Chameleon Twist

Chameleon Twist (カメレオンツイスト, Kamereon Tsuisuto) is a platform game developed by Japan System Supply and published for the Nintendo 64 in 1997 by Sunsoft.

Chameleon Twist
North American cover art
Developer(s)Japan System Supply
Publisher(s)Sunsoft
Director(s)Masaki Kimura
Producer(s)Taeko Nagata
Designer(s)Hideyuki Nakanishi
Programmer(s)Hideyuki Nakanishi
Masataka Imura
Takashi Isugioka
Masaki Kimura
Masaomi Ishimoto
Composer(s)Takashi Sugioka
Takashi Makino
Yuuji Nakao
Nobutoshi Ichimiya
Koki Tochio
Tsutomu Washijima
Hiroshi Takami
Fumihiko Yamada
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • NA: November 30, 1997
  • EU: December 6, 1997
  • JP: December 12, 1997
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Though disregarded by critics due to its difficult gameplay control and repetitive gameplay, Chameleon Twist was heralded for its uniqueness and garnered a cult following, earning it a sequel titled Chameleon Twist 2.[1][2][3]

This 3D platform game has players take on the role of one of four anthropomorphic chameleons, and travel across six themed worlds. The chameleon's elongated tongue can be used as a weapon, a means to traverse gaps, or as a way to leap onto platforms. Once the tongue is unrolled, it can be guided in any direction using the analog stick. A five-room training area is available to let players practice the unusual controls. The single-player game involves progressing through predominately indoor environments, each culminating in a boss battle, while collecting hearts to replenish health.[2]

Story

The protagonist of the game is a blue chameleon named Davy who, upon following a rabbit (closely resembling Lewis Carroll's White Rabbit) into a magical hole in the ground, finds he has taken on a humanoid form.

The plot involves Davy or one of his friends, Jack, Fred, or Linda, traveling throughout the six lands of the magic portal he enters, in an attempt to find a way back through the portal and back home, following the same rabbit he met before he entered the world.[2]

Gameplay

Pressing the B button makes the player character stick out its tongue. Using the analog stick, players then control the movement of the tongue. This enables players to obtain power-ups from a distance or to swallow enemies. The tongue will extend until it reaches its full length and retracts back into the chameleon's mouth, or until it bumps a wall, which yields the same result. As a basic attack, Davy and his friends, who have the same powers, can stick out their tongue and swallow enemies that stick to it. Once inside their mouth, the Chameleons have the option of spitting the enemies back out of their mouths at other enemies.[4]

In order to jump up to levels of ground that are usually impossible to reach, the characters are able to launch themselves into the air by using their tongues. If used while the chameleon is moving in a particular direction, the jump is given even more altitude, in what is comparable to pole vaulting.

When faced with impassable gaps in the ground, player characters can grab a pole on the other side of the pit, allowing them to either move across the pit in a set direction. The player may rather choose to move across the pit in a circular motion by swinging around the pole by pressing the A button and the desired direction after grabbing the pole.

Multiplayer

In addition to the single-player game, Chameleon Twist offers a battle option, allowing two to four players the chance to take part in either a Battle Royal or Time Trial event. Battle Royal has players vying to be the last chameleon left standing on a suspended platform, while Time Trial rewards the chameleon that stays on the platform the longest. In the latter event, the chameleon that has fallen off the fewest times is considered the winner. Options include four difficulty settings for multiplayer games, adjustable battle lengths, and a choice of four stages for both the Battle Royal and Time Trial modes.[2]

Release

Sunsoft originally planned to release the game only in Japan, but Nintendo convinced them to publish it in other countries.[4]

Reception

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40.[7]

References
  1. Joe Fielder (March 4, 1998). "Chameleon Twist Review [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  2. Scott McCall. "Chameleon Twist - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  3. Peer Schneider (December 15, 1997). "Chameleon Twist". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  4. "Chameleon Twist: Just a Boy and his Multitalented Tongue". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 102. Ziff Davis. January 1998. p. 40.
  5. "Chameleon Twist for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  6. "Chameleon Twist". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis. 1998.
  7. "カメレオン・ツイスト [NINTENDO64]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  8. "Chameleon Twist". Game Informer. No. 70. FuncoLand. April 1998.
  9. Jonathan Davies (January 1998). "Chameleon Twist". N64 Magazine. No. 10. Future plc. pp. 66–68.
  10. "Chameleon Twist". Nintendo Power. Vol. 103. Nintendo of America. December 1997. p. 95. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
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