Mr. Bones (video game)

Mr. Bones
Developer(s)	Zono Incorporated
Publisher(s)	Angelsoft Studios
Platform(s)	Sega Saturn
Release	1997
Genre(s)	Mainly platformer
Mode(s)	Single player

There are other articles with similar names; see Mr Bones (disambiguation).

Mr. Bones, is a little known game released for the Sega Saturn in 1996, by Zono Incorporated. You follow the story of Mr. Bones, a resurrected blues musician, as he attempts to save the world from destruction at the hands of an evil vampire named Da Goulian. With beautifully animated cutscenes, a rock and blues-based soundtrack, and a great amount of humor, Mr. Bones was one of the Saturn's quirkiest and most technologically advanced games.

As a platformer, it has the distinction of having no two levels with the same style of gameplay. Each level operates on completely different game angles and control mechanics, so while one level may be a side-scrolling escape from a rolling log, the next would be a guitar jamming session, an arcade style zapping game, a game of memory set to drums and even one founded entirely on telling jokes. The level "The Icy Lake" is notorious among fans as one of the hardest levels to ever grace a platformer.

The game currently has a cult status among vintage gamers, not only because of its sheer originality of levels, but also because of the many FMV sequences peppered throughout the adventure. The character of Mr. Bones is particularly affable, and the live action Da Goulian plays for the back row of Mystery Science Theater.

Story

A dead blues musician, Mr. Bones, was mistakenly buried in a cemetery full of criminals. The evil Da Goulian, not knowing this, begins to play a magical set of drums; the beat carrying foul energies with it that raise the bodies from their graves as obedient skeleton minions.

As Mr. Bones wasn't inherently evil, he crawls out of his grave with the rest of the skeletons, but retains his free will. This fact is quickly noticed by Da Goulian (whom magically sees what his minions see) who orders his newly created army to destroy Mr. Bones.

After escaping the graveyard, Mr. Bones comes across a secluded cabin in the nearby woods, that is home to a kind, yet blind guitarist (played by celebrated guitarist Ronnie Montrose, who also composed the game's soundtrack). The man senses Mr. Bones has a musical talent, and gives him a magical guitar to aid him in his journey. By playing the guitar, Mr. Bones discovers he can neutralize Da Goulian's hold over the other skeletons and manages to avoid capture by holding an imprompteu concert for his persuers.

Soon after, he is attacked by giant bats who manage to carry off most of his body parts. Mr. Bones is then forced to spend the night bouncing around on his skull until he can rebuild himself. Things got even more complicated when a vortex sucks him into another dimension; culminating with a confrontation with a female wraith whos anger he quells with a love song played on his magic guitar.

The wraith returns Mr. Bones back into the real world, but trapped in a section of underwater caves. After saving the Lillupians, small gnomish creatures who reside in the cave, they show him a secret way to Da Goulian's castle via a frozen underground lake. By delivering a few good jokes once there, Mr. Bones disrupts Da Goulian's control over his castle guardians and makes his way to Da Goulian's central chamber.

However, Mr. Bones falls into a pit trap set by Da Goulian, and is forced into a showdown with the vampire himself. From outside the pit, Da Goulian played his drums which caused the evil, red energy to arc around the pit and fire at Mr. Bones; who in turn used his guitar to neutralize the energy and fire it back as good, blue energy.

The battle leaves Da Goulian exhausted and temporarily turns him good, though that soon wears off as his natural evil returns. But as he gloats over his premature victory, the rising sun shines through his castle windows, and the vampiric Da Goulian is reduced to ashes. The wraith appears one last time, and the victorious Mr. Bones disappears with her back into the vortex.

Technical

Mr. Bones used a disk swapping system with two separate CDs.