Genre: Action/Puzzle
Number of Players: 1
Developer: Masaya
Publisher: DreamWorks
Release Date: 1990 (US)
Platform: Sega Genesis
Also Available On: N/A
Every time I play Trampoline Terror!, my mind fondly recalls the first time I heard of it in the early 90s. At the time, the only video game hardware we had was the Game Boy. We couldn’t afford a Super NES or Sega Genesis. So it was always a treat to go to a friend’s house who had one or—dare I say it—both systems. And if I wasn’t able to see it first hand, Big Brother was my man on the inside. He’d regale me with stories of 16-bit games beyond what my Game Boy-centric mind could imagine.
On one occasion, he had just returned from a weekend sleepover at his friend’s house. He excitedly told me about two fascinating Genesis games—one of which featured a character who jumps on trampolines of various colors while avoiding strange enemies (I’ll talk about the other game in a later review).
Admittedly, I had a hard time picturing it in my mind’s eye since I had no frame of reference to compare it to. However, I could see that Big Brother really enjoyed this oddly-titled trampoline-themed game. Developed by Masaya and published by DreamWorks (no relation to the movie studio) in 1990, Trampoline Terror! was quite a unique game if you managed to find out about it somehow.
This journey into the unusual puts you on an Earth-like planet called Ahas. Invaders from the evil Balos empire have constructed a gigantic planet-spanning fortress in the sky, blocking out light from the sun. This menacing grid-like fortress is strangely comprised of trampolines, exploding switches, and various enemies defending the construct.
In true villainous fashion, the empire kidnaps Ahas’ Queen Carina. If left defenseless, the planet will turn cold, and all life will die. It’s up to you, the fearless gymnast known as the “Trampoline Terror”, to destroy all 33 sections of the fortress, rescue the queen, and bring that sweet sunlight back to Ahas. Classic stuff.
I have to hand it to Masaya—they fooled me with this game. Thanks to my youthful first-time impression of Trampoline Terror! many moons ago, I always thought I was playing an action title. At the time, I never noticed that I was actually playing a puzzle game cleverly dressed in an action game’s clothing. I’m not sure why it didn’t click with me until so many years later, especially when most of the gameplay elements are practically screaming, “this is a puzzle game!”
The objective in each stage is to find the switches scattered throughout the area. When you step on the switch’s tile, it will detonate and destroy the current fortress section and advance to the next stage once you have detonated all the switches. Trampolines, the star of the game, allow you to cover a greater distance by holding the jump button when standing on one of them.
Using the trampolines becomes pivotal to your success, as certain switches can only be reached by catapulting off the trampoline onto the switch. But the trampolines can only be used a limited number of times before they break. They are color-coded to indicate their current state of durability. With each bounce, the color changes from green > blue > yellow > red—green being the best condition and red the worst before the trampoline breaks.
The switches in each stage also use the same four color groups as the trampolines. Activating three or four switches of the same color in succession will produce various beneficial effects. For instance, detonating three green switches repairs all trampolines by one level of durability; four green switches grant you an extra life.
Activating three blue switches grants you temporary invincibility; activating four warps you to the next stage (my personal favorite). Three reds freezes all enemies on screen; four clears the screen of enemies until they respawn—great for providing some much-needed respite later in the game.
As you might expect from a game like this, the later stages exploit the different nuances of the switches and trampolines. As you advance further into the game, you’ll have to exercise some forethought before touching certain switches (since they explode after activating them) or jumping from a trampoline onto a disappearing platform. It adds an interesting layer of strategy to keep the game from being too formulaic.
You'll also need to stay a few steps ahead of the enemies in the game because they can easily overwhelm you if you're not careful. The most annoying enemies for me were those darn bullet-heads, flying saucers, and warping bats. As far as the bullet-heads go, they look a lot like the Bullet Bills from Super Mario Bros., but much more annoying.
They quickly dart across four tiles at a time, both vertically and horizontally, and they relentlessly chase you—more than any other enemy in the game. Trying to deal with just one of these guys while calculating your moves to get past other obstacles is quite trialsome.
Adding one or two more into the mix creates some truly tense moments when all you want to do is find that final switch so you can exit the stage. Worst of all, their movements and positioning are timed in a way that places them in (or very near) your direct path at all times. Not for the faint of heart.
Truth be told, it’s the challenging aspects of Trampoline Terror! that make it so interesting to play. You begin the game just running from point A to point B. But soon, you’ll find yourself strategically plotting your path forward, trying to find the best way to finish the area while out-maneuvering the hazards in your way. The game ramps up the challenges subtly, avoiding the common pitfall of sudden spikes in difficulty between stages.
This game also boasts a solid audio presentation. It features simple, well-composed music that changes about every five stages or so. The composer’s careful arrangement yields a crystal-clear soundtrack with noticeable nuances that make for pleasant listening as the player progresses through each area in the game.
As far as sound effects go, I’ve got no complaints. Some of the sounds you’ll hear do stick with you long after you’ve played the game for a while, but in a good kind of way. It can certainly be said that this game had some of the better sound effects to come out of the Genesis’ hardware than other higher-profile titles that received more attention.
As the lifespan of the Sega Genesis and video games in general marched on, Trampoline Terror! faded into obscurity without much mention of it these days. As of this writing, the game hasn’t seen a revival on any modern platforms.
It’s too bad because the puzzle gameplay elements and nicely composed music make this game a gem that many will continue to miss out on. If you have a Genesis console, Trampoline Terror! would be a fine addition to your collection.
Question for the audience: How did you discover Trampoline Terror?
Appreciate this review. I never heard of this game back in the day, but I did take note of it when I was doing a very deep dive into potential Genesis hidden gems maybe 6-7 years ago. Still haven't gotten around to giving it an honest try though, and this is the most detailed description of the game I've encountered. I'm always on the lookout for unique gameplay formulas!
This game looks more like a mid 90s PC game than a Mega Drive one. Count me intrigued! I'll give it a go when I have the chance.