Thats EXACTLY how I remember it too lol! When that starts happening to me in a game, I pretty much know right then and there that it's a game I'm not going to finish.
I had this game as a kid and the main thing I remember is running around being confused and dying a lot. The game had a pretty awesome aesthetic though
An Iron Maiden game starring Eddie on the Mega Drive/Genesis would have been great back in the day, especially if it was a Japanese developed game using the Cube driver hell yeah! The Cube driver was good at emulating Steve Harris's bass guitar. Just listen to Zero Wing, the bass on that sounds like Steve Harris.
it's Christmas 1992, you are 6 years old and you got a Genesis with three newly released games: Chakan, Greendog and TaleSpin. wow thank you Sega of America
My dad is the one who bought this game cause Chakan looked like Eddy from Iron Maiden. Watching him play it got my full attention, the music was very eerie and scary, the monsters were awesome, and the ability to set your swords on fire and do a spin attack was amazing! This is still a must play for me every Halloween season. It's hard sure but luckily you can get infinit potions in practice mode and you can switch to the 2nd world with it to beat game.
I met RAK at MegaCon years ago, he was a really pleasant, humble guy. He had his son there helping him at his booth, and you could tell he was stoked to be at his dad's side. Got to tell him I grew up with Chakan and enjoyed the comics as well as the Genesis game.
This right here, THIS is the kind of game that would benefit from a remake: a game with great unrealized potential. Imagine a modern version of this game with the same visuals but in higher resolution, same basic gameplay, but with better level design, manageable enemy placement, and saving the game every time you completed a stage - and only then, to keep a high challenge level. I'd buy that day one.
C'mon, y'all, you're not getting what I'm saying here. I'm talking about remaking the game in exactly the same style: sidescrolling, hack'n'slash, with pixel art graphics (on a higher resolution, of course), only improving on what needs improving - especially level design, enemy spawning and placement, and a save system - but keeping the game essentially the same. That's the kind of remake I think we need more of.
there's a great fan hack/patch out there that increases time limit & slightly increases your jump height, among other small tweaks. yet still retains the game's core mechanics & gameplay. i highly recommend it for anyone interested in playing Chakan.
Chakan was a truly horrifying game! I had actual nightmares because of it when I was a kid, to the point that I hid the game cartridge somewhere else, far away from the other Genesis games lol. As I grew older I realized about the 'true' ending which means that Chakan is literally trapped for all eternity and his soul will never rest. Brutal!
I recall you had already reviewed this one and called it horrible; maybe it was on an anthology episode. I didn't play it back then, but, man, that box art really caught my eye! I just could never forget it.
The Ads, character design, and everything about this game really got me excited as a kid with a Sega Genesis. It had the awesome look of the 90's anti-hero, and cool world and story. Luckily this one was only a rental for me, because I really really had no fun at all playing it.
The gsme mechanic of not dying was a new concept in the 16 bit era. Chakan preceeds Soul Reaver and Dark Souls by many years. The hub world and potion crafting are also ahead of it's time. Its a shame these innovations were not combined with polished tight gameplay, which would have elevated Chakan to classic status.
I wonder how it ended up there . Maybe parents didn’t approve or it was tapping in the mind of a future serial killer and he couldn’t resist so he threw it away 🤔
The kids I was in after school daycare with and I somehow managed our way through this game for a good few days. Going back is ridiculous, idk how we had the patience.
I always hated this game but found the ending so damn funny. Like the ultimate middle finger to anyone insane enough to actually finish it. It's such a cool concept and everything surrounding it is awesome, but it's a huge example of "and then you play it".
Thanks for covering this. This game splashed so hard in 1992. There was nothing else like it at the time. I'm sure that fans of Drizzt Do'Urden took a liking as well.
Those who said it was an easy game clearer lied. I'm just boggled on why my dad bought this game for me and my brother back then. Game design is dope but... Will be a game I'll never finish playing.
The art style and mood of the game was incredible, people have been asking for an actual cool modern remake of this series for decades. It would work perfectly as a metroidvania or soulslike which are similar zelda likes anyway. From Soft would do it perfectly, since they already dabble in Alchemy. Seriously all the ideas are so cool either remaster it with better gameplay or a modern 3d remake. Its so cool.
As someone who was also gaming back then, there's a sharp distinction between the "I will BEAT this!" attitude that prevailed back then, always seeking the hardest games, versus today's desire to respect the player's time. They're both equally valid and truthfully more indicative of the different eras. It's not that developers were sadistic, just that it was well known that American players wanted hard games.
I would say older games respect the player’s time in a different way. Newer games don’t make you replay stuff when you fail, but can be interminable anyways. Older games don’t waste your time with cutscenes and padded out stories, but they’ll force you to replay stuff a lot.
Oh Chaka. That just reminded me of this dude in my old friend group that has that for a nickname. I think his is based on the caveman kid in an old show called The Land of the Lost or something rather than the old 80s singer. The dude is incredibly... simple is probably the best way to put it, probably on the spectrum somewhere. Good guy though, and a tank of a human. If you need muscle, he's your guy. Just tell him whoever talked shit about his mom or something and stand back. I'll tell ya what, he does a mean manual on his bmx. One time that fucker rode around on one wheel for like six hours high on shrooms. He probably could have gone pro if his circumstances were different. Ok that's enough memory lane for me.
This is 1 of those Genesis games that everyone in their mother just happened to own back then, along with Sonic 2, Ecco, Aladdin, Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, Jurassic Park, Toe Jam & Earl, Altered Beast & Vector Man.
Never owned this one. Also never owned Ecco, SF2 and MK for the Mega Drive (did rent). And didn't own Sonic 2, but had cousin I could borrow it from and also S&K. And we had S1 and S3 ourselves. Not that we didn't own many popular games, we (me and my brother) had SoR2, Jurassic Park, Strider, Altered Beast and some more popular games. And we could borrow stuff we didn't have like SoR1 and 3, Kid Chameleon (amazing game, IMO), Shinobi, Decap Attack and a few more. Also had a few nice niche games like Jewel Master (which has one of the best stage 1 songs in all of gaming).
I dunno about your neighborhood kids in your neck of the woods, but nobody I knew owned this game in the 90s. The other titles though, that's some truth. Everybody had those games. I didn't even know about this game until like my mid 20s in like 2011 or something. Random game store find I picked up.
This is one of my favorite Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games! I played for the first time in 1993 in my local "pay for play" rent store in Brazil and love it to death. I agree that the level design and some other aspects could be a lot better, but i love the game regardless. I was very desapointed when i heard that Chakan 2 for the Dreamcast was scrapped. This and Castlevania Resurrection was some of the games that i would love to play at the time.
Both soundtracks came from Mark Miller. “Cave Area” from Kid Chameleon sounds remarkably similar to “Air Dimension 1” in Chakan. I’m usually able to see past the sharp edges of the GEMS created soundtracks, but many tracks in Chakan test even my patience. Mark Miller did some fantastic sounds track, such as Earthworm Jim, Robocop vs Terminator and Krusty’s Super Funhouse
This box art definitely drew attention when browsing the rental shelves. I never played it but was always curious about what it looked like. The character's movements immediately reminded me of Sega's X-Men game. Great review.
I co-sign Sega Lord X 100%! I still own this game and i have a love/hate relationship with it. I STILL haven't beaten this game and I've owned it since it came out. The hit detection and combat should have been more along the lines of Golden Axe. There are some stages that you will get stuck on with no options of how to get unstuck. The missions aren't intuitive and it really needs a continuation code or battery back up. I want to play this game and conquer it, but i don't want to deal with the trauma. 😐
I remember this game being massively hyped back when it came out. I recall the difficulty being pushed as kind of a badge of pride by some publications. I had the same experience as you. It was more difficult than it needed to be and for all the wrong reasons.
I remember a friend of mine talking about this game when I was a kid and I got immediate interest on it due to the story. When I played it I thought the controls were terrible and felt so many times in the first area pitfalls that I just gave up. Then returned and tried again and again and in the end I always hated it. I really thought you were going to say something different here and make me want to give it another try but you agreed with me and you played it way more than I did
I'm in the camp of people who only got a new game 2 maybe 3 times a year. So when me and my brother got this we worked hard trying to beat it. We got really far spending entire Friday and Saturday nights trying but never finished It. It is indeed too hard. However when I started collecting Genesis games later in life it was one of the first I went for. Probably for that nostalgia I can't get back. And I sure don't have the patience for it as a busy adult but can still appreciate it for what it tried to be all the same. Also that soundtrack is great!
I played this game several times on the Sega Channel back when I was probably like 10 years old or so. This and Sega CD gave me the experience of games that are basically traps. They look so good, and sound so good, and have such great atmosphere that it lures you in, and the fun factor is so nonexistent, and it's such a drudgery, that you a) don't believe it because of how well put together everything else is so you think there's some chance you're the problem and b) feel pressured to continue. In a way, it being so good in terms of presentation makes the game even worse, because it makes you to suffer more. Good to see a review that so accurately fits my memory as a child of this game.
A friend of mine rented this game one weekend and had the same complaints as SLX. I remember loving the concept and the visuals, but it became apparent rather quickly that the brutal difficulty was going to make sure Chakkan stayed on the shelf forever, never to be rented again. I'd love to see a remaster, one that matched the level design with the character's abilities.
I remember...it was the early 90s after my parents got divorced. I always went to Blockbuster video on Friday nights when I'd be spending the weekend at my Dad's. He would always let me rent a couple of games, and I always lingered on Chakan, wondering if I'd like it. I never wound up renting it. It was always on the "maybe" list for me but i never actually rented. This is actually the first time ive seen gameplay footage and learned anything about it. I think it would've been fun but very frustrating for me (especially without having the manual as a guide for the alchemy). Thanks for sharing this gem
This was one of my friend's favorite games. I always questioned why he liked this game... but well... maybe some people do liked the dificulty of this game.
If this is considered a 'Cult Favorite' then count me as a cult member! Oh the atmosphere of this game. I've beaten it many times. The elemental air level was my least favorite in terms of the music and level design. Astral Fire was probably my favorite. And the Ice Elemental was the most difficult with the slippery ground and slopes, as well as the insta-death water you could fall into. It took so much concentration to be careful. Now that I know that there could've been even more levels really makes me wish that much more for a remake or remaster. I'm fine with it being 16-bit, maybe increase the color count, give it a better sound (chip?), and of course - a save or continue system. ⚔💀⏳
I miss the 16 bit era when random stuff like Chakan will show up. I got it for my birthday one year and quite enjoyed it, but I haven't played it since the day
when i was a kid i had a friend who had the incredible talent to play 2-player games by only himself ,he was able to play Double Dragon (DOS) 2-player mode😲 incredibly well and i used to love to sit and watch him☺ ... so this game here would have been a good test for my friend's talents !! Chakan seems very impressive graphically(and the sound seems OK) though...
yeah, I'm with Sega Lord X on pretty much everything here. There's so much potential here but the level design, good lord! However I feel modern conveniences (save states or rewind functions) can save this game but I can't even imagine playing it on an original cart as it was intended.
I remember someone gifting me a soccer game that I think was kick off the last whistle, took it back and exchanged it for chankan, I never knew how this game will change me forever and turn me on to the amazing work of Gigger and then came my obsession with games like darkseed. This forever will be one of my most beloved genesis games, the soul crushing difficulty made me the souls like loved that I am today. I just wish one day I can repurchase this game in my isolated country.
This is one of those games that had the potential to be so much better. For me personally I love the grim ambiance and sense of descending into ghastly realms at the fringes of creation to pull off unlikely deeds. It's just too annoyingly hard though.
I see a hidden gem in this game, played it here and there before but never tried to play it seriously to beat it. I also like the fact that it's frustratingly hard, music doesn’t sound memorable but it suits what this game represents imo.
Most, if not all mags praised Bubsy back in the day. The game had good visuals and sound, but the gameplay, level design, and cheap deaths ruined the game. Some publishers or devs must have paid these people some cash to give higher scores than what they deserved. I don't know how Bubsy got so highly reviewed, but you didn't hear anything about the game afterwards, except in today's gaming world where Bubsy is panned.
With the massive decline of challenging games outside of the Soulsborne series during the Xbox 360/PS3/Wii and XBone/PS4/WiiU generations; Chakan: The Forever Man to this day remains one of the most brutal games in history.
Man, I remember renting this game as a kid. I played through part of the first level, got aggravated with its design and just sort of gave up on it. Even as a kid, I didn't have the patience to play much of this one. I just didn't find any of it fun. I may give the "Ultimate Chakan" hack a try to see if I can squeeze any enjoyment out of it now.
The key is learning which levels have lots of easy to find potions, since you can gather the potions you need and then "die" to return to the stage select, and then try to beat another stage with an improved inventory.
I didn't play Chakan until I was an adult, though I knew of it as a kid. It definitely takes a certain amount of fortitude to stomach. I, actually, felt pretty good beating the first set of stages, though it took me a while. I wasn't able to complete the second set because I was emulating it and I got stuck being unable to drop through a platform that I should have been able to. Regardless, yes, the game is tough as nails and the level design is something out of a nightmare. Honestly, though, I think that almost adds to its charm, in a weird, twisted way. As a kid, I would have found it tough and I doubt it would have hooked me enough to see it through to the end, but, as an adult, I can appreciate it as a game that is emblematic of the early 90's; from the comic book source material to the difficulty to the look and sound, it's all there.
Perfect game for Halloween and also awesome soundtrack. And the way you can hold the button in and you're attacking with swords sticking out, is just phenomenal along with the spinning slash jump💀⚔️
Ed Annunziata's games were notorious for their awesomeness and brutal difficulties. Games like Ecco 1 & 2, X-Men 1 & 2, Kolibri and of course Chakan were hard as all hell but beating them gives you a feeling of accomplishment like few other games can
Loved everything about it! Loved the dark music, the weapons to collect were more useful against different type of enemies, the double jump, the 8 way directional attacks. Like a lot of other people say I couldn't finish it
I remember this game looking so cool in the comic book ads. I played the GG version first, then SG not long after. Never finished it but it has an addictive challenge to it.
Although interesting, that ending where you are left floating through the infinite void was symbolic of this game's rollercoaster of promise and failure
Was trying to figure out what this was a 5+ years ago. Only thing i had off the a foggy image that i remembered and that scream he makes when he dies. Thank you internet
I really like this game. I think a bulk of the reviewers were right when they said it's a 'low-level' challenge only in the sense that the continues are unlimited, and if you know about the portal spell, you can skip the first 4 worlds on a replay if you need to continue. It doesn't completely mitigate the difficulty of course, but it does alleviate a lot of the problems people have with its length.
chakan is one of those "where the hell do i go" games
I remember renting it and not knowing what the hell I was supposed to do as the manual was missing
Thats EXACTLY how I remember it too lol! When that starts happening to me in a game, I pretty much know right then and there that it's a game I'm not going to finish.
@@charlieg6913Especially during the period this would have come out. Honestly, what an insane design choice lol
I had this game as a kid and the main thing I remember is running around being confused and dying a lot. The game had a pretty awesome aesthetic though
I always thought that he looked like an unused version of Iron Maiden's Eddie
with a little hint of Clint Eastwood
Yes!!!!
An Iron Maiden game starring Eddie on the Mega Drive/Genesis would have been great back in the day, especially if it was a Japanese developed game using the Cube driver hell yeah! The Cube driver was good at emulating Steve Harris's bass guitar. Just listen to Zero Wing, the bass on that sounds like Steve Harris.
This. I can’t unsee it now
That artwork must be totally Iron Maiden inspired, total spitting image of Eddie
i wanted to love this game so much, the graphics, sound, concept were so frickin cool to teenage me. but man it was just brutally unforgiving.
My experience with Capcom's Ghosts and Goblins' series.
it's Christmas 1992, you are 6 years old and you got a Genesis with three newly released games: Chakan, Greendog and TaleSpin. wow thank you Sega of America
I like this comment a lot. Makes me wanna make a sketch like this.
@@GameSackget outta here joe your only here for the geeeen dawg,!!
@@GameSack please :)
Your forgetting sonic the hedgehog 2 !!!
Greeeeen doooogggg@@BrettDulaney-hf8yd
My dad is the one who bought this game cause Chakan looked like Eddy from Iron Maiden. Watching him play it got my full attention, the music was very eerie and scary, the monsters were awesome, and the ability to set your swords on fire and do a spin attack was amazing! This is still a must play for me every Halloween season. It's hard sure but luckily you can get infinit potions in practice mode and you can switch to the 2nd world with it to beat game.
I met RAK at MegaCon years ago, he was a really pleasant, humble guy. He had his son there helping him at his booth, and you could tell he was stoked to be at his dad's side. Got to tell him I grew up with Chakan and enjoyed the comics as well as the Genesis game.
He is seriously one of the nicest people I met at Cons.
This game looked so damn cool back in the day. Thanks for the review!
The hack that has some quality of life improvements, enemy balancing, and a slightly increased jump makes the game MUCH more enjoyable game to play.
Yes, it’s well worth it to experience the game as it should have been.
Does it go by a specific name or will "chakan rom hack" take care of me?
@@DMKleinArts Look up the Description of the video👍
This right here, THIS is the kind of game that would benefit from a remake: a game with great unrealized potential.
Imagine a modern version of this game with the same visuals but in higher resolution, same basic gameplay, but with better level design, manageable enemy placement, and saving the game every time you completed a stage - and only then, to keep a high challenge level.
I'd buy that day one.
Or just make it a good hack-and-slash with Doom Eternal visuals
There was a planned remake for the Dreamcast, screenshots and all, but it never came to be.
Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't those Souls/Bloodbourne games or Rogue-like/lite games what you're looking for?
Sony already did a modern version just without the character likeness
Bloodbourne
C'mon, y'all, you're not getting what I'm saying here. I'm talking about remaking the game in exactly the same style: sidescrolling, hack'n'slash, with pixel art graphics (on a higher resolution, of course), only improving on what needs improving - especially level design, enemy spawning and placement, and a save system - but keeping the game essentially the same. That's the kind of remake I think we need more of.
there's a great fan hack/patch out there that increases time limit & slightly increases your jump height, among other small tweaks. yet still retains the game's core mechanics & gameplay. i highly recommend it for anyone interested in playing Chakan.
Chakan was a truly horrifying game! I had actual nightmares because of it when I was a kid, to the point that I hid the game cartridge somewhere else, far away from the other Genesis games lol. As I grew older I realized about the 'true' ending which means that Chakan is literally trapped for all eternity and his soul will never rest. Brutal!
@drza yeah me too my gaming experience was very similar to you Charkan scared the hell out of me too
@@thehumbleone1983 I thought the character was bad ass. The Sega intro in this game was pretty cool too, but this game is brutal.
It's a great game trapped inside a bad game.
What it needed is difficulty tweaking, and polishing the level design.
I recall you had already reviewed this one and called it horrible; maybe it was on an anthology episode.
I didn't play it back then, but, man, that box art really caught my eye! I just could never forget it.
The Ads, character design, and everything about this game really got me excited as a kid with a Sega Genesis. It had the awesome look of the 90's anti-hero, and cool world and story.
Luckily this one was only a rental for me, because I really really had no fun at all playing it.
The gsme mechanic of not dying was a new concept in the 16 bit era.
Chakan preceeds Soul Reaver and Dark Souls by many years.
The hub world and potion crafting are also ahead of it's time.
Its a shame these innovations were not combined with polished tight gameplay, which would have elevated Chakan to classic status.
That's where a Chakan 2 should have came into play.
My dad worked in waste management and found this game in the dump when i was a kid 😂 i played it a little bit.
I wonder how it ended up there . Maybe parents didn’t approve or it was tapping in the mind of a future serial killer and he couldn’t resist so he threw it away 🤔
Thank goodness for quality of life rom hacks! Would love to have this with more animations and remix sound tracks!
I almost had the same experience. That cover looked so cool. So glad I couldn't afford it.
The kids I was in after school daycare with and I somehow managed our way through this game for a good few days. Going back is ridiculous, idk how we had the patience.
I always hated this game but found the ending so damn funny. Like the ultimate middle finger to anyone insane enough to actually finish it. It's such a cool concept and everything surrounding it is awesome, but it's a huge example of "and then you play it".
"Not The End" should be a meme honestly lol
The ending is, to my understanding, lifted straight out of the original comics.
The ending is awesome. you have terrible taste
@@will7409 There is no ending programmed into the game though. C.c
Thanks for covering this. This game splashed so hard in 1992. There was nothing else like it at the time. I'm sure that fans of Drizzt Do'Urden took a liking as well.
Those who said it was an easy game clearer lied. I'm just boggled on why my dad bought this game for me and my brother back then. Game design is dope but... Will be a game I'll never finish playing.
The art style and mood of the game was incredible, people have been asking for an actual cool modern remake of this series for decades. It would work perfectly as a metroidvania or soulslike which are similar zelda likes anyway. From Soft would do it perfectly, since they already dabble in Alchemy. Seriously all the ideas are so cool either remaster it with better gameplay or a modern 3d remake. Its so cool.
This would be an amazing game for Team Ladybug to remake.
a game like blasphemus
As someone who was also gaming back then, there's a sharp distinction between the "I will BEAT this!" attitude that prevailed back then, always seeking the hardest games, versus today's desire to respect the player's time.
They're both equally valid and truthfully more indicative of the different eras. It's not that developers were sadistic, just that it was well known that American players wanted hard games.
I would say older games respect the player’s time in a different way. Newer games don’t make you replay stuff when you fail, but can be interminable anyways. Older games don’t waste your time with cutscenes and padded out stories, but they’ll force you to replay stuff a lot.
I always thought it was pronounced like “Shakan” like how I hear people say Chaka Kahn (the forever woman).
Oh Chaka. That just reminded me of this dude in my old friend group that has that for a nickname. I think his is based on the caveman kid in an old show called The Land of the Lost or something rather than the old 80s singer.
The dude is incredibly... simple is probably the best way to put it, probably on the spectrum somewhere. Good guy though, and a tank of a human. If you need muscle, he's your guy. Just tell him whoever talked shit about his mom or something and stand back. I'll tell ya what, he does a mean manual on his bmx. One time that fucker rode around on one wheel for like six hours high on shrooms. He probably could have gone pro if his circumstances were different. Ok that's enough memory lane for me.
It's pronounced as "Shay-Khan"
The sound track to this brutal game was a real banger. I still get pumped up hearing it.
It’s one of my favorite games on the system.
This is 1 of those Genesis games that everyone in their mother just happened to own back then, along with Sonic 2, Ecco, Aladdin, Street Fighter 2, Mortal Kombat, Jurassic Park, Toe Jam & Earl, Altered Beast & Vector Man.
Never owned this one. Also never owned Ecco, SF2 and MK for the Mega Drive (did rent). And didn't own Sonic 2, but had cousin I could borrow it from and also S&K. And we had S1 and S3 ourselves. Not that we didn't own many popular games, we (me and my brother) had SoR2, Jurassic Park, Strider, Altered Beast and some more popular games. And we could borrow stuff we didn't have like SoR1 and 3, Kid Chameleon (amazing game, IMO), Shinobi, Decap Attack and a few more. Also had a few nice niche games like Jewel Master (which has one of the best stage 1 songs in all of gaming).
I dunno about your neighborhood kids in your neck of the woods, but nobody I knew owned this game in the 90s. The other titles though, that's some truth. Everybody had those games. I didn't even know about this game until like my mid 20s in like 2011 or something. Random game store find I picked up.
I really hope you mean "everyone AND their mother"
This is the first time I'm hearing about ts
I think it wasn't popular in Europe.
And 40 years later... I find it it was based on a comic.
I owned and loved so much about this game, but I never finished it. It would be great to see a fan-influenced remake/homage a la Sonic Mania.
I used to watch my older brother play this for hrs on end back in the day. This title always fascinated me regardless of the difficulty
Goddamn '92 was incredible. No wonder I was such a happy kid
One of my best friends in life (may he rest in peace) played this game to exhaustion in his adolescence...he had mixed feelings for it.
This is one of my favorite Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games! I played for the first time in 1993 in my local "pay for play" rent store in Brazil and love it to death. I agree that the level design and some other aspects could be a lot better, but i love the game regardless. I was very desapointed when i heard that Chakan 2 for the Dreamcast was scrapped. This and Castlevania Resurrection was some of the games that i would love to play at the time.
Love your channel as I recently started collecting it’s nice to get I depth views on these games. Well done 👍
I'm more of a Kid Chameleon kinda guy.
Sigh.... Recreational Brainfart......the studio responsible for creating the GEMS sound driver. Oh, joy.
I know :/ you can tell by the sounds too
Yep. With the exception of a couple of tunes (I enjoy the Hub and Wind Stage themes) these did not age well if at all.
Both soundtracks came from Mark Miller. “Cave Area” from Kid Chameleon sounds remarkably similar to “Air Dimension 1” in Chakan.
I’m usually able to see past the sharp edges of the GEMS created soundtracks, but many tracks in Chakan test even my patience.
Mark Miller did some fantastic sounds track, such as Earthworm Jim, Robocop vs Terminator and Krusty’s Super Funhouse
I tried playing this game back in the day but could never get anywhere and gave up. Totally agree with the review.
10:43 thank goodness for emulation save states
This box art definitely drew attention when browsing the rental shelves. I never played it but was always curious about what it looked like. The character's movements immediately reminded me of Sega's X-Men game. Great review.
Yes indeed, both games were from the inimitable mind of Ed Annunziata
I always loved this game as a kid. Never got anywhere in it and never understood what was happening but i just loved it. Kinda still do lol
I for one am glad that there's a fan patch for this one.
I co-sign Sega Lord X 100%! I still own this game and i have a love/hate relationship with it. I STILL haven't beaten this game and I've owned it since it came out. The hit detection and combat should have been more along the lines of Golden Axe. There are some stages that you will get stuck on with no options of how to get unstuck. The missions aren't intuitive and it really needs a continuation code or battery back up. I want to play this game and conquer it, but i don't want to deal with the trauma. 😐
I remember this game being massively hyped back when it came out. I recall the difficulty being pushed as kind of a badge of pride by some publications. I had the same experience as you. It was more difficult than it needed to be and for all the wrong reasons.
For me this game fits in "almost there" category.
I remember a friend of mine talking about this game when I was a kid and I got immediate interest on it due to the story. When I played it I thought the controls were terrible and felt so many times in the first area pitfalls that I just gave up. Then returned and tried again and again and in the end I always hated it. I really thought you were going to say something different here and make me want to give it another try but you agreed with me and you played it way more than I did
This is the original Dark Souls!! Needs a remake desperately
Awesome review. This is precisely what I need in retro gaming. Should I play it today. Thanks for answering it.
Now this is a box art i've not seen since blockbuster rentals! I don't think i've ever seen it being played until right now.
I'm in the camp of people who only got a new game 2 maybe 3 times a year. So when me and my brother got this we worked hard trying to beat it. We got really far spending entire Friday and Saturday nights trying but never finished It. It is indeed too hard. However when I started collecting Genesis games later in life it was one of the first I went for. Probably for that nostalgia I can't get back. And I sure don't have the patience for it as a busy adult but can still appreciate it for what it tried to be all the same. Also that soundtrack is great!
I played this game several times on the Sega Channel back when I was probably like 10 years old or so. This and Sega CD gave me the experience of games that are basically traps. They look so good, and sound so good, and have such great atmosphere that it lures you in, and the fun factor is so nonexistent, and it's such a drudgery, that you a) don't believe it because of how well put together everything else is so you think there's some chance you're the problem and b) feel pressured to continue. In a way, it being so good in terms of presentation makes the game even worse, because it makes you to suffer more. Good to see a review that so accurately fits my memory as a child of this game.
A friend of mine rented this game one weekend and had the same complaints as SLX. I remember loving the concept and the visuals, but it became apparent rather quickly that the brutal difficulty was going to make sure Chakkan stayed on the shelf forever, never to be rented again. I'd love to see a remaster, one that matched the level design with the character's abilities.
I've waited almost 6 years to see u make this video 🎉🎉
I bought this game strictly because he looks like Eddie from Iron Maiden. It's nuts, haha
I remember...it was the early 90s after my parents got divorced. I always went to Blockbuster video on Friday nights when I'd be spending the weekend at my Dad's. He would always let me rent a couple of games, and I always lingered on Chakan, wondering if I'd like it.
I never wound up renting it. It was always on the "maybe" list for me but i never actually rented. This is actually the first time ive seen gameplay footage and learned anything about it. I think it would've been fun but very frustrating for me (especially without having the manual as a guide for the alchemy).
Thanks for sharing this gem
This was one of my friend's favorite games.
I always questioned why he liked this game... but well... maybe some people do liked the dificulty of this game.
😂 how you described it is spot on. I always thought the character looked cool and the storyline, but playing it is truly a pain in the ass.
If this is considered a 'Cult Favorite' then count me as a cult member! Oh the atmosphere of this game. I've beaten it many times. The elemental air level was my least favorite in terms of the music and level design. Astral Fire was probably my favorite. And the Ice Elemental was the most difficult with the slippery ground and slopes, as well as the insta-death water you could fall into. It took so much concentration to be careful. Now that I know that there could've been even more levels really makes me wish that much more for a remake or remaster. I'm fine with it being 16-bit, maybe increase the color count, give it a better sound (chip?), and of course - a save or continue system. ⚔💀⏳
I had this game on Game Gear.. I was really expecting a banger when I got it, but 9 year old me never had a chance.
I miss the 16 bit era when random stuff like Chakan will show up. I got it for my birthday one year and quite enjoyed it, but I haven't played it since the day
Oh man i was just playing this game 2 weeks ago. I was comparing the original game and the rom hack. I feel this game needs a remake!
Love your videos man! Would love more on the turbografx and maybe the jaguar? But I love all your dreamcast saturn and game gear videos
when i was a kid i had a friend who had the incredible talent to play 2-player games by only himself ,he was able to play Double Dragon (DOS) 2-player mode😲 incredibly well and i used to love to sit and watch him☺ ... so this game here would have been a good test for my friend's talents !!
Chakan seems very impressive graphically(and the sound seems OK) though...
yeah, I'm with Sega Lord X on pretty much everything here. There's so much potential here but the level design, good lord! However I feel modern conveniences (save states or rewind functions) can save this game but I can't even imagine playing it on an original cart as it was intended.
Re reading old Gamepros has convinced me there were reviews done without the games being actually played.
One of my favourite games of all time. The soundtrack is amazing, with some great FM noise/ambient tracks
I remember someone gifting me a soccer game that I think was kick off the last whistle, took it back and exchanged it for chankan, I never knew how this game will change me forever and turn me on to the amazing work of Gigger and then came my obsession with games like darkseed. This forever will be one of my most beloved genesis games, the soul crushing difficulty made me the souls like loved that I am today. I just wish one day I can repurchase this game in my isolated country.
I love your thumbnails man!!! so Catchy!
I wasn't sure anyone else would remember this game. Dear sweet nostalgia
Because I was a dumb kid back in the day, I thought this was a game about the Quaker Man from Poltergeist 2.
This is one of those games that had the potential to be so much better. For me personally I love the grim ambiance and sense of descending into ghastly realms at the fringes of creation to pull off unlikely deeds. It's just too annoyingly hard though.
This game needs the Streets of Rage Remake treatment, the story aspect alone has great potential
I see a hidden gem in this game, played it here and there before but never tried to play it seriously to beat it. I also like the fact that it's frustratingly hard, music doesn’t sound memorable but it suits what this game represents imo.
Most, if not all mags praised Bubsy back in the day. The game had good visuals and sound, but the gameplay, level design, and cheap deaths ruined the game.
Some publishers or devs must have paid these people some cash to give higher scores than what they deserved. I don't know how Bubsy got so highly reviewed, but you didn't hear anything about the game afterwards, except in today's gaming world where Bubsy is panned.
1992 was a great year
With the massive decline of challenging games outside of the Soulsborne series during the Xbox 360/PS3/Wii and XBone/PS4/WiiU generations; Chakan: The Forever Man to this day remains one of the most brutal games in history.
Man, I remember renting this game as a kid. I played through part of the first level, got aggravated with its design and just sort of gave up on it. Even as a kid, I didn't have the patience to play much of this one. I just didn't find any of it fun. I may give the "Ultimate Chakan" hack a try to see if I can squeeze any enjoyment out of it now.
The key is learning which levels have lots of easy to find potions, since you can gather the potions you need and then "die" to return to the stage select, and then try to beat another stage with an improved inventory.
Owned it and loved it.
I didn't play Chakan until I was an adult, though I knew of it as a kid. It definitely takes a certain amount of fortitude to stomach. I, actually, felt pretty good beating the first set of stages, though it took me a while. I wasn't able to complete the second set because I was emulating it and I got stuck being unable to drop through a platform that I should have been able to. Regardless, yes, the game is tough as nails and the level design is something out of a nightmare. Honestly, though, I think that almost adds to its charm, in a weird, twisted way. As a kid, I would have found it tough and I doubt it would have hooked me enough to see it through to the end, but, as an adult, I can appreciate it as a game that is emblematic of the early 90's; from the comic book source material to the difficulty to the look and sound, it's all there.
Agree with the Visuals and the Concepts also i would like to play that nowadays too maybe as a remaster with the modern features :)
Perfect game for Halloween and also awesome soundtrack. And the way you can hold the button in and you're attacking with swords sticking out, is just phenomenal along with the spinning slash jump💀⚔️
This game was fantastic. it was unique, but difficult. It's a lot like Ed Annunziata's other creation: Ecco the Dolphin.
Ed Annunziata's games were notorious for their awesomeness and brutal difficulties. Games like Ecco 1 & 2, X-Men 1 & 2, Kolibri and of course Chakan were hard as all hell but beating them gives you a feeling of accomplishment like few other games can
Loved everything about it! Loved the dark music, the weapons to collect were more useful against different type of enemies, the double jump, the 8 way directional attacks. Like a lot of other people say I couldn't finish it
I remember this game looking so cool in the comic book ads. I played the GG version first, then SG not long after. Never finished it but it has an addictive challenge to it.
This was my absolute favorite game at the time. Finally beat the game 20 years later.
... and this is why gameshark exists!
I played it at my friend's house and I fell in love with it. I bought it and really enjoyed this game.
Chakan is my younger brother's favorite Sega game. It's got a cool protagonist and a pretty metal story.
This is probably the most difficult game ive ever played
Neat seeing harder old games that we likely never got to see all of as a kid.
"really thought it was over and I never had to go through this b******* again" lmao! That is soooooo true!
Although interesting, that ending where you are left floating through the infinite void was symbolic of this game's rollercoaster of promise and failure
I know a few people who are good friends of his. We are both from Akron. I met him once. Very nice guy
Was trying to figure out what this was a 5+ years ago. Only thing i had off the a foggy image that i remembered and that scream he makes when he dies.
Thank you internet
this game is amazing and its need a remake
Favourite MD game, Never got past level 2
Sounds just like my review of "The Adventures of Batman and Robin".
I really like this game. I think a bulk of the reviewers were right when they said it's a 'low-level' challenge only in the sense that the continues are unlimited, and if you know about the portal spell, you can skip the first 4 worlds on a replay if you need to continue. It doesn't completely mitigate the difficulty of course, but it does alleviate a lot of the problems people have with its length.
"To a man of death, from Death Himself, a wager; if you win, eternal life is yours. If I win, your soul is mine to do with as I wish..."
This game is the perfect candidate for rom hack improvements
Oh my god this was my game been trying to remember the name thank you much