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TAIL 'GATOR
review | GAME BOY
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a.k.a. Shippo de Bun!
Publisher: Natsume. Developer: Natsume. Released: 1991. Genre: 2D Platformer. Posted 20th September 2025. By Tom Clare © 2025 |
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Super Mario Land set a fearsome early benchmark for Game Boy platformers. It would establish a precedent that would become all too gruellingly familiar for third-party developers aiming to compete against Nintendo’s first-party software. The game’s prodigious popularity would steal the oxygen from a generation of platformers that followed in its wake, and chief among its victims was Natsume’s sparkling (though now largely forgotten) adventure, Tail ‘Gator.
Evil dragon Basso Gila has transported his castle to the peaceful kingdom of Moberry, a land the villain inevitably wishes to annex. Sashay forward Charly, a brave alligator, who must face the devious dragon and his cohorts across five areas. The first three feature an evolution of four recurrent themes (air, land, cave, and underwater), each comprising several screens. These can be approached in any order, which is cool. A couple of slightly shorter sequences follow in the dragon’s castle, before the final showdown.
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Tail 'Gator crams 50 levels and an enormous amount of personality into a superlative platformer experience
Tail ‘Gator’s an absolute ray of sunshine, delivering mountains of fun gameplay. Its quality is underpinned by meticulous, considered level design, as Natsume’s adventure quickly pulls in the player with its immediately absorbing, breezily playable nature. Different themes deliver what is, for a Game Boy title, a remarkably varied platforming experience. In addition to being chock-full of obstacles, ledges, and enemies, the placement of chests challenges players to plan how they go about clearing each screen. There is a range of points bonuses, health replenishers, and power-ups for Charly’s tail attack, but in a neat twist, the exit isn’t opened until the player breaks open the last treasure chest, whereupon the key is unearthed. Planning an effective route becomes vital, as defeated enemies respawn after a short delay, and you’ll want to avoid accruing unnecessary damage.
A host of smart touches tie in beautifully with the four themes. The air levels feature vortexes that propel the hero up the screen, but leave him momentarily vulnerable, whilst he can also hop across clouds. If the player remains motionless, however, Charly begins to sink through them. On the other end of the scale, the underwater levels provide an additional layer of freedom as the alligator is a predictably adept swimmer, but with the added caveat that his jumps are largely neutralised, meaning you’ll need to negotiate obstacles in a slightly different way. The land and cave sections make for effective hybrid experiences, combining more familiar Mario-esque platforming fare with elements of the other two themes. The caves are more enclosed, and with one-way water currents and streams, they make for some of the most playable sections.
A host of smart touches tie in beautifully with the four themes. The air levels feature vortexes that propel the hero up the screen, but leave him momentarily vulnerable, whilst he can also hop across clouds. If the player remains motionless, however, Charly begins to sink through them. On the other end of the scale, the underwater levels provide an additional layer of freedom as the alligator is a predictably adept swimmer, but with the added caveat that his jumps are largely neutralised, meaning you’ll need to negotiate obstacles in a slightly different way. The land and cave sections make for effective hybrid experiences, combining more familiar Mario-esque platforming fare with elements of the other two themes. The caves are more enclosed, and with one-way water currents and streams, they make for some of the most playable sections.
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It’s a superbly balanced experience, with reasonably gentle early layouts allowing players to familiarise themselves with Charly’s nimble movements and tail-snap attack, which dispatches foes with one or two strikes. The combat is satisfying, the controls sharp and precise. The hitboxes are spot-on, it’s remarkably smooth and consequently, the player is rarely let down by errant controls or physics. As the levels progress, Tail ‘Gator seamlessly adds foes, projectiles, and busier layouts to the mix, testing the player’s timing and platforming nous, without ever sacrificing the core fun factor.
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The boss battles, which see Charly battling enormous animals, are absolutely brilliant
Tail ‘Gator is one of the Game Boy’s finest-looking titles. Charly is excellent, sporting a lovely range of cute animations and his cheery cartoon attitude will have players rooting for him straight out of the gate. Natsume belied the Game Boy’s limited palette to conjure levels that not only carry a defined artistic style but also render a clear distinction between foreground and background detailing. As a result, the various caves, castle interiors, and waterfalls are beautifully drawn, without ever feeling messy. If these are good, the enormous bosses look incredible, and they aren't mere window dressing: these showdowns prove to be one of the game’s biggest highlights. Beware the frog’s leaps, the bird’s vicious projectiles, and the fish whose attacks test you to find gaps to swim into. More versatile still is the otter, which can be tackled from land platforms and clouds, or from beneath the water, depending on where the player feels more effective. Then there’s the enormous Basso Gila himself, who is an absolute menace, but proves a fantastic and fittingly grand opponent to duel with at the conclusion.
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Supercharged, vivacious music lends the action a real burst of energy. Whilst options are thin on the ground, quality most certainly isn’t. There are around 50 levels in total (including a couple of secret ones), and with simple, four-letter passwords doled out every few screens, it’s a fantastic go-to for quick bursts of portable platforming. It’s one you’ll return to in a heartbeat. It’s difficult to think of anything to criticise… Oh yeah, the name. Tail ‘Gator sounds like a dubious pun you’d attach to a ponderous racer. Come on, Natsume. Anyway, time may have forgotten Charly’s heroics, but we haven’t: his platform adventure is simply wonderful.
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VERDICT"...an absolute ray of sunshine, delivering mountains of fun gameplay. Tail 'Gator's quality is underpinned by meticulous level design, and its breezily playable nature. Time may have forgotten Charly's heroics, but we haven't." OVERALL: 9/10 |
OTHER PLATFORMERS ON NINTENDO HANDHELDS REVIEWED
Super Mario Land (1990, Game Boy)
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Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (2002, Game Boy Advance)
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