Dr. Franken
Dr. Franken The Adventures of Dr. Franken | |
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![]() Cover art of the Game Boy version of Dr. Franken | |
Developer(s) | Elite Systems MotiveTime (SNES version) |
Publisher(s) | Kemco DTMC (SNES version) |
Programmer(s) | Mark Crane |
Artist(s) | David Percival |
Composer(s) | Mark Cooksey |
Platform(s) | Game Boy Super NES |
Release | December 1992 (Game Boy) December 1, 1993 (SNES) |
Genre(s) | Platform, Metroidvania[1] |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Dr. Franken is a video game released in 1992 for the Game Boy and in 1993 for the Super NES by Elite Systems. It was titled The Adventures of Dr. Franken for the SNES in the United States. The game features Franky, a Frankenstein's monster on a mission to collect the scattered body parts of his girlfriend.[2]
A Sega Mega Drive version was planned but never released.[3] Prototype NES and Sega Game Gear[4] versions were developed around the same time, but never officially released. A sequel, Dr. Franken II, was released on the Game Boy in 1997.
Game Boy edition[]
The Game Boy release of the game uses a password-based saving system to save the player's progress. The game consisted of seven floors (20 stages in various places of the world in the SNES version) where various items and parts of Bitsy (Franky's girlfriend) were hidden. Keys and special items were needed to access additional areas to find more body parts and equipment required to resurrect Bitsy.
Music[]
The Game Boy and unreleased NES versions of the game used two classical music pieces throughout. The title screen music is Bach's Fugue No. 2 In C Minor BWV 847 (The Well Tempered Clavier in C), and the gameplay music is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. The Game Boy and NES versions' music was arranged by Mark Cooksey. He composed the music in C-Lab Notator for the Atari ST.
Legacy[]
Franky also appeared in the 1993 Game Boy puzzle game Franky, Joe & Dirk: On the Tiles, along with Joe from Joe & Mac and Dirk the Daring from Dragon's Lair. Dr. Franken II is a sequel to the original and was released for the Game Boy in 1997. It was developed by MotiveTime and published by Jaleco. It is a platform game in which the lead character, Franky, must escape the castle in which he is trapped in order to search for pieces of a gold tablet which will help him to stave off debt.
References[]
- ^ Elliot, Patrick (October 8, 2010). "Review: Dr. Franken". Nintendo Life. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
The game has a strong Metroidvania feel to it, as you generally find items in a specific order to move the game forward, backtracking to the location you can use it.
- ^ Scythemantis. "Adventures of Dr. Franken". Bogleech.com. Retrieved 2012-10-26.
- ^ "News: Franken-ly, My Dear". Mean Machines Sega. No. 18. EMAP. April 1994. p. 12.
- ^ "Dr. Franken demo for Game Gear". Retrieved 19 July 2011.
External links[]
- 1992 video games
- DTMC games
- Game Boy games
- Metroidvania games
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System games
- Cancelled Game Gear games
- Cancelled Nintendo Entertainment System games
- Cancelled Sega Genesis games
- Platform games
- Video games based on Frankenstein
- Video games developed in the United Kingdom
- Platform game stubs