Mr. Bones - Sega Saturn Review

[@BadMovieRealm]

I'm one of those weirdos who absolutely adores this game. I've probably played it through half a dozen or so times over the years. Back when I was 12 or 13, my mom bought it for me on a whim because she thought the cover looked neat and I'm glad she did. As silly as it sounds, this game had a pretty big effect on me as a kid. It's the reason I initially became a fan of the blues, and even inspired me to pick up the guitar for the first time. Yes, it can be extremely frustrating and clunky at times and I know most people will be 'meh' about it and quite a few will absolutely despise it, but I found it such a unique experience that just oozes style and charm. Even I must admit, I think I enjoy the overall experience more than the actual gameplay, although there are several sections I quite enjoy from that standpoint as well. It's difficult to describe, but Mr. Bones almost has the feel of a concept album or some other oddball film or art project, that, while only appealing to a very small number of people, definitely leaves its mark on those select few. And I think that's as long-winded and pretentious as I want to get about an obscure, two-plus decades old Sega Saturn game. TL;DR: I have odd tastes.

[@Thor-Orion]

No, it’s unique and charming. Not for everyone, but the appeal is pretty apparent.

[@herogear_art]

It’s so cool that inspired you to learn guitar! I love stories like that!

[@BadMovieRealm]

@@herogear_art Well, it inspired me to buy a guitar. Its up for debate if I ever really learned to play it or not. lol

[@Iktofed]

It's honestly a better game than most of what people recommend like nights or burning rangers which are hardly games at all lmao. And for all the challenge, it's two full disks of generous reward fmvs. You struggle on that one level for a bit and then the game pays out.

[@l30S3UX]

Top quality post. I identify with it guess because I was playing Mr Bones arround my 12's as well

[@karimcheese7257]

I bought the Japanese version cause it's still in English and a fraction of the cost. Tried it during Halloween and I must say, it's quite a unique game.

[@bjornh1527]

Thanks, I´ve been wondering if that version was still in English.

[@karimcheese7257]

​@@bjornh1527 it sure is, and the cover art is much better

[@kibroman]

@@karimcheese7257 It's in english. Except the stand up part lol

[@Kashmir23]

I did the exact same thing and I agree!!!

[@meteor1522]

It’s shit.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

This game is like the personification of Sega as a whole. A company that made cool unique experiences that just didn't typically appeal to the most amount of people. Or at the very least were sometimes extremely divisive. I loved Sega for it's uniqueness and I always will.

[@CDages]

Met Mr. Will Novak (one of the primary designers of this game) last year during my work shift. Had a small quick chat as we were helping him and at some point I had mentioned how the Saturn was one of my favorite systems. I still remember the expression on his face after I told him and spoke briefly on Mr. Bones. Long story short, before leaving he took out a brand new unopened copy of Sega Visions magazine from his carry bag and gave it to me. Interesting fella.

[@maxrichards5925]

It’s awesome that he had a copy just there with him. I’d want to meet him & talk about Mr bones sometime

[@GamingintoEternity]

The music and guitar playing is top notch. Ronnie was awesome. May he rest in peace.

[@EricSega-pe8fl]

I bought this shortly after its release and I remember being blown away by the opening movie with the doctor beating the drum. I was never good at the game and never made much progress, but I must have watched that opening video 50 times. The graphics blew my mind all those years ago.

[@ThommyofThenn]

Games can be appreciated for other factors besides gameplay. It's the top priority but sometimes a game's oddness and jank can be so horrifying that you come to develop a morbid love

[@godzilla7391]

One of my favorite Saturn titles. This game doesn't get talked about that much, especially for being as charming as it is, and a Saturn exclusive. Yeah it's short, but so good!

[@orderofmagnitude-TPATP]

Each too there own. Seems more at home on the 3do. Is it really your favourite though? I mean to like it sure ... but favourite when the Saturn has a strong library?

[@karimcheese7257]

​​​@@orderofmagnitude-TPATP to be fair this individual said "one of" their favorite titles. And it's not wrong to have an unpopular opinion

[@warchild9381]

Doubtful you actually enjoy sitting down and playing it for the gameplay. You're probably one of those who like to show off "underated gems" to feel special that you know of a more quirky obscure game than the next for superiority. Game design wise, Mr. Bones is mediocre at best. The variety is cool, but it's like the core gameplay of each level is so basic that nothing really stands out and nothing excels in each of it's genres. Also the health system is annoying as hell, but at least there is the ridiculous cut scenes to keep you going.

[@godzilla7391]

@War Child Damn. So, it can't be one of my favorite Saturn titles?? I grew up owning the Saturn and had a blast with this game. Some people just like to attack people I guess. Keep going with your assumptions

[@godzilla7391]

@Order Of Magnitude - The Paranormal & Personal It was and still is "one" of my favorite games on the system. I had it since launch and it just stood out to me. There are so many Saturn titles I love, but this is still a favorite of mine.

[@Nov-5062]

One of the most unique games in the fifth generation. It looks like it was made with alot of love

[@Wonder_TV_24]

And a lot of talented people too, it must be hard to give life to such beautiful ideas

[@RadicalDreamer85]

Definitely one of my favorite Saturn games. Weird as all hell and frustrating at times, but I actually like the gameplay variety and never found the difficulty too overwhelming as a kid. I definitely appreciate the soundtrack far more as an adult. Legit hidden gem, albeit one that might not appeal to a lot of folks.

[@averylangs]

This game is what convinced me to start playing guitar as a kid

[@nehehehgraylois]

I mean clearly it's easy. Don't think about it, just play it

[@avalond1193]

No bones about it this is a unique gem in the Sega Saturn library

[@WrestlingWithWill]

My brother got this game Christmas 1996 and I just have the fondest memories of it. I remember being over the moon over how much variety it had and how state-of-the-art the CG visuals were. I haven't played it in decades but I still hold it close to my heart.

[@LUCIFERrilo]

Mr. Bones is an awesome game. I used to show my friends the opening cutscene just to show off how cool the graphics were on the Saturn.

[@Spewa-em8cm]

I absolutely love this game. Its one of those projects that you can tell had a lot of love put into it and the absurdity of the story never fails to entertain me. Not to mention the music is amazing.

[@Hidyman]

This is in my top 5 favorite Saturn games. I love it. It tells a cool story, the atmosphere is great and it's not too difficult (although a few stages are a little slow). I've played through it dozens of times (without cheat codes).

[@saturnhero7254]

Mr. BONES would probably be in my top 20 Saturn games. I grew up with this game and have always loved it. That icy lake level is dang hard though, took me forever to finally beat it. This is one of those games I always go back to and play through every couple years. I usually agree with SegaLordX, but not this time. I love me some Mr. BONES and would love to see this franchise brought back to life!

[@Mechanb]

the epitome of a rental game. Lots of different things to try. Some more engaging but really only took me a weekend before I was done. Enjoyable for a brief time

[@MK-ue1ys]

I never played this but I remember seeing a commercial for it as a kid. It looked really cool at the time.

[@Goopy731]

I never played it, but I thought this game was a fever dream my cousin played before I was ten. I could not for the life of me remember what console it was on or what it was called. Just the name in my childhood dreams 'Mr Bones!' then the song when you play with that one dude by the fire would repeat in my head. Though far more distorted compared to the original now that I've revisited it.

[@khaimk4r4su]

I never played the game but do remember the adverts for it, albeit very sparsely. The music is quite amazing I can say

[@becomeanolive1637]

I was excited to see this review because I remember buying this game back when it came out and I remember really enjoying the variety of the games. My brother and his friend did finish it after many attempts all in one day. We just got so excited about what the next level would look like. I found this game to be lots of fun, the only issue is that it has littel replay value. The stand-up comedian part is quite amusing too as I cam remember... I do understand that Sega Lord X saying it isn't overly polished but I think it's far from a terrible game, as a Saturn owner Virtual Hylide was the most terrible game I ever remember buying.

[@dansaikyo6664]

What a twist. LOLOL The way the review was going, I really thought you were gonna say you loved it. 😅 I rented this back in the day and I couldn't stand it, for all the reasons you said. It's definitely not any Guardian Heroes or even Clockwork Knight.

[@kneesh84]

nobody gets off mr bones' wild ride

[@stee17lers]

One of my favorite games of all time. Love to see it get reviewed

[@clipsedrag13]

"the first thing" sounds like Donkey Kong water level had a baby with a Jean-Claude Van Damme training sequence

[@Mr.Boglin]

The Virgin Mr Bones Vs The CHAD Sir Dan from Medievil

[@creativeusername7951]

That Japanese cover looks so cool with it's Grateful Dead logo font.

[@slowcoin2183]

Mr Bones is actually the game that brought me back to the Saturn when I was in college around 2009, loved showing off the guitar solo stage to my friends. Like you said, the level select code makes the game much less frustrating as you can skip past annoying levels. Also nice that they include all the cutscenes in the selection.

[@RetroDeathReviews666]

Was waiting for this review! I just got this game a few weeks ago for the first time and seriously loved it. Such a unique and special little gem despite the occasional issues.

[@RyllenKriel]

I really appreciate how this review went from praising the innovative design ideas to saying how terrible the gameplay was. A very fair assessment! I remember doing a hard pass on this title when it came out but it is nice to see what it was all about now. I still have my Saturn and play it now and then, cheers!

[@ITISWHATIS]

Damn SegaLordX talks the game up then stomps it into the gravel. Power move! That's some potent venom!

[@gamesthatiplay9083]

Battle Toads has a lot of different genres, yet it always gets labeled as what it plays like in the first level.

[@homie3star]

One of my favorite games, period. Had Fitz Houston (voice of Mr Bones) sign my copy too!

[@Edoshmek]

Finally, a truly honest review of this game. Ive struggled with it for years. Never could make it passed the 3rd graveyard stage.

[@SerenoOunce]

Game is not necessarily long, yet took me me over a year to complete. The sheer frustration made me put shelve it for months at a time. Was it worth finishing? No. But still glad I did.

[@Psychology]

The icey lake. Absolute insane difficulty of a level

[@SimianScience]

i remember some kind of trailer for this on fox kids. it had children singing to the tune of ants go marching. that ad stuck with me forever

[@DaveB038]

Aw man, bummed you didn't like it. I picked this up at Meijer, a Midwest department store back in the late 90s or early 2000s when Saturn games just weren't moving off the shelves. At the time the pre-rendered graphics, not really knowing or understanding there were prerendered FMVs, looked really good, almost cutting edge, like something we had never really seen before on the Saturn. With the charm of the characters and the really good quality music (both the songs and the actual quality of the recordings) that pulls you in along with the variety of gameplay I think the game just has so much flavor. It's a great play around Halloween. The initial play through and not knowing much of anything about the game just never knew what to expect and half the time it was funny or outrageous. Playing the guitar to all the other skeletons is a great level! My daughter grew up watching me play this and she wanted me to get it out and play every year. The difficulty and the need to replay levels got to be a drag and I have never finished it. I think I have gotten 2/3 of the way through the North American version. I pick it up every few years to see if I can get further. Yeah a couple levels maybe aren't stellar but overall I think it's a unique and really well packaged exclusive game with a quirky, fun and pretty polished presentation.

[@StormyAdler]

If nothing else, this does make for a good rage game for how difficult it is. It almost feels like something that belongs on the GameCube for just how unique and varied it is.

[@MrDflego]

I never thought I'd see anything about Ronny Montrose in a video game.

[@SEGAHEADDY]

I totally love this game. Rented it back when it came out, then bought the import (that cover art!) about a decade later. I own over 80 Saturn games and Mr. Bones is top 10 for me, possibly top 5. So unique, so much atmosphere...

[@bluebillygrit1]

This is one of my all-time favorites. I love how essentially every level has a different gameplay mechanic. Mr. Bones remains one of the most unique games ever created.

[@Mankey619]

Mr Bones is the most underrated Sega Saturn game here. Nobody ever talks about this that much, cause this game got a lot of different gameplay features and not to mention the music is epic to listen too. Like who doesn’t want to see a skeleton rocking some tunes with a guitar.

[@rednerdnecktech2474]

One of the hardest games I had on the Saturn.

[@mauller]

This was the first game I rented when I got my Saturn. I loved Halloween and all things associated so this was a must play. Needless to say I was not prepared. I could not get past the rhythm part and had a whole weekend wasted! I can appreciate it for the music now. Thank you for the video

[@BiohazardEXTREME]

I probably watched hundreds of hours of retro gaming channels over the course of the past decade, many of which extensively covered Sega Saturn games, yet this is the first time I've ever heard of this game. How nobody else I follow has ever covered it baffles me.

[@facerip356]

I guess what it comes down to is this: Do you want to get on Mr. Bones Wild Ride? Or would you like to get off Mr. Bones Wild Ride. It's up to you.

[@keychainere]

Well, this review had a plot twist I didn’t see coming. I thought, “oh, this guys seems to like it…” lol

[@TashiroSato]

Lord of Sega is back

[@greensun1334]

Definitely a good looking game with a lot real transparency effects. The pre-rendered style of the 2D platform levels with all those parallax layers remind me on the SNES' Donkey Kong series, I like it!

[@AfroRyan]

I put Mr. Bones and Wild Woody in the same shelf in my brain; extremely flawed experiences with some really cool concepts and surprisingly good soundtracks.

[@ITSBL00DLINES]

I love this game! Super hard but really unique! I played the demo for years until I could save up enough money to purchase it myself. My younger brother pawned off all our Saturn everything so I lost this gem 💎😢

[@mattgain9806]

Easily one of my top 5 favorite games from the Saturn

[@dollalamaproductions]

Love this game! Had it back when I was a kid and it blew my mind in the 90’s

[@DreamcastQ]

This game was incredibly unique, great review brother

[@Anthony-Manzanares2710]

Ugh I miss my Sega Saturn so much. And especially for this game. Mr. Bones was my favorite game as a kid and I miss it a lot and have been wanting to play it. Hope I can again someday soon. Thank you so much for this video

[@reeyees50]

7:30 Sega Lord X moment

[@nightshadehelis9821]

Thank mr skeletal.

[@Waifu4Life]

Developers: So, how many genre should we put in this game? SEGA: YES!!!

[@GarlicMonoxide]

Love your videos! The opening is rather nostalgic for some reason. A clever blend of a few things.. haven't been able to figure it out yet haha Keep up the good work sir!

[@Zvasra]

I love Mr. Bones because I got so used to the jank that I became a professional of jank. I knew every bad move in this game.

[@luisrivera7991]

Super early, go mister bones… I have never play mister bones but back when I did wanted to buy it, luckily for me every time I went to the store there was something else I ended up buying, the last time I went to buy the game I remember I ended up buying Tomb Raider

[@jorbascrumps]

I have such a soft spot for this game. Definitely one of my favourites growing up. One of the best things about this game aside from the music and variety is the different forms you can take. One has your arms attached at the hips with your hands holding the top of your legs; you look like a giant skeleton chicken. It's also possible to attach extra arms and legs that flap around grotesquely 😂

[@aceofhearts573]

Zono, the developers of Mr Bones made my all time favorite game, Alien vs Predator Extinction. I always thought they made RTS games, they made Metal Fatigue rts as well

[@JorgeAraujo97]

Angel Studios had quite a rich and colorful history before becoming Rockstar San Diego.

[@spartaninvirginia]

Well, I've got to try this one now

[@yousefslimani99]

thanks for reviewing SEGA Saturn games I really enjoy watching your contents!

[@coyotekelly7143]

I played the heck out of this game as a kid. Me and my dad beat it together. I got it again a few years ago and still play it all the time.

[@andrewdowell6474]

I kinda wanna play this just for that soundtrack.

[@SerenoOunce]

I still sing the jingles of this game to myself to this day. 🎵 "Bones, Bones, Bones, Bones..."🎵

[@NightDragon2383]

I remember playing a demo of this game at my local Funcoland sometime in '97, the first level or so seemed kinda interesting but I had no idea the actual game was such a mishmosh of gameplay styles and features. By the time I got to play this of course, the Saturn was pretty much dead in the US anyway, and Crash and Mario 64 were dominating the platforming landscape. This game seems like it would have been received much better had it come out closer to the Saturn's launch a year earlier.

[@karllykos]

Was MediEvil PlayStation’s answer to this? That’s what I remember reading somewhere.

[@node3573]

I love these old experimental games.

[@ynotwalk7391]

sega lord didn't even play my fave music track it's all dreamlike

[@l30S3UX]

I loved it back in the day, and I loved replaying it 25 years later. I used the cheat code to replay my favorite levels over and over, but doing the entire run is a real epic!!!

[@dannymartini5597]

I loved this game. It was one of the first games I got for my Saturn when I was about 13. I loved the music and the varied gameplay and the visuals blew me away. I will say that some of the levels were frustrating as hell (the icy lake levels and the one where you're hanging from the flying T-Rex), but I still consider this one of my favorite oddball games of all time.

[@Kashmir23]

Very underrated game!!! Came at a time when they use to make games that were all across the board. Xbox PS2 and before!!!

[@Aragorn7884]

I remember this game from the ads in the magazines 😅

[@hailstorm1986]

I could see Bill and Ted along with Wayne and Garth playing this game!!! 💀🩻🎸🎮

[@Sparkledash1]

Mr.Bones will play you a song, about how the ride never ends. :P

[@Don-gd2gz]

I rented this game without knowing it. I absolutely loved. Music, voices, gameplay, humor. Fantastic game.

[@EricJacobusOfficial]

There's a lot of really good animation in this. Must have been rotoscoped onto the 3d model. Very cool.

[@ciotay5469]

Reminds me of 'Funny Bones' lol

[@jss636]

Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la Mmm Uh huh I was down at the New Amsterdam Staring at this yellow-haired girl Mr. Bones strikes up a conversation With a black-haired flamenco dancer You know she dances while his father plays guitar She's suddenly beautiful And we all want something beautiful Man, I wish I was beautiful So come dance the silence down through the morning Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la, yeah Uh huh, yeah Cut up, Maria Show me some of them Spanish dances Pass me a bottle, Mr. Bones Believe in me Help me believe in anything 'Cause I wanna be someone who believes Yeah Mr. Bones and me Tell each other fairy tales And we stare at the beautiful women She's looking at you Ah, no, no, she's looking at me Smilin' in the bright lights Coming through in stereo When everybody loves you You can never be lonely Well, I'm gon' paint my picture Paint myself in blue and red and black and gray All of the beautiful colors are very, very meaningful Yeah, well, you know gray is my favorite color I felt so symbolic yesterday If I knew Picasso I would buy myself a gray guitar and play Mr. Bones and me Looked into the future Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women She's looking at you I don't think so She's looking at me Standing in the spotlight I bought myself a gray guitar When everybody loves me I will never be lonely I will never be lonely Said I'm never gonna be lonely I wanna be a lion Yeah, everybody wanna pass as cats We all wanna be big, big stars Yeah, but we got different reasons for that Believe in me 'Cause I don't believe in anything And I wanna be someone to believe, to believe, to believe Yeah Mr. Bones and me Stumbling through the barrio Yeah, we stare at the beautiful women She's perfect for you Man, there's got to be somebody for me I wanna be Bob Dylan Mr. Bones wishes he was someone just a little more funky When everybody loves you, ah son That's just about as funky as you can be Mr. Bones and me Staring at the video When I look at the television, I want to see me Staring right back at me We all wanna be big stars But we don't know why, and we don't know how But when everybody loves me I'm wanna be just about as happy as I can be Mr. Bones and me We're gonna be big stars

[@parappatherapper4141]

Yesssss I've been waiting for this review for a long time!!! Thanks SLX.

[@pooksthepossum]

New Sega Lord X video! Convenient since I'm currently fighting through a medical issue and have been bed ridden for over a week now. I've had 3 awesome videos from you since. To everyone, take care of yourselves! Most of us Sega fans are getting old now, and health is at the forefront. Stay healthy and play *SEGAA!!* ❤️🐨❤️

[@13Carrey1]

The music is really good!! :) Maybe u can make a Video about Best Music in SEGA Games or overall :) This would be really intresting! :)

[@TheJesterGuy_]

This reminds me from the good old times I've bought game magazines to know more about new games and consoles and this game called my attention back then. Like here it didn't get a good grade either but it looked nice, at least graphically, and always wanted to play it. A shame that this game didn't please you.

[@JulianCallan]

This is incredible, I’ve never heard of the game before and thought it was some sort of April Fool’s joke. The game looks so interesting.

[@TiNRiB]

Back when Playstation vs Saturn was still a thing, this game always looked interesting to me! Totally forgot about it. Definitely going to give it a go later.

[@rufioquin2406]

What you said at the beginning is the exact reason I wish Sega were still around instead of Nintendo (if there could only be one). Nintendo = safe and same thing over and over. Sega = not afraid to try unique stuff.

[@Norweeg]

I disagree. Nintendo is the one company that is never afraid to innovate and try new things. Every console since the Gamecube has been drastically different. Even before the Gamecube, they were willing to try new things occasionally, even if it flopped, like the VirtualBoy.

[@MEGAD-nb9uu]

😂 yes I much rather be playing a new mr bones than breath of the wild lol no thanks

[@autobotstarscream765]

​@MEGA D 64 1979 Nintendo will give us a new Mr. Bones before SEGA does, they'll just bury him under Yakuza or roll him into Sonic and have the blue furball boot Bones out of the lead role in his own series, as opposed to Nintendo which can sit on its franchises for _decades_ but eventually gives us the likes of Kid Icarus: Uprising.

[@ynotwalk7391]

dreamcast had a lot of games made by artists with big ideas

[@toddanderson7142]

I had this game as a kid, and I loved it. Definitely a unique game. Great music in this game as well.

[@torshec8634]

Reminder, The Ride Never Ends!

[@Aqua_Xenossia]

It’s kind of a kusoge and proto-WarioWare mixed together, but goddamn that OST absolutely cannot be denied. I’d love to see it tweaked and remastered, it deserves to shine as brightly as possible ❤️

[@eddiedutra3359]

I loved Mr. Bones. I had no issues with with the controls, I loved the look, music, and over all experience of this title. I loved the music so much I bought cd soundtrack from Tower Records. I am glad to own this game in collection.

[@bigbaddawg101]

I have always wanted to play this game ever since I saw it advertised in EGM. I was good at random platformers when I was a kid...but not so much as an adult.

[@Aragorn7884]

"A pool a mile long and an inch deep" 😬🙄

[@joesshows6793]

Your videos are must watch my friend

[@VBrancoPT]

It'be cool if this game got a remake or something.

[@cabbusses]

Somehow I get the idea that this is what devs in the 1990's thought AAA gaming was gonna be like.

[@Mitjitsu]

The FMV is the main appeal of the game. The only levels I really didn't like was the Night of Bats stages, because you have to get specific bones to complete the level. Something that isn't entirely obvious when you first play the levels.

[@jong2359]

This game is like a modernized and really well programmed Action 52... and that isn't a compliment.

[@shaggymcdaniel3216]

This game has been on my wishlist since I started collecting for Saturn 7 years ago. I guess it’s the mixed reviews that keep me from snagging a copy.

[@tonystair6818]

Wow, this game looks awesome.