McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure is a 1993 licensed Platform Game by Treasure (excuse the pun) for the Sega Genesis.
The story is as follows: Ronald McDonald is walking in the magical forest one day when he spots a piece of paper underneath a large tree. To Ronald's surprise, its the piece of a treasure map. Ronald wonders where the rest of the pieces are, but unbeknownst to him, the other pieces of the map are in the hands of some dangerous bad guys. Ronald decides to go on a treasure hunt in search of the rest of the pieces.
Treasure Land Adventure has a simple structure. You play as Ronald McDonald on a linear platforming adventure through different worlds on his treasure hunt, fending off enemies and other obstacles. Ronald's main weapon is his magical blast, which gets stronger with upgrades. He can also use his wrist scarf to grab handles overhead to reach higher platforms. Along the way he will run into other McDonald's characters, like Birdie, Grimace, and the Hamburglar who will help him on his quest.
The game has three different difficulty settings, that affect enemy strength and how items work.
A handheld spin-off, Ronald In The Magical World, was released for the Game Gear exclusively in Japan one year later (under its Japanese title Donald No Magical World).
This treasure hunt contains examples of:
- Anthropomorphic Food: The first boss is a giant, sentient tomato with Floating Limbs and an appetite for Ronald's Magic Gems (perhaps as revenge for all of the ketchup needed for burgers and fries?).
- Balloonacy: If Ronald has balloons in his inventory, they can prevent him from losing a life if he falls into a pit. He has temporary control over the balloons, and can use them to reach higher places and/or items.
- Big Bad: The Alien King holds the treasure that Ronald is looking for. Though he ultimately turns out to not be a bad guy and helps Ronald out.
- Blackout Basement: In the second world, the circus train reaches a tunnel that gets darker as Ronald travels through it, with spotlights attempting to light the way. Eventually, the tunnel gets so dark, that Ronald is the only thing that can be seen. Then the tunnel lights up, revealing ballerina rabbits dancing on the rails that Ronald has to hop across.
- Bottomless Pit Rescue Service: If Ronald has a balloon in his inventory, he can avoid falling into bottomless pits. Falling into a pit causes Ronald to use the balloon to float back up to safety.
- Bowdlerise: The Japanese and European versions feature a Blackface-style tribesman enemy
that was changed to a robot for the American version. - Breakable Power-Up: There are power-ups that boost Ronald's magic power by up to two levels. If he gets hit by an enemy attack, he loses one level, except in Beginner mode.
- Cast from Hit Points: Bosses overall are immune to Ronald's Magic. In order to damage the bosses in this game, Ronald has to feed them one of his magic jewels. How do you do that? The bosses have a special Life Drain beam that you deliberately have to get hit by, feeding the boss one of your jewels. Once the boss is eating a jewel, they're vulnerable to attack.
- Chest Monster: In the pirate ship, these are present alongside real treasure chests filled with gold.
- Collision Damage: Running into enemies results in Ronald dropping some of his magic jewels, the amount depending on the difficulty level and the enemy.
- Construction Zone Calamity: In the second half of the second world, Ronald comes across a skyscraper, which is half-finished. As he tries to climb to the top, sumo wrestlers bend the skyscraper at horizontal slants.
- Continue Countdown: The continue screen depicts Ronald standing between two doors; one on the left side that says "Password", and one on the right side that says "Continue". The player has twenty seconds to decide which door Ronald should go through. If the player has at least one continue left in their inventory, they can use the Continue door, but if they go through the Password door, then they are given a password they can use to return to the game at a later time. If time runs out before the player chooses which door to go through, then they are sent back to the title screen.
- Corridor Cubbyhole Run: In the cave level, there are flows of water that cause Ronald to lose health if he stands under them, complete with countdown timers to warn him when they're going to go off. Thankfully, there are safety zones he can stand under to protect himself when the water flows.
- Defeat Means Friendship: When Ronald defeats the first three end-of-world bosses, they will give him their piece of the treasure map. At the end of the game, after Ronald defeats the Alien King, he explains that he and his friends are trying to find their way back home, and the Alien King reveals his treasure; a rainbow that sends them back home. After he uses it to send his new friends home, he tells them to take care and come visit him again soon.
- Difficulty Levels: Beginner, Normal, and Expert.
- Disney Villain Death: After the battle against the Ringmaster Wolf, the engine crashes into a set of buffers and he and Ronald both fall. Birdie catches Ronald to return the favor for saving her, but the Ringmaster Wolf keeps falling until he lands in a pile of boxes.
- Eternal Engine: The second half of the fourth and final world takes place in the Alien King's spaceship.
- Falling Chandelier of Doom: In the pirate ship, certain chandeliers fall if Ronald gets too close to them.
- Floating Limbs: The boss of the first world has arms and legs made of many balls, and the boss of the second world has these same kind of arms and tail.
- Flunky Boss: All of the bosses summon minions during their battles, which Ronald can defeat for more jewels if he needs them to feed to the bosses.
- Gag Lips: Captain Lips' entire head is his massive pink lips.
- Gangplank Galleon: The second half of Magical Sea takes place in Captain Lips' sunken pirate ship.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: Ronald can use his scarf to grab hooks and ride across ziplines.
- Green Hill Zone: The Magical Forest is more this than an actual forest. It is the first world.
- Heart Container: The Red Jewel Icons add an extra jewel to Ronald's Life Meter and up to a maximum of seven. Flowers also function as this, as they add an extra jewel if Ronald has the right number of them (Two for yellow, three for white). If Ronald has full health and the max amount of the respective flowers, the flowers will hang around until Ronald gets hit and loses a jewel. At which point the flowers Ronald collected will expend themselves to re-form the missing jewel, effectively giving him nine hit points.
- Hit Points: Ronald's health is measured by the red Magical jewels he carries, the amount he starts with and whether or not he loses one of more depending on the enemy attack and the difficulty level. Lose all of your jewels and you lose a life.
- I Owe You My Life: In the Circus Train level, after Ronald rescues Birdie, she tells him she owes him one. She returns the favor at the end of the level by catching Ronald when he and the Ringmaster Wolf fall after the train crashes into a set of buffers.
- It's the Journey That Counts: A variation played with in the ending. The Alien King holds the treasure Ronald has been seeking, and all the "treasure" really is is a mere rainbow portal that sends Ronald and the others back home.
- Life Drain: All of the bosses can do this. As illogical as it sounds, you actually have to get hit by this beam in order to damage the boss.
- Locomotive Level: The first half of the second world takes place on a circus train.
- Magical Clown: Ronald McDonald. He uses magic dust to make his enemies disappear.
- The Man Behind the Curtain: The boss of the second world is a scary bat-like robot, which, when destroyed, is revealed to be piloted by a tiny and cute green bat in yellow overalls, who bursts into tears. Ronald is able to cheer him up in the following cutscene by giving him some of his magic jewels, and in return, the boss gives him the third piece of the treasure map.
- Metropolis Level: The second half of the second world, Magical Town, takes place in a city. Sumo wrestlers stand atop stoplights and can cause the ground to rumble when they stomp. Cars with feet also serve as enemies. Ronald soon comes to a half-finished skyscraper where humans toss boxes out the window, and sumo wrestlers bend the skyscraper at horizontal slants. When Ronald gets to the top, he fights the bat-like robot.
- Mini-Game: When Ronald comes across a door that leads to it, he can play the block mini-game, which is similar to Columns to win items.
- Mole Miner: In the Circus Train level, these are present as enemies in the coal cars.
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Nintendo Hard: Expert difficulty is as you may expect, very hard. Enemies take a ton of punishment, and Ronald takes double damage. - NPC Roadblock: There are three examples, each one requiring Ronald to give up several of his magic jewels in order to advance. In the Circus Train level, Ronald has to give the jewels to a captured Birdie so that she can break free from her cage and fly away, opening the hatch leading to the top of the carriage. In the Pirate Ship level, Ronald has to give the jewels to Grimace, who is blocking the doorway and is so tired, he can hardly move. In the Alien King's spaceship, just before the final battle with the Alien King himself, Ronald has to give several jewels to the Guard so he will fall asleep and he can set the Fry Kids free so they can form a bridge for him to walk across.
- Obstructive Foreground: Used in the giant tree in the first world.
- Our Gnomes Are Weirder: Gnomes appear as enemies in the first level. They can magically summon dangerous storm clouds that drop lightning on top of Ronald.
- Palmtree Panic: The first half of the Magical Sea, which is the third world.
- Product Placement: For McDonald's. In the beta version, the gems and flowers are burgers, fries and shakes. Makes a lot more sense when the bosses suck one of your gems and munch on it.
- Repulsive Ringmaster: The Ringmaster Wolf, who captured Birdie, presumably so he could force her to perform in his circus. Ronald gets to battle him when he reaches the engine.
- Space Zone: The first half of the fourth and final world takes place on the moon. With the lack of gravity, Ronald is able to jump twice as high.
- Tactical Suicide Boss: A deliberate example. If the bosses didn't have so much of an appetite for magic jewels, they would be totally invincible.
- That's All, Folks!: After the credits, the game has a group picture of Ronald and his friends bidding the player goodbye.
- Took a Level in Badass: Ronald McDonald, of all people, gets to do this. He proves surprisingly nimble and acrobatic, and has a few magic tricks up his sleeve (literally, in the case of his scarf) to take on foes three times his size.
- Traintop Battle: The battle against the Ringmaster Wolf takes place on the engine of his train.
- Treasure Hunt Episode: Ronald finds a piece of a treasure map, setting the game's plot in motion.
- Tree Trunk Tour: In the first world, Ronald comes across a giant tree, which he must climb to the top of.
- Underground Level: The second half of the Magical Forest takes place in a strange underground cave that may or may not be a Womb Level.
- Vacuum Mouth: Each of the four end-of-world bosses have the ability to suck one of the magic gems from Ronald's life bar. However, Ronald can use their attack to his advantage, as the magic of the gems temporarily makes the boss vulnerable to his attacks. Ronald does have to mind his life bar, but he can collect health power-ups by defeating the boss' minions.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: In the second area of the third world, Ronald finds himself aboard a ship full of friendly penguins. There's absolutely nothing stopping Ronald from attacking them, though they'll headbutt him in retaliation if he does.
- Wacky Land: In true Treasure fashion, the world design of this game is absolutely bizarre.
- Water-Geyser Volley: At the end of the first half of the first world, Ronald comes across a giant geyser, which propels him to the cave in the second half.
- White-and-Grey Morality: As might be expected, the game's bad guys are largely villainy-free. The worst of the lot is the probably the Ringmaster Wolf who kidnaps Birdie, and he's not even a main boss!
