Play Dick Tracy Online

I remember picking up Dick Tracy for the NES back in 1990. It was published by Bandai, and it felt like a lot of other licensed games from that era; you knew it was trying to capture the feel of the movie, but it had to work within the limits of the console. The side scrolling action and detective theme were common enough, but it had its own specific rhythm.

You control Tracy himself, moving through the city to take down gangsters. Your main goal is to gather evidence and defeat the crime boss Big Boy Caprice. The game is structured screen by screen, and you spend a lot of time punching thugs and using your two way radio to get new orders. You also drive a car in some sections, which breaks up the on foot action. The pacing is deliberate, and the difficulty can be unforgiving if you miss a jump or take too many hits. Playing it feels like a methodical hunt through a cartoon version of the city's underworld.