Michael Jackson's Moonwalker

PRESS START

An Introduction To Today’s Game

In 1990, Sega needed star power to compete with Nintendo and Mario, and who better to recruit than the King of Pop himself?

Umm, sure. Let’s just go with it.

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker for the Genesis is weird. And the more you play, the weirder it gets.

This is a side-scrolling action game where you play as Michael Jackson, rescuing kidnapped children from the evil Mr. Big.

Armed with magical sparkles, dance moves that literally kill, and the ability to transform into a giant robot, this game is gloriously bizarre.

Based loosely on the 1988 film of the same name, Moonwalker lets you moonwalk through nightclubs, graveyards, and even outer space while 16-bit versions of hits like Smooth Criminal and Beat It play in the background.

It's strange, but it's also undeniably memorable.

BEHIND THE PIXELS

Let’s Dive Into The Game

Moonwalker is an action platformer with a simple premise. Each of the game's five stages contains three rounds, and in each round, you must find and rescue a specific number of hidden children before facing off against waves of Mr. Big's goons.

The kids are tucked away behind doors, inside car trunks, beneath bushes, basically anywhere the developers could hide them. Once you've saved them all, your pet chimp Bubbles appears on a beam of dazzling blue light, hops on your shoulders, and points you toward the exit.

Yes, this actually happens.

But wait, there’s more weirdness. Your basic attack is a stylized kick that shoots blue sparkles, giving Michael some decent range. You can also moonwalk by holding the attack button while moving backward, though this serves no real purpose beyond fan service.

The real fun comes from your special abilities. Tap the magic button and Michael spins briefly before tossing his fedora like a boomerang, instantly destroying most enemies.

Hold it longer and you trigger Dance Magic, where all on-screen enemies are forced into a synchronized dance routine before exploding. It costs health to use, but watching gangsters and zombies boogie to their doom never gets old.

Things get even weirder when you collect a shooting star power-up. Michael transforms into a towering robot complete with lasers and homing missiles.

You can fly freely and obliterate everything in sight. The final stage abandons platforming entirely for a first-person spaceship shooter where you battle Mr. Big's ship in what feels like a completely different game.

Each stage features a different theme and matching Michael Jackson song. You'll fight through Club 30 to Smooth Criminal, battle street thugs to Beat It, and face zombies in a graveyard set to Another Part of Me.

Interestingly, Thriller was absent from the final release due to licensing issues, Michael didn't write it, so it couldn't be included. Which is a shame since there’s a zombie level and it would have been perfect for it.

The music is genuinely excellent for 16-bit standards, and being based on his songs, this instantly puts it among the best 16 bit soundtracks for the era.

The gameplay is straightforward but repetitive. Enemy variety is limited, and you'll face the same goons over and over.

Some levels drag on too long, particularly the labyrinthine caves in stage four. The game can be completed in under two hours, which feels about right given how monotonous it becomes toward the end.

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GAME INFORMATION

WHERE TO PLAY

• The original copy or emulation will be your best bet in playing the original version.

• Original Copies of the Game (All prices in USD)

  • Loose: $70

  • Complete: $170

  • New/Sealed: $200

COVER ART

GAME OVER

Why You Should Play This

Moonwalker is a fascinating relic from a different era.

It's not a masterpiece, and nostalgia definitely plays a role in how fondly some remember it. The repetitive gameplay and limited attack options show their age quickly.

But there's something undeniably fun about the sheer absurdity of it all. Where else can you moonwalk under a waterfall, force zombies to dance, transform into a robot, and pilot a spaceship, all while rescuing identical looking children.

The music alone makes it worth experiencing. Those 16-bit renditions of Jackson's hits hold up remarkably well, and hearing Smooth Criminal or Billie Jean while kicking magical sparkles at gangsters is a uniquely entertaining combination.

If you have a Genesis lying around or access to the original cartridge, Moonwalker is worth a playthrough for the novelty alone. It won't become your favorite game, and you probably won't return to it often, but it captures a specific moment in gaming history when celebrity tie-ins could be genuinely weird and surprisingly playable. Just don't expect it to moonwalk its way into your all-time classics list.

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RETRO HARDWARE

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