Dick Tracy (1990). Play online

Summary

Dick Tracy for the Sega Master System is a side‑scrolling action game built around the 1990 film starring Warren Beatty and Madonna. You guide the detective through five distinct stages, blasting gangsters with a pistol or the iconic Tommy gun while ducking environmental hazards such as windows, fire hydrants and street lamps. Each level ends with a showdown against a mob boss, culminating in a final confrontation with the Big Boy crime lord in a recreation of the movie’s climax. The controls let you walk, jump, duck and even hijack a police cruiser for a brief chase segment.

BlueSky Software drove the Master System version, cramming development into a tight five‑month window after Sega awarded STI the movie license. Only Mark Cerny and Yutaka Sugano—veterans of Shinobi—were on the core team, supplemented by U.S. programmers and Japanese animator Takeshi Doi, who crafted the cartoon‑style sprites. Every on‑screen likeness, from Beatty to Al Pacino, had to be signed off by the actors, adding an unusual layer of authenticity. Despite this attention to detail, the title struggled commercially and failed to make an impact in the North American market.

Storyline

In Dick Tracy for the Sega Master System, you step into the trench‑coat‑clad detective’s shoes and chase the criminal mastermind Big Boy across a series of action‑packed stages. Along the way you run into a roster of classic comic‑book villains, each presenting its own challenge before you can press onward. The game’s level design pushes you to use Tracy’s signature gadgets and quick reflexes to survive the gritty urban environments. The climax mirrors the feature‑film showdown, delivering a final battle with Big Boy that feels lifted straight from the movie’s dramatic ending. Victory comes only after dismantling the syndicate and bringing the notorious boss to justice.