The Sega Game Gear got a version of the movie-licensed platform game, The Addams Family, in 1993. This one was programmed by Arc Developments, and not by Ocean Software (who had done most of the other versions). It was published in North America and Europe by Flying Edge, and by Acclaim in Japan.

The Addams Family for the Game Gear is different to most of the other versions of this game, but it’s still a scrolling platform game where you play as Gomez Addams, looking to rescue other members of your family.

Graphically, the Game Gear version is way ahead of the Game Boy version (I guess its main rival at the time), with some excellent 8-bit pixel art on display. The Gomez sprite is a little weird. Or, rather: his jump is. But otherwise the game looks great.

The music is simple, but not annoying. As you’d expect: there’s a rendition of the famous Addams Family theme that repeats over and over, but not much else.

Unfortunately, gameplay-wise, The Addams Family is a struggle. I think the main issue I have with it is that the platforming is sloppy and it’s often very difficult (or impossible) to avoid colliding with enemies. Fortunately, Gomez (who you’re playing) has a health bar and can take multiple hits, so that’s okay – unless you want to make a serious attempt at completing the game. In which case you need to conserve your health as much as possible.

The scrolling is smooth and the controls are precise. Jumping around and exploring is fun for a while. You soon learn that jumping on the heads of monsters – and ducking – is a major thing in this game.

Overall, Game Gear Addams Family is okay –  nothing special. I liked seeing the new graphics (compared to other versions), but the gameplay didn’t impress me much.

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