REVIEW | Willy Wombat (Sega Saturn, 1997) | Japan-Only 3D Action & Adventure from Hudson! 

Is it?

Hell yeah! One good thing about this game's music, like so many other Saturn games, is that it's redbook audio, so you can just put the disc in a CD player and enjoy or rip the music with ease. If you are indeed going to Japan sometime soon, I'd hold off on buying the game until then. You can find it for 108 yen, for sure.

Word!

except downloading game ROMs off the internet is illegal Granted, emulating the Saturn is extremely difficult anyway.

I was lucky to pick one up for 40 bucks

I see the Darkwing Duck resemblance as well! And sadly, Saturn games were some of the earliest "retro" imports to become really expensive...I hope you get to play this and the other ones you mentioned sometime!

You don't need to get it modded, just buy a pseudo saturn cart off ebay (make sure to get the one with backup save ability because the suckers can be a bit tough to remove from the console), and get decent CDs, and you'll be able to play burned games.

Crash looks more like a wombat than a bandicoot. He doesn't even have a rat tail!

Yeah man, just keep your eye out for an Action Replay Plus and you'll be able to play import games, have a 4MB RAM card for fighting games that require it, a game shark, and have TONS of flash storage to keep your game files archived for when that crappy button battery dies in the Saturn.

I used to have a action replay for my PS1, i'd love to get my hands on another PS1 with the game shark/action replay slot. That's actually around the time i started picking up import games cause i could finally play them on my PS1. Although we did have a bunch of weird games from Saudi Arabia on the genesis since my uncle worked there.

DubiousGamingOnline I never owned the PS1 Action Replay, as I had a mod chip put in my system. Did you have any problems playing games with it?

I never did, and i threw a ton of import / burned games in that thing with the swap method. Actully i've been waiting to get a ps1 with the game shark / actoin replay slot and another action replay, that was one of the coolest system enhancers i've ever used. AND it ran way faster than the game shark did in the ps1.

The games seemed to be mostly of european / pal region origin. I can't really remember the titles of all of them but i remember one of the titles and it was called "Tintin au Tibet" which was a tin tin game. The game had an international language menu when it booted up but it defaulted to arabic. I'm pretty sure the US never saw a release of tintin au tibet. Some of the games we had wouldn't run on on the genesis at all even though they were brand new, one had like some gold samauri armor on the front? i can't remember the name of it. Another one was a game that played kinda like rad racer for the nes but all the menus were in arabic. There were 3 others from there but i can't remember anything about them since they were my cousin's and not mine. All the games were purchased at cheap markets in Riyad, Saudi Arabia but i don't really know exactly where. TL;DR Most of the games i never saw in the US.

The resemblance is uncanny.

Say what now?

+Flychick86 Gotta love that theme song. And gotta love that it's redbook, so you can listen to it on a CD player or rip the MP3 with ease. :)

Thanks again, and I hope you pick up a Saturn someday, if only for the other great games that were released exclusively for the system and never ported anywhere else!

Thanks man! I mentioned it briefly near the end of the video, but yeah, I agree, it's a little slow...at least, at first it is. I almost stopped playing after about an hour, but I'm glad I hung in there because the game gets a lot better! It's never becomes too fast paced, but I feel it's a better answer to a Saturn Sonic game than 3D Blast ever was! ;)

Ha ha ha. You know what's weird...? I sometimes mimic Willy's "Okeiiiiii" in real life. I am a tool and I will go away now.

Thanks a lot--I owe ScrewAttack a beer! XD

+Dongled Yeah man, I think you'd like it, of all people!

Thanks bro--I actually made them into PNG files with transparencies, since I find it easiest to manipulate in my editing software that way. It's a pain in the ass, but usually worth it...I hope.

Thanks a lot! Happy you enjoyed the video, despite the lack of Willy's 'tude! XD

Jimmy Hapa (Import Gaming FTW!) Yeah... well I wasn't going to say anything, but that was definitely lacking

Hey, thank you very much! I'm glad I can help spread the import gaming love even to places so far away from me! I hope you can pick up some of these games I talk about someday.

***** I thought the same thing and thought about making a remark in the video at first. ;)The purple cape, the pose, the setting...I'm pretty sure the artist, Matsushita, was influenced by the terror that flaps in the night.

Yup--Susumu Matsushita, one of my all time favorites.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

+Soko Yeah, definitely. I could have seen this continuing on later generations of consoles!

+Soko Pleasure seeing you here!

***** the feeling is mutual

***** Oh yeah, Sparkster is a great character, and Rocket Knight Adventures is an amazing game! My favorite on the Genesis! ;)Will it be your first time playing? You're in for something, if so.

Yeah it'll be my first, P2 says I'm in for a wonderful ride as well.

I miss them too--it was a different era...I'd say a BETTER era...

+samuraiyue Triangles, everywhere...Polygons...Thousands of Illuminati symbols in every 3D game! XP

Tru bruh :0! sorry for answer every comment xD

***** Yep, very import-friendly! And the game is fully voiced as well!

Oh my god, it really does. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same person...there couldn't have been too many "soulful" singers networking around the video game scene in Japan during the era.

And they’re both released on the same console.

At first listen it does, but truthfully it's not. As the game credits will tell you, Willy Wombat's Opening Theme ("Here to Stay") and Ending Theme ("Fearless Heart") were sung by Dawn Marie Moore (who also wrote the lyrics for both songs). Moore was also involved with the 32X game Tempo and the soundtracks for Abunai Deka Returns and City Hunter Special ～Good-bye my sweet heart. So yeah, Japan-based vocalist active in the mid-to-late '90s. Sonic R was done by Teresa Jane "T.J." Davis, recorded at Metropolis Studios in London. Her website biography and discography have none of the above works by Moore.

George Snell Yeah, not much info on the game other than a few blurbs here and there...though I haven't tried searching any Japanese websites yet. Do you make comics based on games? Or anthropomorphic animal-type stuff? Either way, if you made a comic on Willy Wombat, I'd really be interested in seeing what you come up with!

Jimmy Hapa (Import Gaming FTW!) Well same here, I want to see some translated stuff of the game to see if I can work more with something. As looking at the cut scenes, I was more of wanting to know more about this world & the characters. As to be honest looking at the cut scenes I have been creating a totally different story in my head about the characters. Nope, but but wanting to start as this seems to have interesting ideas that I would like to work on.

+samuraiyue Ha ha ha.

He kinda looks more like Jersey Devil to me.

Super Derek Nice comment Derek!

Jimmy Hapa (Import Gaming FTW!) Thanks, Jimmy. By the way, I was meaning to ask if this game ever came out in the US? ;)

Super Derek No problem, Derek. By the way, I was meaning to ask if you don't have anything better to do with your time?The answer is to watch more of my videos. Kthxbai.

It really is something, isn't it? What's great about this game, too, is that the audio is redbook, so you can enjoy the song on your CD player or rip the tracks to the device of your choice!

I agree with your observation on Matsushita's art style. As a kid, I didn't particularly care for it, but it grew on me as an adult and I absolutely love his work. So much so that I buy games and other random crap just because he did the art!

there's a guy that deserves a whole doc about him!

Oh hell yeah...I wonder if he has much of a presence online through social media? It wouldn't be the doc he deserves, but I would love to talk to him and do a video about his career via an interview...

That's almost a perfect description.

There were a lot of great games that could've kept the system alive. :/ Funny how the Saturn was viable during the entire generation in Japan, but fizzled out so quickly in the States. A damned shame.

Dali Popka (and the UK)

What an even bigger coincidence, then, that I *almost* decided to do a video on Space Pirates Akogingu instead of this one. You have good taste in games! XD I knew there were a few Lupin III Saturn games, andI even own one for PS1 and Game Boy, but I had know idea about that Tomb Raider-esque one. It looks pretty sweet, and it's cheap, too! Thanks for the heads up, I'll pick up a copy sometime. I never played XIII all the way through, but I remember really enjoying it. And as far as other Saturn games I'd recommend, you can't go wrong with Princess Crown or Keio Yuugekitai: Katsugekihen. What kinds of games are you looking for?

I guess great minds think alike! :) I've only played Mystical Ninja on SNES, so I look forward to playing it. Thanks for the compilment, I guess you could say I'm pretty open minded, since I play most genres, and have had an interest in retro gaming at a young age, I remember when I was 10 in 2004, for Christmas I got both volumes of Midway Arcade Classics, Sly 2 and Sonc Mega Collection Plus, and when I was 13, I started following Retro Gamer, and found out about many series thanks to them, like Parodius and Salamander. Theres a great Famicom one which is basically Rolling Thunder, and theres a PS2 one where you get to play as Zenigata. I'd love to see a Lupin game where the focus is Fujiko, I think that would be badass. Those are two ones I'd like to play, I'll have to bump them up on the list. Hows the PSP port of Crown, since that seems to be cheaper. I'm mostly looking for 2D games since those are the ones that I find the most appealing, since 3D wasn't the consoles best strongsuit, in fact, I find it hard to go back to early 3D games, but I find it easy to go back to 2D. I've bought Soukyugurentai Otokyo and I'm eying NIght Striker S and Astal. I'm also planning on getting a dip switch for my Saturn so I can play in 50 / 60 hz mode because I own Rayman in PAL, and since its optimized for PAL, some of the text is missing, which sucks since I want to play Panzer Dragoon, but its PAL optimized.

***** Cool--so you're a pretty young dude then. Always nice to know a lot of folks much younger than me are into the games I enjoyed so much growing up in the 90s! There IS a Fujiko game for PS2...but it's pachinko. :( I agree a Fujiko game would be pretty badass! The PSP version of Princess Crown is OK. There are a few graphical changes to fit the tiny screen a bit more (you can change aspect ratio and the text is different from the Saturn), but I would say pick it up for Saturn for sure. Try Amazon, as ebay prices tend to be too high for the game. Astal is one of my favorite Saturn games, but if you pick it up, be prepared to finish it in like a half an hour. Short but sweet, with some amazing, large, detailed sprites. If you're into shooters, I highly recommend the Saturn version of Sengoku Blade, one of my favorite shmups. It plays so nicely on the system and has some very impressive 2D visuals.

+MilesGooglesXD They've infiltrated EVERYTHING! XD

I hope you'll pop it in your Saturn sometime--it's not the best game on the system, but it's a solid experience for people who enjoy platformers or action/puzzle games. I checked out that little write-up on Segagaga, and noticed the person who wrote it only played for an hour and didn't give Willy Wombat much of a chance. The first part of the game is pretty drab and basic, but once you get past that, each level becomes progressively more interesting, involving, and fun.

Yeah, I agree--I think a lot of the games I mentioned in this video are actually pretty good, just the character designs are uninspired.

@@ImportGamingFTW There's also High Seas Havoc.

Yeah, to be honest, I don't think Aero the Acrobat is a bad game...and the same goes for all the games I mention in that segment.

No, but I wish it was, Sin and Punishment is awesome.

No, "Willy Wombat" is not a stupid name at all! You see, "wombat" starts with a "w," and "Willy" is a non-threatening, fun-sounding male name in many Western countries, and it also starts with a "w." It's marketing gold. As America's favorite gaming mascot Bubsy would say, "what could possibly go wrong?" Note that "what" and "wrong" also start with "w's." Coincidence? I think...so.

Maybe I'll redo this video for the anniversary!

@@ImportGamingFTW yes, i like this charachter, i want to draw chibi version

@@ImportGamingFTW today is the birthday of susume matsushita the comic designer of takahashi meijin no boken jima and willy wombat

Yes, and it's not region free, but thankfully the Saturn is one of the easiest systems to bypass lockout without physical modification (Action Replay!). Hope you get to play it.

turbographx 16 I mean

Wombats are awesome! I'm jealous of the interesting and unique wildlife Aussie's have the privilege of growing up with!

Mitjitsu True, not a masterpiece, but a solid action puzzle game, one that would have been a great fit for the Saturn's European and North American library. I would have loved to have seen a sequel, as I grew pretty fond of the characters in Willy Wombat, and am a fan of Susumu Matsushita's art style.

Jimmy Hapa (Import Gaming FTW!) The story line does take itself too seriously, and the fixed camera distance is somewhat annoying at times. The one level I didn't enjoy was the Egypt level with all the switch combinations.

Thanks, and yeah, it's a shame/surprise how much the game shot up in recent months. For over a decade, it was one of those really cheap, and IMO overlooked Saturn titles. I'd pay ten bucks just for the Susumu Matsushita art alone, ha ha.

Jimmy Hapa (Import Gaming FTW!) The best price I found while looking for this game was 40 pounds, which is still a lot, but half the price of what is found in Ebay! Anyway, I think I'm gonna get this! The biggest gem I'm trying to collect for the Saturn is Megaman 8, but it costs both my kidneys...

Yeah, I'd love to find Mega Man 8 for cheap, but that's a tough one to swing now. About a week ago or so, a friend of mine was able to find Willy Wombat for $35 on ebay, so you might be able to get one for a similar price, if you are still looking.

I actually found Wiily Wombat for 40€ in a website, but I still have other priorities for now :!

You know, I almost included him in the line of dull mascots, but after doing some research, I was shocked to find a lot of people actually love/d him!

PhantomExdeath Man, I wish any of my videos could make a game popular enough that more people sought it out! XDAnyway, thanks as usual, and I hope you can pick up the game soon sometime, and for CHEAP. I think I saw one a couple of weeks ago for ten on ebay...I'd try Amazon if nothing else pops up.

+CAPTAIN-WOLF Thank you for checking out the video, and as is often the case, I'm grateful to Matt for his shout-out(s). :)

He originally had the tail that would later be transferred to the Lombax race. Could it be that NaughtyDog and Insomniac have a longer history with each other than we thought?

I don't think so...but I suppose it depends on who talks about the game.