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Rolo to the Rescue can be partially won without completing every level in the game. Some levels
lead to extra lives and bonus levels, but do not get Rolo any closer to the last level of the
game. If you cannot complete one of these levels, you can skip it. Remember, you can always
return to a difficult level later in the game.
USING FRIENDS
As early as the first level of the game, you should notice that there are just some things that
Rolo can not accomplish. Those tasks require one of the skills of Rolo's friends. For example, on
the first level, use the bunny to jump up and get the extra chance and bonus points. On level
two, use the beaver to get the vacuum cleaner, use the bunny to get bonus points, and use the
squirrel to get the extra map piece directly above the transporter. If you get stuck on any level
and feel there is nothing you can do, try to figure out if any of Rolo's friends' special
abilities can be used.
Another way you can use the friends is by stacking them. On a few occasions you will only be able
to reach objects by stacking the friends and jumping. At the height of the jump, press the START
button and take control of the top friend, the one on the far left of the screen. That friend
will then be able to touch the object you want.
The baby porcupines can also become Rolo's friends and are required to complete some levels.
PORCUPINES
At the start of the game, the tiny porcupines are Rolo's enemies. The only useful purpose they
have is as ammunition when Rolo has vacuum ability. You will, however, find levels later in the
game with areas that can only be accessed by small animals. Since a washing machine is not always
available, you must make friends with the porcupines to enlist their aid.
This can be accomplished on one level in The Forest, the level in the far upper left corner of
the game map. When you enter this level, go over to the transporter but don't exit the level.
Jump up to get the vacuum cleaner. Now suck up the baby porcupine running around the tunnel.
Finally, jump over the teleporter into the small alcove to the left. There you will find the
mother porcupine. Deliver the baby to her to make friends.
From now on, whenever you touch a porcupine they will follow you just like the rest of your
friends.
USING PRESENTS
The many presents found during the game will enable Rolo and his friends to access areas and
accomplish tasks that would otherwise be impossible. Remember that all presents except the
washing machine can be activated by any of Rolo's friends. This is important to know, because
Rolo will not be able to get to all the presents. If you get stuck on any level and feel there is
nothing you can do, try to figure out if any of the presents can help and whether Rolo's friends
can help you get those presents.
Some levels will contain many presents; however, they will not all be useful. In fact, using some
presents may prevent Rolo from completing the rest of a level, most notably the washing machine
and helium tank. Be sure you know how you are going to use these items before you activate them.
EXTRA CHANCES
A few levels contain many more extra chances than most levels. You should make a note of these
levels when you find them so you can return there whenever you run low. Keep in mind that bonus
levels can only be used once, but all other levels can be accessed over and over again.
Of course, some of the most lucrative levels are also the most difficult. Don't take unnecessary
risks to get extra chances. It will do you little good to lose six chances to gain eight.
EXTRA MAP PIECES
Many levels include extra map pieces. These are usually hidden in far reaches of a level: high
above in the trees, tucked away in a far corner, or hidden inside a secret room. You will often
need to enlist the aid of a friend to reach the extra map piece.
Whenever you have finished a level and a nearby map piece does not appear, you should go back and
thoroughly search that level to make sure you did not miss anything. Extra map pieces are rarely
needed to reach the end of the game, but they are required for 100% completion and often access
bonus levels.
SECRET ROOMS
Secret rooms are usually accessed one of three ways. The first is the sparkly teleporter. These
appear on your screen as twinkling lights. Touching a sparkly will teleport you to another area
of that level.
The second way to access secret rooms are mushroom teleporters. These look like extra large
mushrooms. Touching one of these will also teleport you to another area of the level.
Lastly, you will often notice places where the wall or ceiling appears to be missing. Jumping or
walking into these areas will lead you to secret passages and rooms.
BOSSES
STRONG MAN
You can harm the Strong Man by bouncing on his head. If you touch him anywhere else, you will
lose a chance. The only way to jump high enough to reach his head is to jump onto the bar bells
that bounce towards you. Be careful, you must jump directly on top of the bar bell. If the bar
bell hits you, you will lose a chance.
You must bounce on top of the strong man four times to get past this level.
KNIFE THROWER
For this boss, you need to learn the two safe areas for each platform. When the boss is on the
top or bottom platform, the safe area on the side platforms is the outside corner. Rolo should
crouch. On the opposing platform, the safe area is on the right side. When the boss is on either
of the side platforms, the safe area on the top and bottom platforms is to the far right and
crouching. The opposing platform does not have a safe area; you must jump to avoid being hit.
The boss can only be hit directly on top of the head. If Rolo touches him anywhere else or is hit
by a knife, he will lose a chance. The boss is easier to hit when he is on the side platforms.
Try to be on the top platform whenever he is there. Once he has thrown the knife going straight
up, jump over and bounce on his head. Be careful not jump or slide off the platforms or you will
lose a chance.
This boss requires six hits to go away.
FIRE TRUCK
The first thing to know is the order in which you need to get rid of the clowns. You must
eliminate the top clown first, the bottom clown second, and the driver last.
The next thing to know is that the fire truck will get progressively closer to you. At its
closest approach, it will hit Rolo unless he jumps above the hood of the truck. Before the truck
makes this close approach, it will pull far back. To jump above the hood and jump high enough to
hit the top clown, you must bounce off the shots fired by the bottom clown. This is also the only
way to reach the top glasses of lemonade.
MAGICIAN
The final boss can only be harmed by bouncing directly on top of his head when his hat is off.
You can only do this when he is standing in either corner of the screen. You cannot hit him when
he is on the center platform.
To avoid the magician's first mode of attack when he is in the corners, Rolo must stand as far as
possible in the opposite corner. To avoid the first attack mode when the magician is on the
platform, Rolo should crouch approximately halfway between the center of the screen and the left
edge.
During the magician's second attack mode, Rolo must simply avoid the attack by running or
jumping.
The third attack mode is when the magician's hat is off. The three balls he sends after Rolo will
follow him. You can avoid the attack by running and jumping in a circular motion. Try to work
Rolo closer to the magician with each pass. After two complete circles, the balls will begin to
leave the screen. Only then should you attempt to bounce on the magician. You will only have
about a second before he places his hat back on his head.
THE FOREST
GETTING STARTED
This walk-through of the first two levels of Rolo to the Rescue will introduce you to several
techniques you will use throughout the game.
When you begin Level One, walk to the right, making sure to jump on top of the lumberjack to make
him go away. Continue right until you reach Mr. McSmiley. Jump on his head to make him go away
and get the key. With the key, you can now jump into the tree to release the bunny. With your
bunny friend following, jump down from the tree, proceed to the right, and release the second
bunny. Two things will happen when you free the second bunny. First, a map piece will appear in
the upper right corner of the screen. Second, the transporter will start flashing, indicating
that you have completed the level. Before you leave, though, press the START button on your
Genesis controller and select one of the bunnies. You now have control of a bunny. Use him to
jump above the trees and collect extra points.
If you jump all the way over to the far left side of the level, you will find an extra chance and
a sparkly teleporter. Jump up to get the extra chance, then enter the sparkly. Collect the points
in the secret room, then use the sparkly to leave. You can now press the START button to take
control of Rolo and leave Level One.
Level Two is trickier. When you enter this level, go to the right and get McSmiley's key. Be
careful not to touch the baby porcupine or you will lose a chance. After you get the key, go back
to the left and free the beaver. Take control of the beaver and go left in to the water. The
beaver is the only friend who can safely go in the water. Jump up to touch the vacuum cleaner.
Now go back and take control of Rolo, then go over to the baby porcupine and suck him up using
the C button. You can now use the porcupine as a weapon against the lumberjacks on the other side
of the water. Use the C button to shoot the porcupine at your enemies, then use the C button to
reload. Free the two remaining friends but don't exit the level. You should always check around
with your friends before you leave. In this case, take control of the bunny and jump around the
level. You will be able to collect a number of points in the tree, but you won't quite be able to
reach the extra map piece directly above the transporter. To get this piece, take control of the
squirrel, climb up the wall to the right, and jump to touch the map piece. You can now exit Level
Two.
LEVEL 3
The trick to this level is knowing which order to use the mushroom teleporters. First, go to the
fifth mushroom and touch it. This room contains Mr. McSmiley. After you get his key, touch the
mushroom in the right corner of the room to return to the main level. Now go to the third
mushroom and free the squirrel. Next, go to the sixth mushroom. Here you want to take control of
the squirrel, climb up the right wall, and jump over to get the extra map piece.
Now you can go to the second mushroom and use the squirrel to get the vacuum cleaner. With the
vacuum ability, Rolo can now go to the first mushroom and suck up the bouncy rock. Go to the
fourth mushroom and jump over the two barriers. Spit out the bouncy rock, then jump on it to
touch the mole's cage above. Touch the mushroom to return to the surface.
With the mole free, you can now go to the right until you reach the next barrier. Notice the
darker colored dirt. Take control of the mole and use him to dig a tunnel through the hill. You
can now free the last friend on the level. Before you leave, jump up on the hill and go back to
the left across the floating islands. On the far left you will find another extra map piece.
2005-2-17 14:11 老实和尚
LEVEL 7
As soon as you get the key from McSmiley, go back to the left and free the mole. If you don't
free him first, you will have to back track across some very difficult terrain later in the
level.
The remainder of the level requires patience and timing. Note that the floating islands will sink
into the water if you stand on them. You can prevent this by bouncing on the island. By the way,
this is also true for another difficult level in The Forest.
LEVEL 9
This level is very important if you intend to complete all the levels in Rolo. First, be sure you
do not make the baby porcupine go away. Next, you want to touch the vacuum cleaner near the
transporter. Feel free to collect the other bonus items available. Now, use your vacuum power to
suck up the baby porcupine, then jump over the transporter and deposit the baby on the other side
of the barrier. The mother porcupine should open her eyes and smile.
On all future levels, the baby porcupines will be your friends. You will be able to use them just
like your other friends, and their small size will come in handy.
LEVEL 6
This level requires some expert jumping from your bunny friends. After you free the two bunnies,
take control of one. Get on the nearby log and jump up and to the right to a floating platform.
You will need to jump on a total of five platforms. A good technique to use is to wait for the
platform you are on to start going down, then jump just as the target platform reaches the top of
the screen. This allows you keep your target in sight most of the time.
When you reach the fifth platform, ride it all the way down. You will see a log just to the
right. Jump on the log and ride it all the way back to Rolo. When you reach the shore, take
control of Rolo and jump onto the log. One or both bunnies should still be with you. Ride the log
back again and jump off on the other side. Here you will free another bunny. Take control of the
bunny again and jump straight up to the next platform. Jump across to the right and take the
fourth platform down to the next log. Use the log to take get Rolo and his friends across the
water.
When you reach the other side you will notice an area where you can use a mole; however, you
don't have a mole to use. Once again, take a bunny and jump up to the nearest platform, then jump
immediately up and to the right to another platform. Ride this platform all the way down to Rolo
so he can use it. The remainder of the level should be straight forward. Free the remaining
friends, jump back down, and use the mole to dig a tunnel to the transporter.
LEVEL 11
Begin the level by jumping onto the platform to the left and riding it across to the right. From
there, you can jump onto the ledge with the caged squirrel. Walk to the right to enter a secret
room where McSmiley is hiding. Get his key and free the squirrel. You now have some serious tree
climbing ahead. When you have climbed as high as possible --- you should be on the left tree ---
take control of the squirrel. Use him to jump over to the left wall and climb to the top of the
cliff. From here, jump to the right where you will find a floating platform. Jump on it and ride
it down to Rolo. Now Rolo can use the platform to reach the squirrel at the top of the cliff.
Then jump across the top tree limbs to the top of the right-hand cliff to free the bunny. You can
jump off the cliff and go all the way back to the bottom.
Before you exit the level, take control of the bunny and jump onto the ledge just above the
transporter. To the left is a secret room with an extra map piece that only the bunny can reach.
LEVEL 10
Go along the top of the level carefully avoiding the spikes. McSmiley will be found at the top
right side of the level. After you get the key, go back along the top to free the mole. Now jump
down and use the mole to dig two tunnels. The first room he accesses will contain one friend,
some points, and a transporter. The second room has points and a washing machine. When you give
control back to Rolo, free the last friend and jump over the transporter. Use the washing machine
to get small.
With your reduced size, you can now go all the way back to the right and enter the small tunnel.
This will take you to a secret mine.
MINE (LEVEL 60)
If you entered this mine from The Desert, jump into the sparkly teleporter to go to the
beginning.
The mine is not terribly difficult, but it does have a few dangerous areas. The first of these
are the stalactites which will end your journey real quick. To avoid these, press and hold down
on the D-pad when Rolo gets into the mine car. Immediately following the stalactites, you must
jump over a pit of lava. The best way to predict and time these jumps is to watch the right edge
of the screen. This will give you enough time to jump.
When you reach the end of the mine, you can exit out the right side to collect some bonus items.
If you entered this level from The Forest, reenter the mine and jump up into the sparkly
teleporter. This will return you to the beginning of the mine. You can return to The Forest by
exiting to the left.
If you entered this level from The Canyons, you can use the transporter outside the mine.
THE DESERT
LEVEL 18
This level is not too difficult, but contains some extraordinary bonuses. To start, jump on the
left bouncy rock. This will get you a vacuum cleaner. Go back and suck up the same rock you just
bounced on. You can now use this as a weapon against the enemies on this level. Go all the way to
the right and free all your friends.
Now comes the trick. Go all the way back to the beginning of the level and stack your friends.
Now jump on the remaining bouncy rock. When you reach the height of your jump, press the START
button and take control of the top squirrel. On your selection screen, that's the one to the far
left. He will immediately teleport into a secret room containing an abundance of free chances and
points. But wait, there's more.
In the same secret room, climb half-way up the right wall. Now jump up and to the left. You may
need a few tries, but you should eventually enter another secret room. This time, you will
discover every map piece to The Desert. Collect them all, and the entire Desert will appear on
your game map. You still need to complete these levels, but at least you won't have to worry
about missing any secret pieces.
LEVEL 23
To reach McSmiley, you must bounce on the springy box to the right of your starting point. Now
free the squirrel and use him to climb down the wall to retrieve the helium tank. Now Rolo can
float around the level and free the rest of his friends. If you want any friends to stay with
you, they must be stacked on Rolo's back.
Before you leave the level, notice the one area with an extra map piece and bonus points. Only
the small porcupine can enter this area. If you made friends with the porcupines in The Forest,
you will be able to use them to access this area. Otherwise, you will not be able to retrieve the
extra map piece.
LEVEL 30
When you start this level, go to the left. You want to get on the swinging platform to reach some
much needed lemonade. The easiest way to get on the platform is by bouncing off McSmiley's head.
If you miss the platform, you will need to jump on it from the nearby pyramid which is a lot more
difficult to do. The lemonade will make the level much easier to complete. Without it, you will
need expert timing and control to get past the bouncing cacti. Note that you cannot make the
flying bear traps go away. Your only defense is to avoid them.
LEVEL 22
Thought by many a Rolo player to be the most difficult level in the game, you should have plenty
of extra chances saved up before attempting this one. The rewards for completing the level,
however, are high.
Other than timing and practice, the primary fact you need to know is how to handle the green
slippery blocks. When jumping to a green block, you must bounce on the block when landing to
avoid sliding off. When jumping off a green block, you need to run forward on the block to gain
momentum before jumping. Timing is crucial because you must jump before running into the spikes
below.
You must get all the way across to the right and get the key from McSmiley. Then you must come
all the way back to free your two friends and exit. The return trip is much more challenging. It
includes one blind jump to a green block and one jump that requires extra speed. If you succeed
with this level you will be able to get 724,000 points and seven extra chances by using one of
the bunnies. PLUS, once you have completed the level, you can come back any time to get more
points and chances!
LEVEL 21
This level contains two adjacent areas that contain an extra chance and an extra map piece. The
extra chance is readily accessible. Just jump on the first box. Doing so will open the way to the
extra chance. The other area, however, requires Rolo to shoot a rock at it. You will not be able
to do so until you retrieve your friends at the end of the level.
The primary obstacles on this level are the jumping cacti and the slippery green surface. Once
you have saved your friends, go back to the area where the vacuum and rock sit. Use one of the
squirrels to get the vacuum, then have Rolo suck up the rock. You can now go all the way back to
the area with extra map piece. Shoot the rock at the box to the right to open the area.
LEVEL 31
This level is tricky because once you jump up to a new height, you can not go back down.
Therefore, you must be careful not to miss freeing any of your friends. The first thing you
should do is get the lemonade and use it on McSmiley to get his key. Then it is just a matter of
avoiding the owl bats and freeing your friends. Note that if you make one of the owl bats go
away, Rolo will jump up to a new height and may pass one his friends.
LEVEL 32
Slippery green blocks and flying bear traps make for a dastardly level. On the bottom section,
you need to jump just far enough to avoid the spikes. If you go too far or too high, the flying
bear traps will get you. You should also crouch as you land to increase your chances of survival.
The top section is worse. For the first trap, jump just short of the top platform so you don't
actually land on it. The bear trap should be triggered and fly off the screen. Now get onto the
top section. Walk cautiously towards the left, bouncing whenever you feel like you're going to
skid. Stop before you reach the next bear trap. For this trap and the two that follow, you must
jump in front of the trap and land in a crouched position. The trap should fly over you. If you
land too close you will be hit. If you land too far away, the trap will come straight at you
rather than jumping high. This level takes practice to complete.
THE CANYONS
LEVEL 55
To complete this level you must first get McSmiley's key and free the squirrels. Use one of the
squirrels to climb up the middle mountain and get the helium tank. Now Rolo can save the rest of
his friends. After you have saved all the friends, you can fly Rolo to the washing machine to get
small and explore the small tunnel.
LEVEL 56
The only thing you need to know here is to use the squirrel before you lose him. That is, don't
save the mole until you have the squirrel climb up the wall and bring the platform down to Rolo.
To get past the bouncing cacti, press the A button for added speed.
LEVEL 58
Go to the left and jump up the ledges. Wait for the floating platform and jump over to it.
Proceed jumping across to the right until you find McSmiley. After you get his key and free your
friends, use the bunny to jump up above the transporter to retrieve an extra map piece. Now jump
all the way down to the left. You will see a sign that says "mine." Go to the right to enter the
mine which will access three additional levels.
The first of these levels is the mine itself. Unlike the other mine in the game, this one does
not have stalactites. It does have several jumps over lava pits. Watch the right edge of the
screen to get the most warning of these approaching pits. When you reach the end of the mine, you
can exit to the right to access the next level or jump up into the sparkly teleporter which will
return you to the beginning of the mine.
If you exit to the right, run out of the mine immediately. If you let the walking bomb block your
way, you will lose a chance. There is really no trick to this level. You simply must avoid the
jumping cacti, the running bombs, and the floating bombs being dropped from above.
The second level simply gives you the map piece to the third level.
The last of these three levels is a bonus.
LEVEL 60
CIRCUS LAND
CIRCUS I
LEVEL 36
This level has two map pieces. The first can be reached by jumping on top of the sign to the left
when you start. The sign will take you up to a hidden platform with the map piece.
The other map piece and the transporter will be found on the far right side of the level. Just
keep walking off the edge of the screen to get there.
LEVEL 48
Walk all the way to the right and jump on top of the sign. Doing so will lift Rolo up so he can
jump over to the second floor of the building. McSmiley is in the far left room. Rolo's friends
and the transporter are in the center room.
LEVEL 37
McSmiley is hiding behind the door in the top right corner of the level. Most of the friends are
easily accessible except for one. Reaching him requires a well-timed long jump with speed.
CIRCUS II
LEVEL 43
To get through this level, you should have your finger on the A button to run quickly. Go
immediately to the right and go in the third building. Get the key from McSmiley there.
Now run back to the first house and free two bunnies. Upon leaving that house, run all the way to
the right through the last caged friend and into the transporter.
LEVEL 42
Although the snails are your enemy, you will need to use them to reach your friends. Well, only
two. The ones running up and down the walls of the castle. To reach the ledge on either side, you
must bounce on top of the snails. Once on the ledge, you can jump over to release your friends.
Use one of the squirrels to climb up the inside of the castle and get the glasses of lemonade.
Once equipped, Rolo can proceed to the end of the level on the right using the lemonade to get
rid of the spitting plants.
At the end of the level is an extra map piece. To reach it, stack your friends and jump. At the
top of the jump, switch to the top friend and get the map piece.
LEVEL 45
The rocket ship is the only way you can reach the other side of Circus Town. You will take a
slight detour, however. On this detour you will get a few extra chances from James Pond. When you
return to Circus Town, you will be on the other side. You can go back forth any time you want
using the rocket ship.
CIRCUS III
PATH TO THIS SIDE OF TOWN
You should find a castle with a rocket ship at the dead end north of the river. Get in the rocket
ship and fly to the moon. Go to the other level on the moon and get into the rocket ship there.
When you return to Circus Town, you will be on the other side. You should get two map pieces
before you exit.
LEVEL 39
Avoid the bees, spikes, and fire breathers as you go to the right to get the key and save your
friends. When you reach the right side of the castle, notice the two bouncy rocks. Bounce on one
of them to jump on the bee. Doing so will make the bee go away and give you a boost to the nearby
platform. Use the other bees to assist you up to the platforms loaded with bonus items. When you
are finished, continue to the right to complete the level.
LEVEL 50
Flying bear traps make this level difficult. Upon entering this level, jump up the left side
using the building and the sign. Go into the washing machine to get small. Proceed to the right
along the top. You will pick up a porcupine along the way. Now go down and to the left. Get the
key from McSmiley, then go into the nearby building. The porcupine will protect Rolo from the
bear traps.
Inside the building, get both squirrels. You can only jump to the second squirrel if you got
small. With both squirrels following, go back outside the building. You will lose one squirrel to
the bear traps. Take control of the second squirrel and go back up to the top section. When you
reach the tower, climb up to get an extra map piece. Now go back to Rolo and exit the level.
LEVEL 65
At the start, go left to pick up some lemonade. To reach the friends, you will need to ride the
roller coaster. Before you reach the end of the line, you will need to time a jump to get over to
the friends. A second jump can get you extra bonus items, but don't try to get there unless you
have released all four friends. After you free them, you can go back to the beginning of the
roller coaster and attempt to reach the second area.
LEVEL 66
Go up and left to retrieve some lemonade, then proceed right. In the third set of cages to the
right, you will find a shield hidden amongst the cages. If you touch this shield, Rolo will get a
football helmet. As long as he has the helmet, he will not lose any chances. Continue across to
the right. An extra map piece is also hidden amongst the remaining cages.
To reach the friends, you will need to execute another well-timed roller coaster jump.
LEVEL 76
You can enter the castle two different ways. One is from the bonus level in southwest Circus
Town. The other is the normal entrance in southeast Circus Town. If you come in the side with the
spiked stairs, jump up and to the right to get on the roof of the walkway. You will avoid all the
spikes. Walk along the roof until it runs out. There you will find McSmiley.
If you come in the back door, go left until you reach McSmiley. Once you get the key from
McSmiley, you want to go to the right. Jump over the first ghost you see. Now comes the real fun.
You need to continue jumping on all the ghosts heads until a shield appears. When you see the
shield, touch it. Rolo will get a football helmet that protects him from enemies and spikes. Now
jump up to the right, run past the spikes, and save your friends.
Of course, if a ghost touches you, you will lose a chance. So, try to stay above all the ghosts
by bouncing off their heads until the shield appears.
2005-2-17 14:12 老实和尚
——游戏评价————
If I had to sum this game up in one word it would be “cute”. Considering this 1992 Genesis game was produced by EA, a company more commonly associated with the sporting genre, it makes it all the more surprising that they produced this slick, child orientated platform game. From the super sickly storyline, through the chunky cartoon characters and finishing with some of the jauntiest music I have ever heard coming from a 16-bit system this screams “for under-10’s” only. But look past that initial cute and fluffy exterior and you’ll find an engrossing and challenging game that is definitely not just for kids.
Our eponymous hero is an elephant named Rolo. At a tenderly young age he was stolen from his mother and forced to perform in McSmiley’s circus. But Rolo rises to the occasion and promptly escapes, his task is to now track down his animal friends and release them from the cages the evil Ring Master has locked them up in.
Rolo’s obviously a popular little pachyderm as there are hundreds of animals for him to rescue scattered around tons of levels. Each animal type has different skills and once rescued you can take control of any rescued animal type to help all the other animals make it to the end of each level. There is cute little mole with a hard hat who specialise in digging. A lovely squirrel who can climb. A darling little bunny who can hop great distances and finally one of the nicest beavers you could ever hope to see who can handle the water sections.
So the basis of the gameplay is fairly simple. Starting with Rolo, you must bounce on the head of the Ringmaster on each level and acquire the key that will let you open all the cages on the level. The animals you rescue will follow you in a line, unless you switch control to another one. The animals act as shields’ so if Rolo gets hit he loses an animal. If Rolo gets hit with no animals in tow he exudes a rather sad trumpety sound and expires. Once Rolo makes it to the end of the level, all the animals hop into a transporter and Rolo carries on to the next level.
As you unlock levels a map builds up similar to that of Super Mario World. You can re-enter these completed levels to look for secrets. The first few levels are straightforward enough, but in later levels you must carefully use the skills of each animal to plot a course to the end-of-level transporter. So the beaver, being water resistant can be sent to collect a raft to get the rest of the creatures over a river safely. Later levels can become brain-mashingly frustrating and this is mainly due to the games one serious flaw.
There is no way to save you progress in this game and no password system to allow you to access later levels without having to replay the early ones. So to finish the game you need to play from beginning to end in one session. Also there are only a few continues on offer and if you can’t find yourself enough extra lives, you’ll find expiring in the final levels and being forced to restart from the beginning maddening. It is a real pity that more experienced gamers who could handle this are likely to be put off by the extreme cuteness of the presentation. Younger gamers are similarly likely to quickly become bored with the constant restarts and occasional unfair deaths due to some slightly unpolished controls on the part of Rolo (he has a tendency to skid off the end of platforms).
But if you do decide to persist with the game, it does reveal itself to be a fun and imaginative gaming experience. The graphics are sumptuous, some of the best I have ever seen on the Genesis. There is smooth parallax scrolling and all the enemies and heroes are drawn in big and bold colourful sprites. The music to as I mentioned earlier is a delight. It feels very “circusy” and elephantlike, as if a teeny-weeny tuba player is sitting in your console. The marching band style persists with variations on the main theme all the way though the game and I never grew tired of hearing it.
Solving problems on later levels can also reap rewards when you revisit earlier ones. For example, early in the game Rolo can be killed from a touch from the baby hedgehogs that zoom around on the ground and are had to spot. Later on, he’ll find mummy Hedgehog. So if Rolo sucks the nearby (trapped) baby hedgehog up his trunk and blows him over to the mummy, she will be overjoyed. Now all the baby hedgehogs will be your bestest friend! Awwww.. You can also inflate Rolo with Helium and float him around to rescue more animals, which is deeply funny. Bosses take the form of other members of the Circus. For example the Strongman, who you can defeat by jumping on his balls until he explodes (stoppit! I’m talking about the balls from his barbells!).
Overall Rolo to the Rescue is a fantastic looking and sounding Genesis platform game. The use of a team creatures to solve problems and negotiate levels brings a higher element of tactical planning than your average side scrolling platformer of the time. However, the lack of any way to save the game or skip completed levels after the death of the main character is truly annoying and impacts considerably on the games final mark. Although it seems like a bit of fluffy fun for the younger gamer its actually a real sod-of a game in places that would tax the skill and patience of even the most hardcore platform gamer. For me the sheer charm and sense of fun the game has kept me replaying until I reached the end. But I suspect many others would give up after the twentieth restart and I can’t say I would blame them. A real shame.
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