Paprium

Few Mega Drive games have grown as encrusted with legends, controversies and waiting as Paprium. This modern beat 'em up became a symbol of just how far the boundaries of a 16-bit console can be pushed — and also a symbol of just how complicated it can be to deliver an ambitious homebrew project to players.

Paprium comes from Watermelon, a studio that had previously earned respect with the RPG title Pier Solar. With Paprium they set themselves an even bolder goal: to create a brawler that would technically outclass practically everything ever released on the Mega Drive. The game uses an expanded cartridge with additional hardware to put onto the screen an amount of animation, enemies and effects that the original console could standardly handle only with difficulty. The result is a visual spectacle that drives period hardware to the very edge of its capabilities.

In terms of gameplay it is a classic side-scrolling beat 'em up in the spirit of genre giants like Streets of Rage or Final Fight. You advance through streets full of enemies, combining punches, throws and special attacks, and fight your way through waves of opponents. The emphasis is on the juicy feel of the blows, the variety of moves and that characteristic rhythm in which a crowd of enemies turns into the choreography of your combinations.

An extraordinary amount of stories accumulated around Paprium's release — long years of development, problems distributing orders and passionate debates in the community. Regardless of these circumstances, it remains indisputable that technically it is one of the most ambitious titles ever to head for the Mega Drive. For many collectors it became a literally mythical piece.

I leave aside specific details about sales figures or later reissues, because the situation around the game was long in flux. What always holds true, however, is the impression itself: Paprium wants to astonish, and in the moments when the screen fills with action, it succeeds.

For fans of brawlers and for anyone fascinated by just how far an old console can be pushed, Paprium is an unmissable phenomenon.

Why play: For the technically most ambitious beat 'em up on the Mega Drive and for the experience of a brawler that drives 16-bit hardware to its very limit.