Dynamite Düx

Sega AM2

Company type	Division
Industry	Video games
Founded	1985
Founder	Yu Suzuki
Headquarters	Japan
Key people	Yu Suzuki (producer)
Products	Dynamite Düx, Sonic the Fighters, Fighters Megamix
Parent	Sega

Dynamite Düx is a 1988 beat 'em up title developed by Sega AM2 and distributed by Sega in arcades across Japan and Europe. The game was produced by Yu Suzuki with a soundtrack composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi. It operates on the Sega System 16 arcade hardware, the same platform used for games such as Golden Axe and Altered Beast. In 1989, it was adapted for several home systems including the Master System, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. Although a version for the Mega Drive was planned, it ultimately never saw release.

The storyline follows the quest to save Lucy, who has been abducted by the Sorcerer Achacha. The game received widespread praise and was honored with Sinclair User magazine’s Most Original Game of the Year award in 1988.

Gameplay

Players assume control of one of two animated ducks named Bin (blue) and Pin (red), who are Lucy’s pets. They journey through six levels inspired by real-world locations but depicted in a cartoon style reminiscent of Tex Avery. The game supports two-player simultaneous action, with each stage culminating in a boss battle. Additionally, after completing stages 2 and 4, players engage in bonus boxing rounds that award 50,000 points to the victor.

The controls are simplified to two buttons: jump and attack. Pressing the attack button allows players to punch enemies, hurl them in a cartoonish fashion, and wield various weapons such as rocks, bazookas, and bombs—the latter being the game’s trademark weapon aligning with its title. Unlike many similar games of its era, attacks can be directed in all angles, including diagonally.

Health status is represented by a color-coded bar at the bottom of the screen that transitions from blue to yellow to red as damage accumulates. Throughout the levels, players face an assortment of whimsical enemies and encounter environmental dangers.

Power-ups include consumables like food that restore health, weapons with limited ammunition, and treasure chests that provide either additional points or new weapons.

Ports

In 1990, Dynamite Düx was released on the Master System. This version features smaller sprites with fewer animation frames for many characters. Several unique enemy death animations were either removed or modified. The levels contain reduced numbers of weapons, power-ups, and adversaries. The narrative was altered: Bin (with Pin absent) becomes Mickael, Lucy’s boyfriend transformed into Bin the duck by Achacha—an approach similar to that seen in Toki.

The versions for Amiga and Atari ST include an alternative opening cutscene containing intentionally provocative content, which is only accessible through editing the game’s data using a hex editor.

Reception

In February 1989, Game Machine ranked Dynamite Düx as the third most successful table arcade unit in Japan.

The arcade edition was met with positive critical response. Clare Edgeley from Computer and Video Games commended its "delightful" visuals, "fantastic scenario," and diverse range of enemies, noting its refreshing break from more violent arcade titles. She summarized it as "might not be macho, but it's a laugh." Sinclair User awarded it a 9/10 rating, describing it as an entertaining pseudo-3D side-scroller with a "surreal sense of the ridiculous," later naming it Most Original Game of the Year for 1988.

Julian Rignall gave the Master System port a 90% score in Computer and Video Games, praising its faithful replication of arcade-style graphics and addictive gameplay while criticizing the omission of the original arcade’s two-player cooperative mode.

In retrospect, Kurt Kalata from Hardcore Gaming 101 highlighted Dynamite Düx's cheerful tone as a contrast to darker contemporaries like Double Dragon and Final Fight, calling it "an impossibly colorful and silly game" featuring memorable music and a playful atmosphere worth experiencing.

Legacy

Bean the Dynamite, a character introduced in Sonic the Fighters (1996) by Sega AM2, draws inspiration from Bin and Pin of Dynamite Düx. Bean also appears in AM2’s fighting game for the Sega Saturn, Fighters Megamix, as well as making cameo appearances in Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog series.

External links

• MAQUINITAS: Dynamite Dux for Master System