SteamGear Mash explained

SteamGear Mash
Developer:Tamsoft
Publisher:Takara
Director:Akihiko Kimura
Producer:Takayuki Nakano
Designer:Hideki Kobayashi
Shintarō Nakaoka
Programmer:Hideki Matsumoto
Toshimi Matsumoto
Artist:Aki Kobayashi
Kō Ogura
Mitsutoshi Nomura
Composer:Fumio Tanabe
Makoto Mukai
Yasuhiro Nakano
Platforms:Sega Saturn
Genre:Action, platform, run and gun
Modes:Single-player

is a 1995 action run and gun video game developed by Tamsoft and published by Takara for the Sega Saturn. The game received a mainly positive reception for its visually bright graphics.[1]

Gameplay

SteamGear Mash is a game featuring three-dimensional play in 3/4 isometric perspective, and solving puzzles.[2] The player may use weapons including bombs and punches to clear stages. The levels are multilayered, structured in 2D planes in a 3D cube-shaped space.[3] There are seven levels in the game of which two are shmups.

The game, in its presentation and plot, is said to have many elements related to childhood and innocence.[4]

Plot

A scientist develops a robot, Mash, for his daughter, Mina. The two quickly become good friends. However, Gash, who watches from his space station, grows jealous of their affection and wishes the same affection for himself. Gash steals Mina, leading to Mash going on the journey to rescue her.

Development and release

SteamGear Mash was Takara's first game on the Sega Saturn. A European release was planned for 1996, to be published by Ocean Software.[5]

Reception

Famitsu rated it 26 out of 40.[6] Readers of the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine voted to give the game a 7.1546 out of 10 score, ranking at the number 609 spot.[7]

As for import reviews in the west, Sega Pro called it a "cutesy platformer with plenty of unique features". GameFan's three reviewers variously gave praise to the game's "rich colors", "supreme attention to detail", the variety of weapons, music, and enemies. One however noted that although the locales were "beautiful", there were "no parallex or BG animation" in the areas.

On a more negative note, Next Generation reviewed SteamGear Mash, rating it two stars out of five, stating that "It's doubtful, in the end, with its cartoon-style graphics and brightly colored backgrounds, that this particular title will make much of an impact in the US."

External links

Notes and References

  1. November 1995 . Maximum News . Maximum . 2.
  2. Web site: Crimmins. Brian. Steamgear Mash. Hardcore Gaming 101. September 25, 2018. 2020-10-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20200807152949/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/steamgear-mash/. 2020-08-07. live.
  3. Web site: Malek . Peter . 2021-08-28 . Steamgear Mash Attack! . 2024-09-06 . SEGA SATURN, SHIRO! . en-US.
  4. Web site: Steamgear Mash – Hardcore Gaming 101 . 2024-09-06 . en-US.
  5. 1996 . En développment . Playmag . French.
  6. Web site: 2019-12-17 . スチームギア★マッシュ まとめ [セガサターン] / ファミ通.com ]. 2024-09-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191217125046/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14749&redirect=no . 2019-12-17 .
  7. Book: Dreamcast Magazine .

    ja:ゲーマガ#Dreamcast Magazine

    . セガサターン (Sega Saturn Magazine): 読者レース Final . March 2000 . サターンのゲームは世界いちぃぃぃ! ~サタマガ読者レース全記録~ . . 978-4-79731173-0 . 8–15 . ja . 2020-09-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181030044108/https://segaretro.org/images/a/a3/SnGwSISDRZK_Book_JP.pdf . 2018-10-30 . live.