Wardner (Genesis) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Mentix Software's 1991 platformer for the Sega Genesis, Wardner.

Wardner began life as an arcade platformer, developed by Toaplan and published by Taito in 1987 in both Japan (as "Wardner no Mori") and in the US (as "Pyros"). The game was ported to the Famicom Disk System the following year, and it made its final public appearance on the Genesis in 1991 as Wardner in the US, and as Wardner no Mori Special in Japan.

Wardner begins much like Ghosts 'n Goblins: Prince Alamode and Princess Pudding are getting friendly with one another in a remote corner of a dark forest. A wizard with psychotically glinting eyes happens to be passing by when he takes notice of the pudgy princess and kidnaps her, our cross-eyed prince and would-be hero gives chase.

The gameplay is typical of an arcade platformer from the mid/late 80s. You fire at enemies with a magic blast that can be upgraded between levels at the shop, and take lots of tricky jumps across wide chasms, all while cursing the tight timer.

In spirit, it reminds me a lot of games like Kid Niki and Hammerin' Harry. The controls are rigid in a way that can feel restrictive until you become familiar with them, but then you'll appreciate how reliable and consistent they are. Death isn't something that you can blame on shoddy programming here.

The gameplay is rock solid and I have had a lot of fun with Wardner over the years. I just wish that it was a bit harder. Especially considering the number of ways its mechanics parallel those of Ghosts 'n Goblins, this has to be one of the easiest Genesis platforners I've played. Then again, the arcade game wasn't particularly difficult, either. Certainly not what you'd expect from a Toaplan production.

The Genesis conversion keeps relatively faithful to the earlier versions, but the graphics are a fair downgrade from the arcade version. There are a lot of elements that have been simplified, probably thanks to the cramped size of the cartridge's memory. The original arcade game weighed in at about 6 megabits, and even though 8 megabit Genesis carts were becoming commonplace when Wardner was released in the spring of 1991, Mentix went with a 4 megabit cart, despite the game carrying a $50 sticker price at retail.

But really, unless you're intimately familiar with the arcade game (and really, how many people would be in the year 2021?), you aren't likely to notice that anything is missing. The graphics still manage to convey an appealingly gloomy tone (gotta love the blood splatters on the wall!), and some of these enemy designs are fantastic. Just check out the boss battle at 7:06! How screwed up and awesome is that transformation?

Wardner provides a straightforward, no-frills platformer that harkens back to the early days of 16-bit arcade action games, and in 1991, it would've made for a great weekend rental. If that sounds good to you, you'll probably have a blast with it.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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