Original Release: Tuning Electronic, 1995, Arcade
An odd maze-chase game that rewards you with nudie pics in between rounds.
Mad Donna (Arcade, Tuning, 1995)
Where to Buy: KLOV, QuarterArcade, eBay
How to Emulate: Arcade Emulation Guide
Review by: Master-B
I reviewed a game called Exodus recently, which was similar to this one in that it was a mid-90s release that focused on peep show GIFs between rounds but had more substantial gameplay than these “adult arcade games” tend to have. Exodus came from an Italian company, however, while Mad Donna is a fine German production.
Mad Donna also takes the odd tack of giving up most of its tiddy content on the title screen, if you simply wait for the attract mode to cycle around (I imagine a lot of little German boys were crowding around and annoying arcade owners to no end). Apparently what you’re paying for is the Full Monty, which is on the menu here since this is not a Japanese release. You get a teaser facial shot after completing one level, then a full-length scrolling frontal nudie shot after the second.
Anyway, the gameplay. Ever wondered what Pac-Man would be like if Pac had a gun? If you guessed “real f’n easy” then congratulations, you’ve already figured out Mad Donna. The game doesn’t give you a story but I picture it as the adventures of a future archaeologist returning to Earth, finding our ancient Playboy centerfolds amidst the ruins now occupied by weird mutants and reptile-creatures.
The difficulty does ramp up after a few levels, but in a very carny way. You eventually run into enemies that shoot, but the main source of deaths is a guy I call Mr. Satan. He’s the game’s Evil Otto, appearing if you take too long in a level (which is not long at all) and then sort of swooping at you lackadaisically until he gets you. After a few levels, you’re virtually guaranteed to see him repeatedly as lots of pellets are locked off behind timed gates you have to repeatedly wait on.
The gameplay actually isn’t that bad, but it has a serious difficulty balance problem. At first it’s too easy, and then the only means of generating challenge it eventually introduces is a very cheap one.
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