Jeremy Parish

Segaiden #019: Doki Doki Penguin Land & Drol (Patreon)

Published:

2021-11-03 12:42:39

Imported:

2024-04

Tags:

brøderbund sega segaiden sg-1000

Content

Yes, it's ANOTHER Brøderbund PC-to-console conversion this week. That band of brothers... so shameless when it came to pimpin' out games. However, it's not Drol that deserves special attention this week but rather Doki Doki Penguin Land, which might be Sega's first truly great console creation. The best games we've seen to this point on SG-1000 debuted in arcades, e.g. Flicky, but Penguin Land appeared on SG-1000 first (and I guess MSX?) and would go on to be a fairly consistent series across Sega's 8-bit releases. It even put in appearances on Mega Drive and (gasp!) Game Boy. It has far more nuance and precision than was the usual standard for SG-1000 software and speaks to some of the good stuff waiting in the wings, as we'll see in the coming episodes.

Also of note on the production side: Beginning this episode, I'll be doing my best to keep the running length of each video at 10-12 minutes. That string of episodes I produced over the summer and early fall, where most episodes were coming in close to 20 minutes long, just about killed me. (They've also sucked up all my production time and have caused me to miss the past two months' Famiconversations podcasts.) Since I would like to be alive and making shorter videos plus podcasts rather than dead and making no videos and podcasts, I think you can appreciate the strategic wisdom in play here. Don't worry, though; when things like Zelda II, Bionic Commando, or Phantasy Star come along, I'll still be giving those classics the air time they deserve.

Files

Doki Doki Penguin Land & Drol retrospective: Daycare duology | Segaiden #019

This week brings us two SG-1000 releases that feel miles removed from the console's earliest days of serious-looking war game: Doki Doki Penguin Land and Drol. Rather than involving the relentless destruction of military vehicles (and, by extension, the squishy humans inside them), these two titles see you doing your best to protect children. While some retributive violence is involved here, those polar bears definitely had it coming. Of the two, Penguin Land feels like the more meaningful work. It really elevates the production values of SG-1000 games and speaks to a Sega that's getting serious about its home development efforts: A wholly original creation for console that contains ample depth and subtle, precise controls and interactions. It's a real stand-out. Drol admittedly doesn't fare quite as well, but it has its merits, too. With this episode, I think it's safe to say SG-1000 has turned a corner, and you can expect to see more games on Penguin Land's level quality in the coming episodes as the console sunsets into Mark III/Master System. Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Production note: SG-1000 footage in this episode was captured from a combination of Sega SG-1000 II with (with Card Catcher; RGB amp mod by @iFixRetro) and @Analogue Mega Sg with card adapter module and DAC. Video upscaled to 720 with @Retro Tink 5X.