Vectorman
Introduction
Vectorman was developed by BlueSky Software and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1995 as a run-and-gun platformer built around a distinctive visual style combining traditional 2D sprite animation with pre-rendered 3D-modeled character graphics, similar in spirit to the technique Rare had used for Donkey Kong Country on the SNES the year before. Players control Vectorman, a robotic “Orbot” originally built for cleanup and demolition work, who must stop the malfunctioning robot Raster from wiping out humanity after taking over the planet’s automated defense systems. Vectorman’s body could be blown apart into a swarm of smaller orb-like pieces to dodge certain attacks or squeeze through tight gaps, and he could combine with power-ups scattered through stages to temporarily transform into more powerful forms, including a drill and a turbo-charged vehicle mode. Its late-generation technical showcase, genuinely inventive transformation mechanics, and tight run-and-gun action made it one of the more visually striking and mechanically creative platformers released for the Genesis, helping demonstrate that Sega’s aging 16-bit hardware still had genuine technical surprises left late into its life cycle.
↑ = up
→ = right
↓ = down
← = left
Z = A Button
X = B Button
A = X Button
S = Y Button
Q = L Button
E = R Button
Shift = Select
Enter = Start
