PixlBit

Developed by Masaya, published by DreamWorks (no relation to the movie studio), and released in 1990, Trampoline Terror was quite the unique title if you managed to find out about it somehow. I’ve got to hand it to the design team-- they had me fooled with this game. Thanks to my youthful first-time impression of the game many moons ago, I always thought I was playing an overhead action title. I had so much fun with the game, that I didn’t even notice that I was really playing a puzzle\strategy game sneakily dressed in an action game’s clothes (more or less). I’m not sure why it didn’t click with me until now- some 20 years later- especially when most of the gameplay elements practically scream “this is a puzzle game”.

This journey into the unusual places you on an Earth-like planet called Ahas. Invaders from the evil Balos empire have constructed a gigantic sky fortress strangely assembled with trampolines and exploding switches spanning the entire planet, blocking out light from the sun. It’s up to you, the fearless gymnast known as the “Trampoline Terror” to destroy the fortress, take down the Balos Supreme Commander, and bring the sunlight back to Ahas. Classic stuff.

The objective in each stage is to touch the switches scattered throughout each area which will detonate and destroy the current fortress. Jumping on the trampolines help you to cover a greater distance by holding the jump button when standing on a trampoline. Making use of the trampolines becomes pivotal to your success as you get deeper into the game since certain switches can only be reached by bouncing from a trampoline onto the nearby switch.

The caveat is that the trampolines can only be used a limited number of times before they break. They’re color-coded to indicate their current state of durability. With each bounce the color changes from green to blue, to yellow, then red; green being the best condition and red being the worst before it breaks.

The switches in each stage also use the same colors. Activating 3 or 4 of the same color in succession will produce various beneficial effects. For instance, detonating 3 green switches repairs all trampolines by one level of durability; 4 green switches grant you an extra life. Hitting 3 of the blue switches give you temporary invincibility; 4 warps you to the next stage. Activating 3 reds freezes all enemies on-screen; 4 reds will destroy them.

And, as you might expect from a game like this, later stages exploit the different nuances of the switches and trampolines. As you advance further into the game, you’ll really have to think ahead 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 the 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., except they’re much more annoying. They can quickly move across 4 tiles at a time either vertically or horizontally and they’re always chasing after you- more so than any other enemy in the game. Just trying to deal with these guys while also calculating your moves to get past other obstacles can quickly get hectic when you're trying to find that final switch so you can exit the stage.

However, it's the challenging gameplay aspects of Trampoline Terror that makes it so fun to play. You start off just moving from point A to point B, but before you know it you’ll find yourself strategically plotting your next moves, trying to find the best way to finish the area while out-maneuvering the hazards surrounding you. It skillfully ramps up the challenge with enough subtlety to avoid the pitfall of having an unfair gap in difficulty between stages- a pitfall that a game like this could easily have stumbled into.

The graphics are also well done. The choice of colors for the various switches and trampolines along with the fast scrolling detailed backgrounds adds an adventurous [even borderline dizzying] flare to the action.

This audio presentation is on par with the other likable aspects of the game. It features simple, yet well-composed tunes that change every 5 stages or so. The composer’s careful arrangements result in a crystal clear soundtrack with noticeable nuances that make for some pleasant listening while advancing through each area in the game.

Some of the sound effects you’ll hear tend to 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 sounds 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 being made of it these days. To date, this game hasn’t seen a revival through a digital download release. And it’s too bad because the well-engineered puzzle\strategy gameplay elements and nicely composed music make this game a retro classic that many will continue to miss out on. However, you should be able to grab it from an online game store or your local retro joint for cheap. If you have a Genesis console, Trampoline Terror would be a fine addition to your collection.