McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure - The Surprise Treasure Developed Genesis Game

Looking at it without knowing, this is not the kind of game many of you would go for. But this licensed game has so much more than you'd ever expect.
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Opening 3D Logo By:
Jan Neves
KZbin Page - / jan3d
Opening 2D Animation By:
Kevin Bhall
Facebook - / kevin.bhall.14
Episode Notes:
1. Gameplay captured via the Mega SG. Music section on real hardware.
2. The entire game here was played by my daughter. She even beat it on Normal difficulty.
3. I had major issues beating the first boss the very first time I played it. I had no clue you had to feed the boss your life crystals. I almost stopped playing it it made me so mad.
4. The Japanese version of this has tribesman in certain areas that were removed in other regions due to cultural sensitivity.
5. I've never played the PAL version, but it is said to be more difficulty than the other regions of the game.
6. Treasure finished developing this first, but Gunstar Heroes was released at retail first.
7. The Game Gear version shares a number of the same assets with the Genesis game. Music, sprites, back drops, and enemies have lots of similarities, if not outright the same.
8. While I do consider this quite a good game for what it is, it of course is still nowhere near the same level as the very best on the platform. I'd number rate it a 7.5/10.

[@SamuelWei]

"I don't want to help this dude succeed" "i do not want to help his friends" lmao

[@Maulbert]

Dude has serious clown issues. Ronald McDonald is harmless. McDonald's barely uses him anymore.

[@blackphoenix77]

Yeah, I thought that was going a little too far

[@Lightblue2222]

When I was lil I thought Ronald was cool, and I liked clowns like kids are suppose to lol.

[@kooljokez]

I share the same opinion hate this clown

[@burnermanx]

Some curiosities: This game has a beta version where burgers is health instead jewels and have more McDonalds restaurants references than final version. This version doesn’t have the final stage. European version is lot harder than US and JP version. Worth a try.

[@retrosoul8770]

Treasure is inarguably one of the greatest devs from the 90s.

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

I ended up owning the Japanese version of this when I bought a huge lot of Mega Drive stuff about 15 years ago at an absurdly good price, and ignored it, just as I had the US release for decades. Last year, on a whim I sat down and beat it one afternoon while playing games with my oldest son, and it was pretty great fun! Way better than a McDonald's game has any right to be, and definitely has that Treasure flavor to it. Good stuff!

[@supersexysega]

Pretty much Dynamite Headdy 1 in my books. Some one should do a sprite hack. Also one of the most underrated 16-bit games. Couldn't believe how much fun I was having playing as Ronald McDonald.

[@Harerazer]

Treasure is my favorite company from the Genesis age. I discovered them for their Yu Yu Hakusho game, which was amazing.

[@retrosoul8770]

Yea, it's a shame it wasn't physically released in states, same for Alien Soldier.

[@GenWorldTV]

A literal hidden gem of high tier Treasure proportions. 💎

[@CptKennyLoggins]

I am always on the lookout for odd games. Bought this game thinking at the very least that it would give my son and I a few chuckles. I was pleasantly surprised at how fun this game is.

[@michaelsweet8397]

*"I'm loving it!"*

[@ShinobiWan1]

Baduhbababaaa

[@ozzie.l.6035]

Im loving it!! 😋😋😁

[@mattkennedy6115]

Did somebody say Mcdonalds?

[@truthoverfacts9254]

Bruh

[@jasonangeles3765]

mickey d's offered Sega a ton of money and then they offered Treasure a chance to make Gunstar Heroes if they did the mcd's game so Treasure was like ok fine we'll do it but we're gonna make Ronald jump really funny because it amuses us.

[@Gladson]

This is actually a great game, I played it back then as a rental and really enjoyed it. Bought it earlier this year so I finally have it on my collection.

[@knightmare39]

I almost consider this game to be a precursor to Dynamite Headdy, it's soundtrack and gameplay is remarkably close to it. The scarf mechanic is almost 1 to 1 with Headdy's head grab.

[@printthelegends]

Came here to say the same thing. So many of this game's interesting ideas feel like a dry run for Headdy.

[@RobsonRoverRepair]

Bingo. I've often felt it was like a sequel with a different logo. My god its a great game.

[@budwyzer77]

I got Dynamite Headdy for Christmas in 1994. It's still the most absolutely insane game I've ever played.

[@grantfullick]

Deffo an underrated gem too, one of treasure's best games imo!

[@olschoolTonyCarter]

I was thinking the same thing. Dynamite Headdy mixed with Ristar

[@magicjohnson3121]

Underrated game. Surprised people were saying it was bad.

[@TheRealCaptainFreedom]

I think it was more that everyone assumed it would suck.

[@Bloodreign1]

If anyone thinks this game is bad, they need to see a psychiatrist.

[@herbivorouscyborg2398]

@@Bloodreign1 It's a very mediocre game. Just because Treasure developed it, that doesn't make it good.

[@matthewnikitas8905]

@@herbivorouscyborg2398But not certainly not bad

[@Partinaire]

I remember getting this one Christmas and being like Mom wtf? lol I didn't even play it until months later one night when I couldn't sleep... I ended up playing it all night long into the morning, so surprised it was so much fun! A surprisingly satisfying game and realizing it was from the same people that made Gunstar Heroes made it that much more fun.

[@AdiCool88]

“Mom, wtf..” That part got me lol. I can only imagine that was everybody’s reaction when they looked at the cover art, lol.

[@bogd555]

You're right: it's an extremely rare thing to have a game that's so likeable on every level, except for the main character. The backgrounds are amazing, and the music is very Sonic 3. And then Swan Lake for the bunny ballerinas!!!! Hahaha!

[@erugurara8235]

I like donal mcdonald, i dont get all the hate to his desing, nowdays there no much clown characters.

[@kanekaosaard7449]

I remember hearing good things about it on EGM back in the day but seeing it in action is way better than reading about it. It looks great and seems to play well too. I just feel icky playing Ronald McDon'tTouchMe.

[@Eric_Plunk]

I played through this game about a week ago. It has everything going for it in every department but like you said it’s very easy and I finished it in one sitting. Definitely worth a play through though. I decided to let my CIB copy go and traded it towards a Virtual Boy yesterday.

[@troymeredith521]

You're the reason I went on a hunt for the game at a decent price and that day finally game just before Christmas. It's not the prettiest copy, but the price was right and the case I thought was trash turned out to be a complete cover. This game is really a diamond in the rough. I popped the game in just to give it a shot and I couldn't stop playing.

[@horsecorpse]

In the strange inverted world back then when McDonald's games were somehow good but movie games were awful.

[@user-dv2hc8zt3o]

Most movie games back then were actually pretty good. Aladdin, Lion King and Jurassic Park were some of the best games on the Genesis.

[@worldofretrogameplay6963]

@@user-dv2hc8zt3o But then you have games like Cliffhanger, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the Pink Panther that sucked ass.

[@TRJ2241987]

Sega had the good movie games. Nintendo always had the awful ones

[@blufudgecrispyrice8528]

Yeah, treasure does make some nice genesis conversions of classical music. Dancing bunny girls has Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky.

[@Lifesizemortal]

Treasure made my favorite game of all time Sin & Punishment 2

[@SegaLordX]

Both those games were awesome.

[@XiaoFury]

This game was great. Great graphics, soundtrack, and entertaining stages that got better as the game went on. A lost treasure for sure.

[@swirlingabyss]

The Genesis was capable of such amazing sound. It's a shame so many devs/musicians just used the lame gens presets.

[@Bloodreign1]

The Cube soundfont was the way to go for the Genesis, Japanese developers tended to use it far more than the Gems one.

[@robbystrange4772]

I gave this another play through today! What a coincidence. Such a classic!

[@lazarushernandez5827]

Never doubt a game from Treasure.

[@danmakuman]

Love this game, not super hard but is just fun, well thought and the audiovisual presentation is top notch

[@CaptainKeelhaul]

3:54 If you represent McDonald's, I can see how natural ingredients could be your enemies. :)

Treasure was Sega's Rare.

[@josephchaparro1037]

Lol this Man hates him some happy meals.

[@Molul_]

Being a huge Dynamite Headdy fan since I was a child, it was a pleasant surprise discovering this game later in my life. It feels like a proof of concept for Dynamite. The scarf move is the same that Headdy does with Hangman, and you can see some reused assets here like vertical rolling platforms. It wasn't as great as Headdy, but it's definitely a must-play if you like Treasure stuff.

[@betogaletto]

For anyone interested, McDonald's also had the "Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators", developed and published by Virgin in 1992.

[@billcook4768]

Why you gotta be such a hater. All Ronald ever wanted to do was bring joy (and hamburgers) into kid’s lives :)

[@Jinx_Skeel]

also cancer

[@michaelaizen1137]

Food was better quality in the 90s and 80s.

[@izzieb]

@@michaelaizen1137 They were forced to use better ingredients outside of the US too.

[@andrewerntell4775]

Not to mention diabetes and morbid obesity. What a guy!

[@SegaLordX]

Yeah, no love for Ronald here. I always thought that the McDonald’s mascots were awful.

[@TheMultiGunMan]

I'm a huge Sega fan and I didn't know this game existed. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@lonesquiff6551]

I like how Treasure worked their name into the title. I don't remember this one but I do remember another McDonald's game being advertised in magazines. Looking online now I think it was the Global Gladiators one.

[@RobsonRoverRepair]

Global Gladiators was also a dam good game.

[@antenant9294]

I thought I recognised the music at 8:15 for 3 notes... until I realised, it sounds VERY much like the "Cave" music on Sega Master System (FM version I think).

[@poposterous236]

Man, I always wondered what I liked about you. Then that "Creepy-as Ronald McDonald" line - you have trustworthy instincts. Hell yeah, brother.

[@stevesteve0521]

I honestly never played this game despite me owning the genesis and a bunch of games for it since 1993. I definitely have to check it now after this review. Thanks man!

[@goatbone]

"One of Treasure's oddest games." That's quite a claim. You are right about the characters. Fine for little kids but so unappealing for slightly older children and older. You can see why they have more or less retired the characters nowadays.

[@Tybis]

Damn SLX you came after Ronald's life. 😂

[@erugurara8235]

that feel sadening.

[@bobstayoffthegrass8772]

6:19 They did. It’s called Dynamite Headdy.

[@neoturfmasterMVS]

The one off or single game reviews are the best. I've been watching you so long now, I was afraid Sega Lord was gonna run out of content, you where spitting out quick reviews for like 20 games per video! Glad you slowed it down. 1 Video - 1 Game is perfect. Should keep you busy now for years!

[@graemevaughey7432]

"One of Treasure's Oddest games". That's a bold statement when you're talking about the developers behind _Dynamite Headdy_ and _Stretch Panic._

[@McDumDum]

It's weirdly hilarious to me that even McDonald's has scifi levels on Genesis. Before even hitting the space zone.

[@betogaletto]

There's an alternate version with burgers, fries and milkshakes as items. I remember getting a cartridge in brazil when I was a kid.

[@MaidenHell1977]

Dude you killed me on this one hahahaha!! Come on, man, it's Ronald! He's our buddy!! The magic of going to McDonald's as a kid in the early 80s, his happy face during the commercial breaks on Saturday morning cartoons? I know you love him!! Haha

[@TiffanyStarrxxx]

I remember liking MCkids on NES when I was little so I'll definitely check this out. I have a habit of alternating between playing brutally difficult games and then super easy games to relax after the brutality. Rinse. Repeat.

[@outdatedgear5036]

“Creepy ass Ronald McDonald” 😂😂😂😂😂

[@rayzaramon6598]

Ron Mc D: "NO Spicy McNuggets for You, sir!"😡

[@xybur]

Yeah, this game is pretty good. Proof positive that Treasure can do no wrong.

[@captainnintendo]

I actually owned this game growing up and I loved the hell out of it. I do remember having a really hard time figuring out that whole thing with letting the boss purposely take some of your life before you could hit them. Not that intuitive.

[@Lost_n_Found_1]

What's wrong with the license? I found the characters within the game to be charming. Loved this game on my Nomad growing up.

[@Gatorade69]

SLX had a frightening encounter with a Ronald McDonald once as a child. Why do you think he released this vid in Oct ? Cause Ronald McDonald is freakin' frightening.

[@Lost_n_Found_1]

@@Gatorade69 That's just internet memes. The old commercials were absolutely endearing.

[@SegaLordX]

Nothing endearing to me about any of these characters. Awful, awful mascots. Of course, to each their own.

[@Lost_n_Found_1]

@@SegaLordX Could you elaborate as to why they are so awful?

[@Prizrak-hv6qk]

Are you from outside the US? In the US culture, clowns somehow became "creepy" by the 90s, probably in big part thanks to John Wayne Gacy and movies like It. In general, in American pop culture, it's extremely popular to make fun of clowns, implying that they are all some kind of freaks.

[@melvinblackburn195]

It's all about the gameplay for me and this one holds up. Period. If you want a fun action platformer, you got it.

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

I had the same negative reactions when I saw this on store shelves when I was a kid. Now, I wish that I had played it. The music is good, too.

[@printthelegends]

I remember renting it on a whim and my brother and I were both taken aback by how much we liked it. A real gem.

[@zylowolf7919]

I think this game is proof that it doesn't matter what the liscence is, as long as it's good. It could star any old mascot. Imagine if Bubsy was more like this?

[@ShinobiWan1]

There's that new easter egg code that has been revealed

[@brandonkick]

I had this game as a young kid (33 now) and man what a gem it was! All around solid port. My main issue? It was a bit too easy. Cranking up the difficulty a little took care of that. Really nice, well polished title that showed off what the genesis could do! I still wish I had my childhood copy!

[@ozzie.l.6035]

If it was developed by Treasure,it had to be good.

[@Armorhunterash]

It's Dynamite Headdy McDonalds edition

[@user-dv2hc8zt3o]

Guess I'll be adding this to my Genesis mini.

[@Bloodreign1]

Despite the license, this game is fantastic. Wish I had gotten a copy I saw in the wild years ago for under 10 bucks, but I kick myself often for not striking while this version was cheap.

[@BintyBat]

This is one of those games where I strongly suspect that one/all of the developers were 'under the influence' of narcotics.

[@autobotstarscream765]

Also on the list: Treasure games in general.

[@ZalgoPinkamena]

I was the one kid who had the choice of multiple games to choose from and I picked this McD game. I had no regrets in doing so.

[@guysafari]

Damn this game was more of a banger than I though. I knew it was good but this is AAA sega. Also flugelheim museum ftw!

[@silentfanatic]

Interestingly enough, Ronald is known as "Donald McDonald" in Japan due to the "L" "R" thing with their language. Far more fascinating than the man's actual design.

[@megaruhe6296]

I so wanted this game.

[@cosmicrider5898]

I like the thicc pixel art for ronald.

[@kermitthegaminghermit8736]

I was always curious about this game. I remember learning that this was a Treasure game about 20 years ago, but the license left me uninterested. I'll have to give this a try some day. Great video!

[@Zusse]

...I love hearing your intro im so glad I finally found out what game its from originally

[@brunop77]

Weird but really better than most licensed games for kids, a level below Disney classics like Alladin but is a decent game, really hard to find this cartige in Brazil at 90s.

[@pimpedoutstereos9747]

Never heard of it but it looks great to me. Going by it’s visuals and colour I could’ve mistaken it for being a snes game

[@zabustifu]

That dancing bunny girls music at 7:33 sounds very familiar. Maybe a Castlevania tune? Edit: never mind. It's Swan Lake.

[@Sr.D]

"Far too easy" I love to hear that words on 8/16 bit era...

[@Ruddskies]

Treasure = one of the best developers of all time

[@priscilam.9808]

You know what? A fan hack version with a different hero would make a lot of difference. Music is good and the overall quality seems good too. Hmmmmmm.

[@jameswalt1]

Loving the smaller videos on more obscure titles

[@chadappell2280]

The sequel is called Dynamite Headdy

[@TheAdventuresofRussell]

I had the Global Gladiators game as a kid. Still don't know how to play it but I know it was a Maccas game

[@darthvader4517]

What is the music of this video in the outro? Just as the batmobile shows up? Sounds great!

[@projectmayhem6898]

[8:25] That looks like the Sega Saturn logo in the background.

[@Molul_]

6:26 yeah, this game would definitely use a sprite hack

[@SteveBrandon]

I see that Grimace is on the cover but is he actually in the game? It was probably a missed opportunity to have included four-armed Grimace (as seen in the early 1970s McDonald's commercials that also starred Jodie Foster) as a villain.

[@affansonicfan]

I would love to watch this video, but weirdly enough, this game is on my backlog.

[@BintyBat]

8:18 says 'Spaceship' but the stage shown is the moon stage?

[@SegaLordX]

That piece is actually to the stage after the moon, but I wanted the gameplay there.

[@secretsofthemeatsack]

Definitely gonna give this a test drive 👌

[@EDifyer881]

this actually doesn't look bad

[@Waifu4Life]

SEGA should just replace the Ronald sprite for Alex Kid who needs to rescue other SEGA characters like Sonic, Ristar, Joe Musashi, Nights, etc..

[@robertdanker6193]

Treasure and Sega present the new and improved "Domino's Treasure Land Adventure, staring THE NOID!!"

[@YourFavouriteColor]

dancing bunny girls is swan lake by Tchaikovsky fyi

[@ricardomauricioaraya7625]

this game is so friken fun, and the graphics and music are great. It has no right being as good as it is. The ending is weird though, like if the translation was messed up.

[@JIMBO8472]

Mick and Mac global gladiators was a solid game.

[@granzert1711]

There's also Global Gladiators.

[@GaggleofDoozies]

I've got a factory sealed copy.

[@Spartan77]

Wacha got there Billy? Is that a Hungry Jack burger?

[@thejunkmanlives]

its all about mc kids on nes. lol. i couldnt imagine if they tried to do something like that today, a mcdonalds game. it would probably end up being a shooter, run around spraying people with ketchup and throwing mcflurry grenades.

[@thejunkmanlives]

@arbereshe 2d like streets of rage? or do a 3d character action like dmc or ninja gaiden? either of them would be hilarious.

[@NpGElPiRaTa]

Now Im craving a Travis Scott meal 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@kevins8071]

My head was buried in my phone while this video was playing and I heard the Dancing Bunny Girls music and thought it was Castlevania SOTN for a hot second until I looked up. Similar music or more borrowed? Not sure

[@betogaletto]

it's Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, act 1 scene 14. Sure Castlevania borrowed a lot from classical music too.

[@SuperHns]

this game is so good.

[@Monty-or9sb]

Roast that Ronald! Beautiful.

[@MollyDogsm]

Damn this game is expensive :(

[@mrnicktoyou]

My subscriptions feed is depressingly filled with news about politics, I love when I see your content pop up man. It’s like a breath of fresh air. Thanks.

[@e.r.8710]

Maybe you should change your subscriptions. I barely read or watch anything related to politics anymore, so much better.