Kid Chameleon

Story

The player, as Kid Chameleon, goes through a series of levels that contain a number of deadly enemies and obstacles. In most levels, there is a flag that is the main objective of each level, from which the player can move to the next level. However, a series of teleporters in the game can transport the player not only to different locations in the same level, but also to other levels and sometimes even to a completely different path through the game. At the end of the game, Kid fights and defeats the final boss, Heady Metal. Kid Chameleon contains 103 levels, only about half of which are on the "main path" (you can only traverse the levels using flags), and also counts 32 smaller unnamed levels simply called "Elsewhere". Despite the game's considerable length, there was no password system or any other way to save the game (although re-releases in compilations and on the Virtual Console include their own save features). At the end of certain levels (in which the flag is touched) there are various bonuses, such as beating a time limit, not being hit, or collecting prizes. As Kid Chameleon progresses through the levels, he gains access to masks that transform him into different characters. Each character has different special abilities and a different number of hit points. Collecting a mask that the player is already wearing restores his health. The sheer amount of variety in gameplay due to the different characters is part of what makes Kid Chameleon so addictive; few levels repeated the same structure, and they usually had specific strategies and characters to defeat. In addition to the offensive abilities of each form, Kid can also defeat enemies by jumping on them, although he takes damage from some enemies. Each form can also use diamond powers, which require diamonds collected in the game, obtained by pressing A + Start. Players lose a life when Kid Chameleon in human form loses all hit points, is crushed, falls into bottomless pits or lava, or touches the drill wall that appears in certain levels, or when time runs out. Extra lives and continuations can be found in the game, with extra lives for every 50,000 points.