Game release date: September 1995
Developed by: Sega Technical Institute
Review date: October 29, 2015
Review by: ComradeOj
The Ooze is what I call "A hidden gem that doesn't appear on hidden gem lists". Unfortunately, the beginner-unfriendly nature of The Ooze makes a lot of people dismiss it as being garbage.
Being a product of the 90s, an anti-corporation and/or pro-environmental message is almost guaranteed. The Ooze stars Dr. Caine, an employee of "The Corporation". Dr. Caine discovers that The Corporation is planning to release a deadly plague to the public and be the only supplier for the cure. Caine's boss catches him and has him injected with a toxic chemical to liquify his body, then flushes him down the toilet. It is now your job to take revenge on your boss, save the world, and return to your human form.
The Ooze takes an overhead view where you control your liquidy self. The goal of the game is to reach the end of the stage while either killing or avoiding all of the enemies in the stage. Along the way, you will find power-ups, bonus stages, and a few boss fights.
Gameplay: 7/10
The Ooze doesn't play like any other game I've played. While very original, there are a lot of design issues such as 1-hit deaths, high difficulty, and levels that are easy to get lost in.
Graphics: 6/10
Graphics are slightly above average. Colors in the first stage are a bit muddy, but the later stages look okay. I like the art in the power core stage especially. The graphics work, and there isn't much to complain about.
Sound: 8/10
The music for The Ooze was composed by Howard Drossin, who is known for composing the music for Comix Zone. While the music in The Ooze isn't quite as good as Comix Zone, it's still above average. The instruments can be a bit ear grating, but the compositions are excellent. Sound effects are average, and lend themselves well to the game.
The Ooze is a highly original game that suffers from extreme difficulty. It's not the hardest game on the Genesis, but it's up there. The game has many 1-hit deaths, which discourages exploration, and boss fights aren't very intuitive. If you can see past the flaws, I'm sure you will love this game as much as I do.