Daze Before Christmas
 | This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source.(October 2014) |
| Daze Before Christmas | |
|---|---|
 Mega Drive box art | |
| Developer(s) | Funcom |
| Publisher(s) | Sunsoft |
| Producer(s) | Sam Patel Henning Rokling |
| Designer(s) | Jack Kristoffersen Gaute Godager Bjorn Rostoen Tommy Sydsaeter |
| Programmer(s) | Carl-Henrik Skårstedt (MD) Olav Mørkrid (SNES) |
| Artist(s) | Joachim Barrum Tore Blystad Ole-Petter Rosenlund |
| Composer(s) | Kim M. Jensen Geir Tjelta |
| Platform(s) | Mega Drive,Super NES |
| Release | 1994 |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Daze Before Christmasis aplatform video gamedeveloped by Norwegian companyFuncomfor theMega Driveand published bySunsoftin 1994 exclusively inAustralia.It was ported to theSuper Nintendo Entertainment Systemand released inEuropeand Australia. A North American release was also planned but got cancelled.
Gameplay
[edit]
The player controlsSanta Clausas he races to save Christmas from an evilmousewho has stolen the kids' presents, and cursed them with a spell. Santa faces foes such as giantrats,evil toys and livingsnowmenusing hismagicpowers to turn them all into harmless Christmas presents. He can also collect apower-upthat makes him shoot flames which melt ice. Santa's magic can also be used to open the Christmas presents scattered around the levels. These presents may contain enemies, power-ups,bells,elves,orbombs.Santa's energy level is represented by Santa hats, which represent how many hits he can take before losing a life. He can collect more hats to replenish lost energy.
One of the game's distinguishing features is Santa's ability to turn into hisevil twin,"Anti-Claus". By drinking a cup oftea,Santa transforms into a blue-suited, devilish looking version of himself. As Anti-Claus, Santa is invincible, but unable to use his magic or open presents. His primary method of attack is swinging his sack of toys at enemies.
In a break between platform levels, at several points in the game, Santa flies in his sleigh and uses the presents he collects to drop them downchimneysin several locations around the world.
Development
[edit]The lead Mega Driveprogrammerof the game, Carl-Henrik Skårstedt has stated that the game took about a year to develop, but he did not start until the game was six months into development. He also said that he integratedsource codefrom the Funcom-developed video game based on the filmWe're Back! A Dinosaur's StoryintoDaze Before Christmas.The game wasportedto the Super NES by Olav Mørkrid and the process took about six months.[1][2]
The level selectcheat codefor the Super NES version is said to refer to "Badla", the nickname of Geir Tjelta, a musician who worked on the game. The Mega Drive version's level select cheat code is said to refer to theSwedishword "Barra", which refers to aChristmas treedropping its needles.[1]
Release
[edit]TheMega Driveversion of the game was only released inAustraliaalong withEcco Jr.andFatal Fury 2.
Reception
[edit]| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Hyper | 58/100 (SMD)[3] |
| Mega Fun | 46% (SNES)[5] |
| Mega Zone | 52/100 (SMD)[4] |
Reviewing the Mega Drive version for the magazineMega Zone,Matthew Hall gave the game 52/100, saying that while he found the game "cute and cuddly" with "colourful and well-rounded" graphics, the backgrounds were repetitive and the music was droning. He concluded that the simplistic nature of the game play limited it to appealing to younger players.[4]Reviewing the same version,Hypergave it 58/100, calling it "undoubtedly the easiest game in the history of gaming" and opined that while it had "undeniable charm", it was too simplistic for anybody but "very young kids" to enjoy.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ab"SNES Central: Daze Before Christmas".
- ^arcadeattack (2018-12-21)."Olav Mørkrid (Daze Before Christmas)".Arcade Attack.Retrieved2021-05-03.
- ^abArmstrong, Stretch (January 1995). "Daze Before Christmas".Hyper.No. 14. p. 77.
- ^abHall, Matthew (December 1994). "Daze Before Christmas".Mega Zone.No. 46. p. 45.
- ^"Daze Before Christmas".Mega Fun.No. 95. January 1995. p. 106.