
Play Dick Tracy Online
Game Info
- Platform
- Sega Genesis
- Genres
- Shooter
- Player Perspective
- Side view
- Developers
- Sega Technical Institute
- Publishers
- Sega of America · Sega Enterprises, Ltd. · Tec Toy
- Release date
- March 1, 1991
Summary
The Genesis version of Dick Tracy feels like a visual upgrade over its Master System sibling, taking full advantage of the 16‑bit hardware. It’s a side‑scrolling beat‑’em‑up where you can walk, jump, duck, fire a pistol or swing a Tommy gun, and even commandeer a police car in a dedicated chase segment. Each stage is broken into sub‑levels, and the game rewards precision: you earn extra points for sparing background details like windows, fire hydrants and street lights. Development was a sprint—Sega Technical Institute had just five months and only two core staff, Mark Cerny and Yutaka Sugano, who’d previously built Shinobi. American programmers were brought in, Japanese artist Takeshi Doi handled the animation, and every on‑screen likeness—from Warren Beatty to Madonna—was cleared by the actors. Despite the effort, the title arrived months after the film’s debut and sold poorly, teaching Sega a hard lesson about timing movie tie‑ins.
Storyline
The Sega Genesis title “Dick Tracy” puts you in the trench‑coat of the famous detective as he chases the notorious crime lord Big Boy through a series of varied stages. Along the way, a handful of classic comic‑book villains pop up, adding familiar faces to the pursuit. The showdown with Big Boy mirrors the climactic sequence from the feature film, giving fans a nostalgic cinematic finish.
Edited by Maya Carter
























