.gif)
Fantasia (video game)
Encyclopedia
Fantasia is the title of a side-scrolling video game developed by Infogrames
and produced by Sega
for its own Mega Drive/Genesis
system. The game was loosely based on the popular Walt Disney
musical film of the same name
. Mindscape
was to release a port of the game to Windows 3.0
/MS-DOS
but Infogrames decided not.
through various side-scrolling levels in an attempt to collect various musical notes that somehow went missing. Each of the four levels were based on the Fantasia animated musical (with each one based around one of the four elements: water [The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Dance of the Reed Flutes and Arabian Dance], earth [The Rite of Spring], air [Russian Dance, Pastoral Symphony and Dance of the Hours] and fire [Night on Bald Mountain, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor]). The player defeats various enemies by jumping on them or by collecting magical bubbles that could be used to shoot at enemies as projectiles. In each level, the player collects a certain number of hidden magical notes in order for the Fantasia musical to occur.
characters, with Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
, World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
and Quackshot
, among others. However, the Fantasia licensed game, whose development was handled by French developer Infogrames
(nowadays known as the reborn Atari
), was the least successful of these games and critics felt that the game's storyline was underdeveloped (no bosses or central villain) and that the playable character had a frustrating delay whenever you wanted him to jump or shoot the bubbles. Also, given that jumping on enemies is often seeing as an attack move, in Fantasia you would still lose a life (unless you hold down on the control pad while jumping). The game was also much harder than Sega's other video games based on Disney characters, and when you finally beat the game, the ending is a short disappointment to fans for not including the gag that Sega had used in its other Disney games featuring famous studio characters sitting in a movie theatre.
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
and produced by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
for its own Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
system. The game was loosely based on the popular Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
musical film of the same name
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
. Mindscape
Mindscape
Mindscape is an international software publishing company, previously part of The Learning Company. They are now affiliated with EA . As of 2004, the group has offices in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. It has an annual turnover of €38 million and employs 150 people. Mindscape...
was to release a port of the game to Windows 3.0
Windows 3.0
Windows 3.0, a graphical environment, is the third major release of Microsoft Windows, and was released on 22 May 1990. It became the first widely successful version of Windows and a rival to Apple Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga on the GUI front...
/MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
but Infogrames decided not.
Storyline
In the single-player game, the player controls Mickey MouseMickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
through various side-scrolling levels in an attempt to collect various musical notes that somehow went missing. Each of the four levels were based on the Fantasia animated musical (with each one based around one of the four elements: water [The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Dance of the Reed Flutes and Arabian Dance], earth [The Rite of Spring], air [Russian Dance, Pastoral Symphony and Dance of the Hours] and fire [Night on Bald Mountain, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor]). The player defeats various enemies by jumping on them or by collecting magical bubbles that could be used to shoot at enemies as projectiles. In each level, the player collects a certain number of hidden magical notes in order for the Fantasia musical to occur.
Criticism
Sega had developed a solid reputation for developing high quality video games based on Walt DisneyWalt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
characters, with Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a video game first released in 1990 for the Mega Drive/Genesis which was developed by Sega of Japan...
, World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
is a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis video game that was produced by Sega of Japan and released in 1992.It is a semi-sequel to the previous games that Sega produced based on Walt Disney cartoon characters. In the game, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are sucked into a magical world, while preparing for a...
and Quackshot
Quackshot
QuackShot is a platformer released for the Sega Mega Drive on December 19, 1991. It stars Donald Duck and his three nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, as treasure-hunters....
, among others. However, the Fantasia licensed game, whose development was handled by French developer Infogrames
Infogrames
Infogrames Entertainment SA was an international French holding company headquartered in Paris, France. It was the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, U.S. and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an introductory...
(nowadays known as the reborn Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
), was the least successful of these games and critics felt that the game's storyline was underdeveloped (no bosses or central villain) and that the playable character had a frustrating delay whenever you wanted him to jump or shoot the bubbles. Also, given that jumping on enemies is often seeing as an attack move, in Fantasia you would still lose a life (unless you hold down on the control pad while jumping). The game was also much harder than Sega's other video games based on Disney characters, and when you finally beat the game, the ending is a short disappointment to fans for not including the gag that Sega had used in its other Disney games featuring famous studio characters sitting in a movie theatre.