DinoCity is a platform video game developed and published by Irem Corporation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
The game is loosely based on the 1991 made-for-television American film Adventures in Dinosaur City by Smart Egg Pictures, and borrows many of the film's characters, settings, and basic plot while providing its own unique art direction and style. Initially released in July 1992 for Japanese audiences, the game was later made available in North America the following September. The game centers on two friends, Timmy and Jamie, young children who are accidentally transported to a world resembling prehistoric Earth populated by anthropomorphic dinosaurs. While a device which will allow them to return home exists in this environment, a critical component has been stolen by Mr. Big, leader of a gang of Neanderthals known as The Rockeys, leaving the player to guide Timmy or Jamie to his castle to retrieve it. They are assisted by Rex, a Tyrannosaurus, and Tops, a Protoceratops, each with their own play-styles.
Gameplay
DinoCity is a traditional platformer-style action game where the player must move their character from left to right across the screen while avoiding obstacles, jumping on platforms, and defeating enemies. Players are given the choice of controlling Rex with Timmy or Tops with Jamie at the beginning of the game as well as at the start of each new level. While Tops can throw darts to damage enemies from a distance, Rex is confined to close combat by punching them or swinging his tail. Each dinosaur character can defeat enemies by jumping on them, and at any point the player may relegate control to their human riders, who can freeze enemies in place by using a special energy device. While controlling the children, the dinosaurs become immobile and may be used as platforms themselves to reach otherwise inaccessible items. The game supports up to two players who are given alternating turns at play each time the other loses a life.
In order to pass each of the game's six levels (and one secret level), players must navigate through a number of screens joined by doors. Each screen resembles a different environment, and can include caves, jungles, grasslands, ice caverns, volcanoes, or cities. Once a player has passed enough screens they must battle a boss character before advancing. If a character loses enough lives, they are given the option to continue up to three times before the game is over. During gameplay a player may collect eggs which grant an extra life if enough are obtained, as well as hearts that restore lost health. The game utilizes a password system that allows players to return to the start of any level from the title screen.
Development
DinoCity was developed and published by Irem Corporation in 1992, and was led by project directors K. Okada and Y. Takashima. The game was based on the American film Adventures in Dinosaur City which has been released worldwide earlier that year, with the Japanese title Dinowars Kyōryū Ōkoku e no Daibōken being the same name as the Japanese version of the movie. While many of the game's characters including the heroes Rex, Tops, Timmy, Jamie and villains Mr. Big and The Rockeys were taken directly from the film, they were largely re-designed into a more anime-based style by staff artists using the pseudonyms "Munou no Hito" and "SDR 200". Much of the game's art direction utilizes a colorful, cartoon-like approach to environments and enemies as opposed to the darker presentation of the original film. The music for DinoCity was produced by Irem in-house composer Hiroshi Ebihara, who had previously collaborated on the score to Super R-Type. Although no official soundtrack was released, select tracks were made available for listening from in-game sound test menu accessible from the title screen.
The North American version was originally marketed by Irem America under the title "Dinosaurs" shortly after the game's Japanese release in July, with the finalization of the game's title coming just before its English release. Although the title was originally marked for an August release, it would later be pushed back to the following September. Beginning in early 1993, Irem America held a magazine promotion where players could receive an official DinoCity t-shirt featuring Rex by sending in two UPC labels from specified Irem games.