0
0
The 1990 film Home Alone ended up being way more than just a cute holiday movie to watch with the family. It quickly became a pop culture phenomenon and an absolute merchandising frenzy, leaving a number of low quality video games in its wake. There’s at least one, however, that manages to capture the film’s mischievous action while also being a pretty entertaining play – the Genesis / Mega Drive version published by Sega and released in 1992.
The game’s premise is no surprise – ten year-old Kevin McCallister is mistakenly left behind by his family on vacation and must defend his home from a pair of burglars. The Genesis game, however, requires Kevin to also protect four other nearby houses, using a sled to travel between them. Each house has a different theme from country to ultra modern, adding a bit of level variety. While these new locations admittedly make the experience feel a little less “Home Alone”, it helps turn the simple but fun idea into a full game. In addition to setting traps, many of which are pulled directly from the film, Kevin can also throw snowballs and even craft weapons from objects he collects. Depending on the components used, each weapon will have varying effects and projectile motions. The game is won by keeping the crooks at bay long enough for the police to arrive, which varies depending on the difficulty level.
As a kid, I was a die-hard Home Alone fan, and the Sega Genesis version always stood out as best to me. It wasn’t until later in life that I discovered many people across the world feel the same way. I also discovered that a version was released the same year for the Game Gear, Sega’s handheld game system. And a similar version released in 1993 for the Sega Master System. Never stop learning, kids!
