Uploaded August 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Moonwalker is a run & gun that Sega released in arcades in 1990, based on Michael Jackson's film of the same name. They also released a different version of the game on the Genesis, which is probably the game that most people played. But I think the arcade version is quite a bit better. It's a really good game, and still pretty unique as an isometric shooter. There isn't much else like it.
The gameplay is pretty simple. Holding the attack button charges up MJ's magic, getting progressively stronger and gaining more range as it powers up. But if you hold it for too long, it resets back to its weakest form. I like that, it adds a bit more strategy to the game since finding the best time to start charging your attack can make some of the more difficult sections easier to deal with.
You also have a full screen bomb, which plays out with Michael doing some of his dance choreography. You can actually choose which bomb you use by inputting a direction at the same time. The noteworthy thing about this is that the left/right + bomb attack does more damage to any enemy that Michael hits with his hat, which is very useful against bosses and minibosses.
And finally there's Bubbles, Michael's pet chimpanzee. He appears at set points throughout the game, and picking him up makes Michael transform into a robot, which lets you shoot lasers and missiles. RoboMichael can also charge his attack, which shoots out a laser and some missiles. This charges a lot faster than the attack in your regular form, so you can essentially spam this on bosses for massive damage.
And that's all there really is to it. It's a fairly simple game and it's not that difficult to clear. You have to be careful once you get to the zombie area of stage 4 though, because there's only one healing item left for the rest of the game. Thankfully stage 5 is pretty easy with a bit of practice. Give it a shot if you like run & guns or are a fan of Michael Jackson! I'd hope that covers most of the world's population. 🐵
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:25 Round 1 - Cavern
1:26 Round 2 - Amusement Quarter
5:55 Round 3 - Night Street
11:18 Round 4 - Graveyard
17:48 Round 5 - Evil Fortress
23:13 Ending & Credits
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Beat 'em Ups (e.g. Final Fight): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfI6IYca_kvMhpG1GR9sk8OYiWQMZZTgl
2D Action (e.g. Metal Slug): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfI6IYca_kvNFjpnJ59Th6N0IU1PSpD3d
STG/Shmups (e.g. Dodonpachi): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFE6B3779BE759F71
Moonwalker is a run & gun that Sega released in arcades in 1990, based on Michael Jackson's film of the same name. They also released a different version of the game on the Genesis, which is probably the game that most people played. But I think the arcade version is quite a bit better. It's a really good game, and still pretty unique as an isometric shooter. There isn't much else like it.
The gameplay is pretty simple. Holding the attack button charges up MJ's magic, getting progressively stronger and gaining more range as it powers up. But if you hold it for too long, it resets back to its weakest form. I like that, it adds a bit more strategy to the game since finding the best time to start charging your attack can make some of the more difficult sections easier to deal with.
You also have a full screen bomb, which plays out with Michael doing some of his dance choreography. You can actually choose which bomb you use by inputting a direction at the same time. The noteworthy thing about this is that the left/right + bomb attack does more damage to any enemy that Michael hits with his hat, which is very useful against bosses and minibosses.
And finally there's Bubbles, Michael's pet chimpanzee. He appears at set points throughout the game, and picking him up makes Michael transform into a robot, which lets you shoot lasers and missiles. RoboMichael can also charge his attack, which shoots out a laser and some missiles. This charges a lot faster than the attack in your regular form, so you can essentially spam this on bosses for massive damage.
And that's all there really is to it. It's a fairly simple game and it's not that difficult to clear. You have to be careful once you get to the zombie area of stage 4 though, because there's only one healing item left for the rest of the game. Thankfully stage 5 is pretty easy with a bit of practice. Give it a shot if you like run & guns or are a fan of Michael Jackson! I'd hope that covers most of the world's population. 🐵
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:25 Round 1 - Cavern
1:26 Round 2 - Amusement Quarter
5:55 Round 3 - Night Street
11:18 Round 4 - Graveyard
17:48 Round 5 - Evil Fortress
23:13 Ending & Credits
-----
Beat 'em Ups (e.g. Final Fight): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfI6IYca_kvMhpG1GR9sk8OYiWQMZZTgl
2D Action (e.g. Metal Slug): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfI6IYca_kvNFjpnJ59Th6N0IU1PSpD3d
STG/Shmups (e.g. Dodonpachi): youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFE6B3779BE759F71
