Pulseman

What if you were told that the studio which later created Pokemon had its own secret platformer on the Mega Drive that most of the world never heard about? Welcome to Pulseman, one of the best-kept treasures of the SEGA console.

Pulseman was developed by the Japanese studio Game Freak, the very people who just a few years later launched the Pokemon phenomenon. The game came out in Japan and, crucially, practically never reached the West in its original boxed form; a wider audience only discovered it much later through digital re-releases. The hero is half human, half electric creature, and the entire gameplay revolves around his ability to manipulate energy.

The key mechanic is the so-called Volteccer. When Pulseman runs long enough, he charges up with static electricity, and the player can then fire him off like a living projectile that ricochets off walls and ceilings. Mastering this move is frustrating at first, but once you grasp the physics of the bounces, an entirely new way of traversing levels and disposing of enemies opens up. The game adds classic jumping, punches, and short electric discharges to the mix.

Visually Pulseman excels. Game Freak wrung impressive light and electric effects out of the Mega Drive, the color palettes are rich, and the animation is brisk. Some sections, where the hero turns into pure energy, rank among the prettiest things you will find on the console in this genre. It is clear the creators understood the hardware and wanted to show off its possibilities.

Thanks to its late arrival and limited availability, Pulseman became a cult item. Today it is viewed as a fascinating behind-the-scenes chapter in Game Freak's history and as proof that the team could do more than just catch critters in balls. For retro-scene connoisseurs it is one of those names that instantly earns an appreciative nod.

Why play it: A superbly playable and visually inventive platformer from the creators of Pokemon that most players of its day never got the chance to know.