The platformer rush brought a sea of side scrollers featuring animals from all across the spectrum. These were no doubt inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog and we saw such creatures as bats, dogs, cats, and more in the leading roles in several titles. There were so many that they all kind of blend together. Most of these mascots have been long forgotten, and very few were celebrated even at the time of their release. It’s easier to remember the gameplay gimmicks at this point. This brings me to High Seas Havoc. The developers behind it settled on a rather unconventional mascot; an otter (although the main character could easily be mistaken for a dog). Along with this comes a nautical pirate theme that makes it stand apart from the rest. I’ve always had a natural propensity for platformers and this one hasn’t been re-released on any other format. Unfortunately High Seas Havoc is largely as forgettable as most of the others.
High Seas Havoc focuses on an otter aptly named Havoc. He spends his days peacefully living on the shore alongside his trusty (but largely useless) sidekick Tide. One day a girl washes up as the tide comes in, and the two nurse her back to health and they all become friends. She has in her possession an emerald with powers so great that it can topple entire armies, and so the three hide it in the nearby mountains. An evil pirate named Bernardo eventually finds the girl, and kidnaps her while setting out to acquire this magic gem. Havoc sets out to rescue her and defeat the army of anthropomorphic pirates. This is a very generic story, but the introductory and ending sequences are charming and memorable. Gameplay is standard fare; this is a two dimensional title wherein you move left, right and can jump. Havoc has a life bar in the upper right hand side of the screen that depletes as he takes damage. You have limited lives, and collecting one hundred gems grants you an extra one. Don’t worry if this all sounds familiar because so far it is.
This leads me to the first major problem I have with this game. High Seas Havoc lacks a gimmick. Naturally it’s fair to assume that, as an otter, Havoc would be able to swim, throw clam shells… something. He even has a sword on the box art, but that’s not in the game. Instead the developers gave him a lame kick that can only be performed during a jump, and it only lasts for a split second. It’s not interesting, and it’s too short lived to be memorable. You’ll find yourself going through the standard motions defeating enemies by simply jumping on their heads. There’s also treasure chests that you can destroy for items, but these are mostly gems, extra lives, or food that restores the life bar. A pair of shoes increases your speed, but it’s hardly noticeable. Aside from this there are no power-ups. This can make or break a platformer unless of course the developers put a ton of effort into the level design to keep things constantly fresh.
Level designs here are kind of a mixed bag. The nautical pirate theme is really fun in my opinion. Unfortunately the developers ditch this after just a few stages and settle for conventional motifs instead. You’ll run and jump through icy mountainsides, inside caves, and even a psuedo futuristic factory. It’s pretty disappointing if you ask me. One level takes place mostly underwater, but the physics are unchanged and you can’t even swim. To be fair the developers did have at least one good idea when they designed the burning town stage. Here you’re chased by a fireball, and have to clear the path by jumping on objects that spray water. It’s a good idea, and this is by far my favorite section of the game. Unfortunately the rest of the stages are far too similar to one another. As you progress there’s a heavier reliance on intricate platforming, but unfortunately the controls aren’t quite suitable for this. Havoc has trouble stopping, and even the slightest movement causes him to slip like he’s walking on ice. Many of the platforms in the last leg of the game are tiny and move. This leads to some pretty frustrating moments. High Seas Havoc isn’t extremely difficult, but the platforming mechanics are far too sloppy. It’s simply not intuitive and bogs the game down.
The graphics however are pretty good. This game pushes far more colors than most Genesis games from the same era. The art style is even pretty decent in most cases with nicely detailed anthropomorphic animals, and as I mentioned earlier the nautical theme is a very nice touch. The action moves at a brisk pace, and I didn’t notice a single drop in the framerate. The speed is fairly impressive, and is best likened to Sonic the Hedgehog. In addition the developers made use of some nice rotation effects; Havoc even faces diagonally when running downhill. The backgrounds however steal the show. These make use of fantastic parallax scrolling effects with multiple layers, and most even feature significant amounts of animation (the northern lights on the mountain stages are particularly impressive). The soundtrack on the other hand is a little forgettable. The composition is decent, and the developers made nice use of the limited audio hardware. Unfortunately the music is forgettable, and is another area in which the developers completely forgot about the established nautical theme. There’s nothing particularly wrong but the music is just okay.
High Seas Havoc is a competently designed game, but it’s ultimately quite boring. The developers failed to deliver an interesting gimmick, and didn’t take the time to make any power-ups. It’s a very mundane experience, and the sloppy platforming does it no favors. I can see now that there’s a reason High Seas Havoc hasn’t been re-released on any modern system; it’s just too generic and in the end is not that fun.
