Dick Tracy (video game)

Dick Tracy patrolling the city (NES version)

Dick Tracy (ディック・トレイシー, Dikku Toreishī) appeared in a number of video games released as tie-ins for the motion picture:

• The NES and Game Boy games, developed by Realtime Associates and published by Bandai
• The Mega Drive and Master System games, developed and published by Sega
• A computer game (Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and GX-4000) developed by Titus Interactive and published by Walt Disney Computer Software.
• Another computer game, Dick Tracy: The Crime Solving Adventure, for Amiga and DOS, developed by Distinctive Software and also published by Walt Disney Computer Software.

NES version

Dick Tracy NES box art

Bandai released their version of Dick Tracy in August 1990, which was developed by Realtime Associates. The game was loosely based on the comic strip, and not the movie. The objective is to solve several mysteries without accusing the wrong person or shooting too many unarmed villains.

Each level starts out with a case to solve and some possible clues. The player drives Tracy's vehicle through the city, avoiding snipers and other cars, to various locations mentioned in the clues, where the action shifts to a side-scrolling adventure game. If the player goes to the right location, he will find, during the course of his side-scrolling fighting, a clue icon that provides additional clues for the case, or the player will be able to speak with a character from the comics who gives clues. There is one car chase in each level. Once the player has collected enough clues, he can drive to the location where the perpetrator is and arrest him. The game will end if Tracy's energy meter is depleted, or if Tracy commits three abuses of power in one case, such as interrogating someone who wasn't involved or arresting someone without complete evidence.

Side-scrolling mode

In the side-scrolling mode, Tracy can jump, duck, punch, shoot from his pistol, or collect more powerful weapons (with limited ammo). These include full-auto Tommy guns and tear gas, the latter of which eliminates all on-screen enemies. If the player shoots unarmed crooks, then some of life energy is lost. The game provides two ways to restore health. One, if the player is down to 1/2 a life point, he can visit one of the police stations and recover an additional half point. The second requires a "first-aid," an icon found in some levels that looks like a heart and is used by pressing B and Select at the same time. The game is considered very difficult to win, but there is a password feature to help players continue at a later time, as the game does not have any extra lives or continues.

The Usual Suspects

Fifteen Dick Tracy villains are featured in the game, with their respective level(s) in which they are a suspect:

• Breathless Mahoney: 1, 2, 5
• Flattop: 1, 3
• The Rodent: 1, 4, 5
• Steve the Tramp: 1, 4
• Numbers: 1
• Shoulders: 1, 3, 4
• Lips Manlis: 2
• Littleface: 2, 4
• The Brow: 2, 4
• Influence: 2, 4
• Itchy: 2, 3, 5
• Pruneface: 3, 5
• The Blank: 3, 5
• Stooge Viller: 3, 5
• Big Boy Caprice: 5

Game Boy version

In early 1991, Bandai also released a version of the game for the Game Boy which was also developed by Realtime Associates. The game's introduction shows that Big Boy has escaped from the state penitentiary and kidnapped Tess, Tracy's love interest. The gameplay itself is purely level-based platforming, foregoing the overhead driving sequences of its NES counterpart.

Stylistically, the Game Boy version bears a strong resemblance to the side-scrolling mode of the NES version. Dick Tracy can punch and use the same weapons (hand gun, Tommy gun, tear gas), as well as grenades (which will instantly kill all non-boss enemies on the screen). This game also shares some common music with the NES version. Each of the five levels contains 12 hidden pieces of a photograph used to solve a puzzle at the end of each level.

At the end of each level, Dick Tracy would fight one of the antagonists from the film, including Shoulders, Flattop, and Pruneface). After defeating the boss, the player would need to solve the twelve-piece puzzle using the pieces found throughout the level to reveal a photo of the next boss to be pursued. If the puzzle could be solved within the allotted period of time, the player would be awarded a bonus life. For every two pieces placed correctly, the player would be awarded with one extra hit point. If any of the missing pieces were missed or if the puzzle isn't solved in time, then the game will automatically piece the whole image together (without any bonuses, of course). Then, Tracy would interrogate the fallen boss for where to search next for clues leading to Big Boy and Tess.

Sega version

Dick Tracy Genesis box art

Dick Tracy, released in 1990 for the Sega Master System and 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive, was a side-scrolling arcade game where players control the famous hero through various stages to bring down Big Boy. Tracy can walk, jump, duck, shoot a pistol, and use a Tommy gun to hit enemies and objects in the background. Each level had a series of sub-levels to it and bonus points awarded if you could avoid hitting any of the various objects in the background; i.e., windows, fire hydrants, and street lights. One of the levels switches the action up slightly by having you control Tracy during a police chase. Several of the villains from the comic book appear, and the final battle with Big Boy takes place in a scene similar to the climax of the feature film.

Reviews

Reception
Review score Publication Score AllGame

External links

• Dick Tracy at MobyGames
• Movie Game Database - Dick Tracy