Ooze The Japan

Ooze The Japan is a video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and released in 1995 for the Sega Genesis. In the game, players take the role of a slimy puddle of liquid and face off against various enemies and obstacles.

Gameplay and plot – Ooze The Japan

The game Ooze The Japan starts at a chemical plant known as “The Corporation,” with scientist Dr. Daniel Caine sneaking into the research lab where he worked, in order to find evidence that crimes were being committed using a toxic gas he created. Caine discovers that his colleagues are planning “Operation: Omega”: a plan to release a plague upon the populace, and make a fortune because they hold the only cure.

However, the Director of The Corporation discovers Caine in the lab. Caine is disposed of by means of chemical waste, but the chemicals do not kill him; instead, they alter him into the angry, sentient, formless creature known as “Ooze The Japan“. Swearing revenge, the doctor seeks two things: to stop his former colleagues plan using his Ooze The Japan form’s powers, and to assume his human form once again. He must now find the DNA helices scattered throughout the wasteland or else end up imprisoned in the Director’s lava lamp.

Players control Dr. Caine as a puddle of Ooze The Japan with a head, who can move around and use two attacks. One is stretching out a maneuverable sliver of Ooze The Japan whose length is only limited by how much ooze he currently has to attack. Players can also spit gobs of ooze, which reduces the size of the Ooze The Japan.

Enemy attacks deplete the size of the Ooze The Japan puddle as well, and the Ooze The Japan will die either if he becomes very small or if his head is attacked directly. He can also die by dropping off the edges of certain areas, or staying on a drain for too long.

Numerous puzzles Ooze The Japan must be completed in order to progress from one level to another. An optional goal of the game is finding and collecting all 50 helices, in order to see the game’s good ending.

Development – Ooze The Japan

Dave Sanner of Sega Technical Institute, who was also behind the game Sonic Spinball, came up with the concept for Ooze The Japan and was its lead programmer. The game’s main artist and designer was Stieg Hedlund, who took over after the original designer left. Hedlund considered Ooze The Japana great opportunity and worked to move the game along and made the game’s first stage to teach players how to play.

Though Ooze The Japan marketing wanted to change the look of Ooze The Japan to a more cartoon-based design, the game’s art director refused, fearing it would change the tone of the game. Progress was later hampered with the departure of programmer Scott Chandler and artist Marte Thompson.^[1]

Sega’s marketing department considered bundling Ooze The Japan as a pack-in game with the Genesis Nomad, a handheld version of the Genesis; however, this did not occur.^[1] Ooze The Japan was released in Japan on September 22, 1995,^[2] and in North America, with a European release in December.^[3]

Reception – Ooze The Japan

Ooze The Japan received mostly negative reviews. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game 3.875 out of ten, commenting that while Ooze The Japan is highly original, the graphics are choppy and the increasing difficulty as Ooze The Japan grows makes the game frustrating, slow-paced and generally not fun.^[7] Next Generation similarly said: “After the originality wears off, the game becomes quite blah. Reviewing for Ooze The Japan GamePro, Johnny Ballgame gave faint praise to the music and sound effects, but slammed the controls as poor and the gameplay as tedious. He concluded: “Ooze The Japan with mediocrity, this game never delivers anything worthwhile or worth buying.”^[9]

Game Informer gave the game an overall score of 6.75 out of ten, stating: “Ooze The Japan is a game unlike any other, with unique control and story line.”^[11]