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Emergency Call Ambulance from Sega; secretly a horror game...and other games that sneak themes on you!

VGEsoterica

Member
At first glance if you looked at Emergency Call Ambulance you would think "oh its a bright, colorful and cheery arcade racing game where you drive an ambulance"...and you wouldn't be WRONG

Until people straight up start dying on you. A little kid that keeps saying "but I don't want to die"...and will flat line and pass away all while the colorful scenery blows by the the music makes you think you are having a fun time!

Or how about a pregnant woman? Yeah her and her child will just end up straight up DEAD if you don't play the game well enough. Or how about the the President? yep...same story

I don't know how Sega made such a fun, colorful and action packed arcade game that has a total undercurrent of straight up death and horror. Kids dying in video games is usually considered "no go" territory...but Sega just said "nah we're gonna do it"

But that got me thinking GAF...what other seemingly bright and cheery games just got straight up DARK suddenly. It can't just be this one

 

VGEsoterica

Member
0MUYVbj.jpg


The second in Sega’s “let’s do an emergency kind of job” games
 

anthony2690

Member
I've never ever heard of this, sega has too many arcade games that I'd happily buy digital versions for tbh.

Give me them sega!
 

Evil Calvin

Afraid of Boobs
Reminds me of Crazy Taxi
I like the premise. Just get from point A to point B as quick as possible.
Was this ever ported to any US console?

EDIT: Never ported to anything. Strange that there are only 4 victims (meaning only 4 missions). Seems SUPER short. I could see this being a randomly generated game with 100's of missions, earn money, upgrade workers and vehicles.....could have potential if a sequel would be made.
 
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VGEsoterica

Member
Reminds me of Crazy Taxi
I like the premise. Just get from point A to point B as quick as possible.
Was this ever ported to any US console?

EDIT: Never ported to anything. Strange that there are only 4 victims (meaning only 4 missions). Seems SUPER short. I could see this being a randomly generated game with 100's of missions, earn money, upgrade workers and vehicles.....could have potential if a sequel would be made.
expand the came with multiple cities and missions. Would be awesome
 

Keihart

Member
I love this game but it never got ported.
Wanted to try it again a couple of months ago but i have to emulate a type 2 sega arcade or something? got me discouraged.
 

STARSBarry

Gold Member
Fuga-Melodies-of-Steel_StreamArt-1024x576.png

Fuga-Melodies-of-Steel_20210727_18.jpg


anyone whos played FUGA will know exactly what I mean. If you haven't, please give it a shot and try to go in blind. for those who will never play this highly rated gem spoilers below

The game centres around these kids who essentially pilot an ancient super weapon in turn based battles, they range from 4 years old to 13. The game is Hard, very hard and this mechanic plays into the game, when you lose a fight rather than the game ending you select a child to climb into a special device. it drains their soul and fires a massive cannon that one shots the enemy, obviously the game continues but your team is one child down making the game harder. Naturally it gets bleaker and bleaker the more you sacrifice to continue on, and it alters the story. This game really hits you hard the first time round when you don't know what your doing and watching the remaining kids deal with the loss.

 
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Doom85

Member
kaKRgDk.png

Paperboy: “I’m going to deliver the paper to all the people in the neighborhood on this beautiful day!”
Everything and everyone in the entire universe: “We must murder this child at all costs!”
Paperboy:

YF1HPjS.jpg
 
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VGEsoterica

Member
kaKRgDk.png

Paperboy: “I’m going to deliver the paper to all the people in the neighborhood on this beautiful day!”
Everything and everyone in the entire universe: “We must murder this child at all costs!”
Paperboy:

YF1HPjS.jpg
It’s hard out there for a paperboy
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
0MUYVbj.jpg


The second in Sega’s “let’s do an emergency kind of job” games
I played that game at the Family Fun Center here in town before they got shut down. Where on earth would they have had that game? Our arcade downsized and lost like 80% of its DDR machines and etc. I remember Konami’s Police 911. They had the boxing game too. I just stuck to Lethal Enforcers.

I was able to play Virtua Cop 3 too. I had never seen this machine before. It’s pretty big. Sega had some awesome shooters in the arcade - The Maze of the Kings and Jurassic Park. Do you play mame versions of these games?
28-F76708-2-E56-4216-95-D1-5-C8-E220-E71-ED.jpg
 
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sainraja

Member
I watched the video shared of the game in question, and I don't see how it became a "horror" game. The situation you can get into is terrible, but does that make the game "horror"? Nah.

The game that I think did this was Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. The game drops hints in the beginning of the game, and you even see Nate and Elena discuss it and then dismiss it (they never spell it out), and when you finally encounter them (before the game explains the curse), you are completely taken by surprise. Where it all comes together is "Chapter 19: Unwelcome Guests," which has the overall mood set like that too.

When the game was new and I introduced it to a friend, he was so surprised when he first encountered the "cursed" that he stopped playing. He said he didn't expect the game to turn into a horror one, and I just laughed. I suppose I could have warned him, lol.
 

Dick Jones

Gold Member
Gone Home. I went in blind but I was expecting a haunted house horror. Ended up being a completely different game.
 
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