Mark Arcade Throwback Thursday | Comix Zone (Sega)

Sketch Turner, a “starving artist” and freelance rock musician living in New York City, is working on his newest comic book, Comix Zone. It is the story of the New World Empire’s attempt to defend Earth from an invasion of alien renegades, with inspiration coming from Sketch’s oddly vivid dreams and nightmares.

Comix Zone is an action platformer in which players control Sketch as he progresses through panels of his comic book, hoping to reach the end and escape before his own creations finish him off. Each level consists of two pages and secrets are discovered by shredding the paper and revealing items. Along with standard attacks such as punching, kicking and jump attacks, Sketch can store up to three items in his inventory to help him overcome obstacles. Along with weapons such as bombs and knives which can also be used to destroy obstacles, Sketch can pick up iced tea to restore his health, and a fist that transforms Sketch into Super Sketch, dealing a powerful attack on all on-screen enemies. His pet rat Roadkill can discover hidden items and access areas that are too dangerous for Sketch to reach.