Action Man: Search for Base X (GBC)

Today I'm taking a look at Action Man: Search for Base X on the Game Boy Color, inspired by the action figure line, and possibly based on some comic book or advert storyline, I wouldn't know. I have no idea who either of these people are, or why that guy's head's on backwards, but I'm pretty sure I'm liking this music. It sounds like it belongs on a classic NES platformer like Mega Man.

A level select screen! Excellent, I love these. I suppose I really am just searching for Base X here. Either we've narrowed it down to one of these four places by gathering intel, or we're just systematically working our way through the whole country.

'Press SELECT for Mission Briefing'? Well how can I resist!

We're blowing shit up, good good. Shouldn't be hard to find a gigantic pair of radar dishes sticking out of the trees. I just hope I don't end up having to search the level for 10 explosives or whatever before it'll let me go Return of the Jedi on its ass. I am so sick of having to collect things in video games right now.

I get to pick my own gear before I go out, but all I have to choose from at the moment is camouflage and a diving suit.

There probably isn't going to be much diving going on in the jungle or the radar facility so I'll go with my green camo. If you can call a green vest with a big orange logo on the front 'camo'.

Hey, that seems like pretty decent art for a Game Boy Color. Not sure why he's glowing orange now though. He looked a lot healthier on the title screen.

Great, two seconds in and I'm already facing bronze fireball-spitting wasps. Granted all my knowledge of jungles comes from action movies, but this don't seem normal.

I'm going to start unloading my EMP pistol at him and hope he's a robot wasp.

Damn this guy has a terrible jump, I only just made that by a couple of pixels. I'd have expected a guy called Action Man to be better at this action stuff.

More robots. It seems like everything on this island is a robot.

I just wish I could figure out how to get past this one without being shot. By the time I've gotten into a position I can shoot him from, he's already fired at me first.

Uh, I'm going to let go now and hope that counts as me being on the platform.

I'm doing terrible at this. I can't seem to kill anything without getting myself shot in the process. I have to jump to hit him, but when I do he immediately fires at me.

And then after I finally manage to kill that guy, his buddy behind him shoots me. And Action Man loses his first life.

It'd be really helpful if these things would drop some health kits occasionally, or something.


LATER.

I tried taking the bottom path instead, but Action Man totally failed to grab the vines. Maybe I'm supposed to hold up on the d-pad? Another life lost.


SOON.

Hmm, maybe if I can just get these two bars out I'll be able to squeeze through the window and escape. Even if I only manage to get one of them out, I should be able to use it as tool to chisel through the cell wall and dig an escape tunnel.

Oh fuck it, I ain't got time for this...

Let's just skip to the part where I walk right out of here and get back into the game.

OH! So that's how you get past this guy. The bastard can't shoot me when I'm standing on his face.

...but then he spins around and shoots me in the back as I'm jumping down. And when I try to escape by swinging on the vines. The asshole. 


SOME SEMI-SUCCESSFUL ROBOT SHOOTING AND VINE SWINGING LATER.

Uh? I don't see any magic floating platforms floating my way. I guess I'll just have jump and hope for the best.

Well I'm pretty sure it wasn't the mud that killed me. Not that it matters much any more.

I'm bored of the jungle now, jungles are rubbish. I'm going back to the level select to see what else I can pick.

I wish I'd unlocked a coat to wear now.

Okay I didn't check the briefing this time, but I'm reasonably sure my mission objectives will involving walking right and shooting enemies. Or even just walking past them. What's important here is that I continue to walk to the right.


EVENTUALLY.

Go down the ladder! Go down the ladder! Go down the ladder! It's right there, just go down the ladder... you're being hit by the robot, just stop crouching and go down the... oh fuck it.

Enough snow. Time for some rock climing in the sun. I'm pretty sure this is still meant to be the same guy by the way. He's a man of many skin tones.


ONE ROCKY LEDGE LEVEL LATER.

You'll just have to imagine what the rocks looked like on the rocky ledge level (they were brown), because I'm skipping ahead to something FAR more interesting. I'm finally on an interior level! It seems to be some kind of mine perhaps.


Oh, I thought I'd wear my blue diving gear for a change so I can get the green camo washed. Those clothes are covered in blood and grass stains. My blood that is. As far as I can tell wearing diving gear makes absolutely no difference to gameplay, though I haven't yet actually found a reason to swim anywhere.

You know, I bet I could take that blue enemy out with one carefully placed diagonal shot.

Oh crap, I hit the lamp! That's a damned dirty trick, by putting the enemy behind it they deliberately set it up so I'd shoot out my light source.


A FEW WILD SHOTS IN THE DARK LATER.

I've never seen a man looking so smug because he's found a temple. I'm not making progress by the way, I just ran off back to the level select and chose a different level.

Damn, I was hoping that if I used my bow, the arrow would arc down a little and hit the robot, but nope. Seems basically identical to the EMP pistol in fact.

Well how else am I supposed to get this guy then? I've got one hit point left, if I try to jump on his head I'll fall short and he'll kill me. I can't shoot him from the ledge on the left because he'll be off screen.

Maybe if I drop down, then immediately duck and open fire...


LATER.

Dammit! I don't mind dodging enemy bullets, but these bombs that spring out of the ground without warning are getting old, fast.

Yeah I think I'm done with game now.

To be honest this game wasn't that bad, I've played worse. But it felt unfairly challenging, even on medium difficulty. Invisible bombs and enemies that can hit me before I hit them aren't much fun when I have no way to get my health back


Nice music though. Next game.

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Opinions, criticism, requests, suggestions, etc are welcome.