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Daze Before Christmas (Australia)
About Daze Before Christmas (Australia)
Daze Before Christmas is an action platformer for the Sega Genesis, originally released in 1994 only in PAL territories like Australia and Europe. It was developed by Funcom, a Norwegian studio better known for later PC titles like The Longest Journey and Anarchy Online, and published by Sunsoft, who had a reputation for quality arcade and console ports. The game arrived just in time for the holiday season and later received a Super Nintendo port, though the Genesis version is the original. It's a straightforward side-scroller with a festive coat of paint, aimed at younger players but still offering decent challenge.
You take control of Santa Claus as he dashes through a series of platform levels, each themed around Christmas locations such as toy factories and snowy landscapes. The core objective is to collect presents scattered around each stage while avoiding or defeating a variety of enemies - mischievous toys, snowmen, and other seasonal hazards. Santa can jump on foes to dispatch them or throw snowballs from a distance, and he can also find power-ups to help with health or temporary invincibility. The levels scroll horizontally, with pits, moving platforms, and a few light puzzle elements like keys and doors. Each stage ends with a boss fight against a larger themed enemy, such as an evil elf or a giant jack-in-the-box.
Today Daze Before Christmas is a fun little museum piece, especially if you have a soft spot for seasonal gaming oddities. It's not deep or particularly groundbreaking - it plays like many other 16-bit platformers - but its Christmas setting is charming and rarely seen on the Genesis. The graphics are bright and colorful, the music is catchy (if a bit repetitive), and the difficulty is fair. It's worth a playthrough in December if you want something light and festive, but don't expect it to rewrite the platformer rulebook. For collectors, it's one of the more unusual licensed titles from the era, and the PAL-only release makes it a bit of a regional treasure.
You take control of Santa Claus as he dashes through a series of platform levels, each themed around Christmas locations such as toy factories and snowy landscapes. The core objective is to collect presents scattered around each stage while avoiding or defeating a variety of enemies - mischievous toys, snowmen, and other seasonal hazards. Santa can jump on foes to dispatch them or throw snowballs from a distance, and he can also find power-ups to help with health or temporary invincibility. The levels scroll horizontally, with pits, moving platforms, and a few light puzzle elements like keys and doors. Each stage ends with a boss fight against a larger themed enemy, such as an evil elf or a giant jack-in-the-box.
Today Daze Before Christmas is a fun little museum piece, especially if you have a soft spot for seasonal gaming oddities. It's not deep or particularly groundbreaking - it plays like many other 16-bit platformers - but its Christmas setting is charming and rarely seen on the Genesis. The graphics are bright and colorful, the music is catchy (if a bit repetitive), and the difficulty is fair. It's worth a playthrough in December if you want something light and festive, but don't expect it to rewrite the platformer rulebook. For collectors, it's one of the more unusual licensed titles from the era, and the PAL-only release makes it a bit of a regional treasure.
How to Play Daze Before Christmas (Australia) Online
Getting Started
When you first boot up Daze Before Christmas, you'll see a title screen and then a simple menu. Press Start to begin a new game. You control Santa from the left side of the screen, moving right through each level. The goal is to collect all the presents and reach the end of the stage, avoiding enemies and pits. Santa can jump with the A button (X key) and attack by pressing B (S key) to throw snowballs. You can also stomp enemies by jumping on them, but watch out for spikes and hazards.
The core loop is straightforward: explore each level, grab presents (some hidden), defeat or avoid enemies, and find the key to open the exit door if one is present. Health is displayed as hearts; collecting candy canes restores some. Each world has several stages and ends with a boss. There are no saves or passwords on the Genesis version, so you need to finish the game in one sitting unless you use the emulator's save states.
A few tips: enemies often appear from behind or above, so move cautiously. Some presents are tucked away in secret areas reachable by jumping off high platforms. The snowball attack has a short range, so get close or time your throws carefully. If you are new to the game, don't rush - losing all hearts sends you back to the start of the level.
When you first boot up Daze Before Christmas, you'll see a title screen and then a simple menu. Press Start to begin a new game. You control Santa from the left side of the screen, moving right through each level. The goal is to collect all the presents and reach the end of the stage, avoiding enemies and pits. Santa can jump with the A button (X key) and attack by pressing B (S key) to throw snowballs. You can also stomp enemies by jumping on them, but watch out for spikes and hazards.
The core loop is straightforward: explore each level, grab presents (some hidden), defeat or avoid enemies, and find the key to open the exit door if one is present. Health is displayed as hearts; collecting candy canes restores some. Each world has several stages and ends with a boss. There are no saves or passwords on the Genesis version, so you need to finish the game in one sitting unless you use the emulator's save states.
A few tips: enemies often appear from behind or above, so move cautiously. Some presents are tucked away in secret areas reachable by jumping off high platforms. The snowball attack has a short range, so get close or time your throws carefully. If you are new to the game, don't rush - losing all hearts sends you back to the start of the level.
Daze Before Christmas (Australia) Keyboard Controls
Controls
- Arrow Keys: D-Pad / Movement
- X: A button
- S: B button
- Z: C button
- A: X button (6-button pad)
- Q: Y button (6-button pad)
- E: Z button (6-button pad)
- Enter: Start / Mode
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Daze Before Christmas an official release, a fan hack, a prototype, or another kind of build?
It is a fully official commercial release. Funcom developed it and Sunsoft published it for the Sega Genesis in 1994, with a Super Nintendo port arriving later.
Does Daze Before Christmas have a multiplayer or co-op mode?
No, the game is strictly single player. There are no cooperative or versus options.
What makes Daze Before Christmas stand out among SEGA Genesis titles of its era?
It is one of the very few Christmas-themed platformers on the system, offering a cheerful holiday setting with Santa as the playable character. The fact it was only released in PAL regions also makes it a rarity among collectors.
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