with spikes covering its body making several curves and zigzags each time it comes out of the ground.
Mexico
Having arrived back on Earth, Taz is placed on a long, fast-moving wagon trainWagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
pulled by mule
Mule
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny...
s with occasional cows and bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
s along the pathway. Falling off this causes Taz to lose health and get dragged back slowly. Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park...
sometimes appears here as well with a bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
flying along that drops sticks of dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
from the air. The second level involves Taz exploring a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
town. Yosemite Sam fires his guns wildly in two places and it is the first level that introduces going indoors. The boss is a bull fight, of which the bull needs to slam into the walls of the stadium.
Haunted castle
The haunted castle is the last world visited while Taz is on Earth. The first level is outdoors. The last two levels are both indoors. The last indoor level is in a laboratory. The boss is an evil scientist with GossamerGossamer (Looney Tunes)
Gossamer is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. The character is a hairy, red monster. His rectangular body is perched on two giant tennis shoes, and his heart-shaped face is composed of only two oval eyes and a wide mouth, with...
.
Marvin's House
Taz visits Marvin's house to find and defeat him. The first level is outside where the level is drifting along the stars. The dog, K-9, is seen in two occasions as is even twice as powerful than any boss. The second level is a laserLaser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
maze
Maze
A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must find a route. In everyday speech, both maze and labyrinth denote a complex and confusing series of pathways, but technically the maze is distinguished from the labyrinth, as the labyrinth has a single...
where Taz must shut off four lasers in order to access Marvin. Touching the lasers causes Taz to take damage. Gravity in the laser maze level is also varies on any of four basic directions: the usual straight down, but also up, left, and right. The boss is Marvin himself in a Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
style mechanical exoskeleton.
Controls
Taz jumps, spins, and does other various actions. By spinning and colliding with an enemy, Taz can defeat his enemies and dig into the ground. The actions can be flipping a switch, spitting a rock, breathing out a flame, or picking up something.Enemies
Most enemies take one hit, others take two. Most bosses take 6 to 8 hits. Only one nonboss enemy takes more than two hits to destroy. From touching an enemy without spinning, or one of their attacks, Taz loses one hit point of damage. Taz can sustain 12 hit points. Some boss enemies take two hit points and Marvin's dog, K-9, takes four hit points. Some enemies, like the fly or armored soldier (in the haunted castle world) cannot be defeated by the spin, but only by rocks or the flame. Others, like Yosemite Sam, cannot be defeated at all.Completing levels
Completing a level involves either defeating the boss of that level or Taz eating an exit sign.Powerups and powerdowns
The most common type of powerup is food. Food replenishes Taz's health. By spinning into the food, the food is destroyed. Food items include burgerHamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s (+1 hit point), bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
, and cakes. A special powerup is a medipack which replenishes 6 hit points if eaten, half of Taz's health. Other powerups include a box of rocks and gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
containers. By eating the box o' rocks, Taz can spit out rocks at his enemies. By eating the gas container, Taz can breathe out fire. Each gives ten shots. Extra lives and continues are scattered around in the levels.
Also, there are various power-downs as well that take one hit point away. The most common of which are small black bombs. Others include a time bomb, and a cake with dynamite. When eaten, the object explodes making Taz lose one hit point and become black momentarily.
Other objects include shrink and grow potions. While enlarged, Taz can destroy any enemy by simply touching it and enemy attacks do not damage Taz. While shrunk, Taz cannot destroy anything, but can get through narrow passageways.
By contacting these items in a spin, they are destroyed, useful on the explosives, but bad on the healing items.