MONTY NO DOKI DOKI DAISASSŌ
( Monty On The Run )
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モンティのドキドキ大脱走
©1987 Jaleco
©1986 Gremlins Graphics
No.03
Release: 1987-07-31 (¥3200)
DiskCard JFD-MDD
Action/Platform game
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Monty no Doki Doki Daidassō (aka Monty on the run) is a
multi-screen action/platform game by Jaleco and licensed by
Gremlin Graphics. Monty, the hero of the game, has escaped
from jail and he is now on the run. The player is given the challenging
task to help him to escape. But before jumping into action, Monty
needs to pick up two items to help him in his quest for freedom. First,
he needs to pick a weapon from a list of five (bow, gun, Morningstar,
knife, boomerang, hand grenade) and a secondary item (such as a bomb,
an armor or a car).
Some of those objects may end up being useful, others just a waste and
only experience will tell Monty which ones to take, or discard.
Once fully equipped, Monty gets on his feet and starts off his
journey outside, in a forest. He will soon reach an Egyptian pyramid,
climb down a long ladder and explore the underground building. Stages
are vast, full of hazards, enemies, and also new items to collect.
Other features are also scattered around the game, like transporters
and lifts.
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Monty On The Run was originally released in 1985 by the British
company Gremlin Graphics and came out for the 48k ZX-Spectrum,
Commodore 64 (picture on the left) and Amstrad CPC. The game was originally written by
Peter Harrap and the (now famous) music by Rob Hubbard.
Unlike the Famicom Disk version, it featured a Mole and was
the third episode of a series which started with the popular
Wanted : Monty Mole (1984) and Monty is Innocent
(1984). Two more sequels followed, Auf Wiedersehen Monty
(1987) and Impossamole (1990). As a side note, it is
interesting to see Jaleco porting such games as
Monty On The Run, or Ultimate's
Knight Lore
(They also ported the Japanese MSX version), milestones of
British's (and therefore European) video game history.
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Teaser text from the original Spectrum 48k version:
Super fit and desperate for freedom. Monty makes his daring
escape from Scudmore Prison. Hounded by the bastions of
law and order, our frightened hero finds refuge with the
criminal underworld who offer him his chance to breath fresh
air and bask in the sunlight once again. Moving from safe
house to hideout to underground lair, Monty must select the
correct five elements of his freedom kit from the many he's
offered and not miss out on the hidden gold coins that will
make him a mole of leisure.
At last he's free but can he make the cross-channel
ferry on time ?
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
O
V
s
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The original Monty On The Run was very playable
and addictive for the time. I'm not sure if this Famicom
Disk version really stretches the limits of what was previously
possible for the 48k ZX Spectrum or Commodore 64. Despite
Monty the Mole being replaced here by a bearded
adventurer with striped clothing, the game is definitively
more colorful. The original game only used mono-colored
sprites and this Famicom version brings back Monty On The Run's
world under a new light. However, the game's layout is very
different (for instance, the original game starts inside of
a house and no Egyptian pyramid are featured) and I'm not
even sure if Monty actually has to catch a boat in
this version. All in all, I think this game has aged a lot
and quickly becomes cumbersome to play compared to modern
platformers. It's not like the game can't be played and
enjoyed to an extent, but be aware that you will have to
put a lot of time, effort and patience into it. It is
nevertheless another great piece of video game history.
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