Just a rail ’n a maze: Rescue Mission & Maze Hunter 3-D | Segaiden 057

We're back to Master System for a while, and folks, this was a rough reentry. I learned a lot about Master System hardware while trying to acquire literally ANY usable Rescue Mission footage at all—turns out this game is bizarrely hard to get working since it requires use of the Light Phaser but struggles to read the peripheral via my television on both real hardware and MiSTer. Special thanks to Mr. Porkchop of misteraddons.com for going to extra mile with me to figure out how to get the thing working (it gave his setup fits, too). Was it worth the trouble? Well, not really. Rescue Mission is charming and has some good ideas, but it is possibly the most frantic and unfairly-stacked-against-the-player light gun game this side of Revolution X. Eventually, Sega would discover the concept of a "continue feature," but that day is not today. Happily, Maze Hunter 3-D holds up a lot better! It's a different sort of 3D game, one that goes for the diorama effect rather than an immersive first-person viewpoint, and despite feeling a little underbaked it plays well. It almost comes off as a preview of future Sega dungeon/maze games like Dragon Crystal... almost. If nothing else, Sega and M2 liked it enough to enshrine it on 3DS, something that turns out to be the case for annoyingly few 8-bit 3D games. Production notes: Why watch when you can read? All 420 full-color pages of SG-1000 Works: Segaiden Vol. I are now in print at Limited Run Games (https://limitedrungames.com/collections/books). You can also grab the massive hardcover print editions of NES Works, Super NES Works, and Virtual Boy works as well. Look for NES Works Gaiden Vol. I and Master System Works Vol. I in 2024-25. Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! Plus, exclusive podcasts, eBooks, and more! Master System footage captured from U.S. carts running through a cart adapter on Japanese Master System hardware and MiSTer (thanks to MiSTerAddOns). Video upscaled to 4K with RetroTink 4K. RGB cables courtesy of StoneAgeGamer.com and Allie Bellrose.