Background/origins[]
The 25 in 1 unit was released by DreamGEAR. As the name implied, the unit came with 25 games that fell under the sports, shooter, puzzle, and various other action genres.
The 25 Games console is a pirated version of the 25 in 1 unit, having many of the same games, some of which were renamed. The year of release and manufacturer is currently unknown.
The unit[]
The 25 Games unit comes with a power switch, reset and start buttons (the latter of which doubles as a pause feature for most of the games). Controls for in-game action include an eight directional D-pad, two buttons marked with double up arrows each, which the buttons to the right of those are marked with a square (at bottom right) and the other with a circle (at top right), plus one left and right shoulder pad button.
The audio/video cord is over seven feet long and the unit takes three AA batteries to run.
Included games[]
Once the unit is turned on, pressing Start will lead the player to the game selection menu. Games can be scrolled by moving the D-pad left or right and a game can be picked by pressing the Start button.
Aero Engine[]
The player controls a ship traveling through space in this horizontally-scrolling shooter, shooting at a variety of ships, along with mini-bosses. Occasionally a capsule will be released after defeating a series of ships, which will increase the player's firepower to two when caught, then three shots at once if caught again. Colliding with a ship or its firepower will cost the player a reserve ship and the game will end when there are no more ships in reserve.
Bingo Zap[]
The game begins with 1:04 on the clock. There are several holes on the playfield, one of which will blink, indicating which hole the player has to guide their marble into. A small amount of time will start being added to the clock after the player has successfully guided their marble into the correct hole several times; if the player puts their marble into the incorrect hole they will lose a reserve marble and the game will end if there are no remaining marbles. The player will also lose a marble if they run out of time during a round.
Birdie Nest[]
The player controls a hand that is connected to a bird in the air via dotted line. The player must keep the hand fairly perpendicular to the bird as it starts moving, or else if the bird gets too much of a lead either forward or backward from the hand it will dive to the ground; if the bird hits the ground then the game will end.
The bird will emit droppings in the meantime, which the player must dodge; if the hand is hit 10 times by a dropping the game will end. The player must collect 10 golden eggs that the bird also ejects in order to win the round and move onto the next one.
Bolt Fighter[]
Players controls a ship in this vertically-scrolling shooter, shooting at a variety of ships in the air and on land, along with bosses. Power-ups will increase players' firepower, although colliding with a ship or its firepower will cost the player a reserve ship and the game will end when there are no more ships in reserve.
The square, left double, or left shoulder buttons fires regular shots, whereas the circle, right double arrow, or right shoulder buttons fires bombs. Detonating a bomb (which players start each game with three) will destroy everything onscreen.
Power-ups[]
- C or L power-up--increases firepower
- S--destroys everything onscreen
The game also has a two player option, which the first player must play through an entire game before the second player's turn starts.
Catch the Egg[]
The player has 60 seconds during a round to catch as many eggs as possible that overhead birds drop as they fly from one side of the screen to the next. Catching a bomb by mistake will cost the player a life and the game will end when they have no more lives in reserve.
Dart Champion[]
Targets quickly fly across the screen and the player must fire at the appropriate time in order to destroy them (as cursors slowly rise from the bottom of the screen and turn black when a target is in range). The square, left double arrow, or left shoulder button aims left, whereas the circle, right double arrow, or right shoulder button will fire right. The player has a certain score that they must reach in order to qualify and continue playing to the next round; if the player does not meet the minimum qualifying score then the game will end.
Dragon Fire[]
The player controls a dragon that must eat 20 fireballs in order to advance to the next stage; with each fireball it eats, the dragon grows. If the player runs into itself, a wall or an onscreen obstacle then the game ends.
Elfland[]
In this platformer, the player controls a figure that must clear levels of creatures of varying colors. The player can only do this by jumping down on one of the three onscreen houses in order to match a creature's color before running into it, i. e. they can only destroy a blue creature by first jumping down on a blue house, then run into the blue creature. The player can only run into three creatures before their current attack color wears off. Creatures will then turn into angels, which can also be collided with to release a prize for extra points if they player is able to collect them as well before they fall off the screen.
If the player collides with a creature whose color does not match, the player will lose a life and the game will end when all lives are lost.
Excel Racing[]
In this game, the player controls a car that must clear out all flags (starting with three during the first stage) in a playfield by running into them, then returning to their starting point in order to advance to the next level. The playfield is several screens wide and deep, which will scroll as the player's car moves along several roads. The player has a fixed amount of time in order to gather all the flags (one minute beginning with the first stage, which also increases with every stage cleared), which they will lose a car if they run out of time and the game will end when the player runs out of reserve cars.
The player is pursued by two enemy cars (which their number will increase after several completed stages) and they will lose a reserve car if they collide with one. However, a rock can be dropped by the player by pressing the circle, right double arrow, or right shoulder button, which will temporarily stun a car. The player has three bombs per stage per reserve car.
Fire Fighter[]
The player controls two people (moving them right and left) that have a trampoline in between them. Pressing either the square, left shoulder, or left double arrow button after starting a game will launch a third person into the air towards a burning building. Once the person makes first time contact with a flame in a window, the flames will lower and eventually go out if the person makes contact with the window several times.
There are also "guests" to rescue, as once the airborne person passes over a window for the first time, a guest will float down with the rescue person. The player will lose a life if a rescue person hits the ground and the game will end if all five rescue people are lost, although a guest does not need to bounce on the trampoline to be saved. The player is awarded bonus points for each guest rescued at the end of a stage.
A bird is also present during each stage, which will cause the rescue person to bounce off of it if they make contact with the bird. Bonus money bags also appear from windows, which will add to the player's score if caught, along with the power-ups of a trumpet, which summons an off-screen plane to douse the building with water if caught, along with another power-up that lengthens the trampoline.
If the player makes it through all 10 stages then the game will start over again at Stage 1.
Fish Catcher[]
The player controls a hand at the bottom of the screen while fish jump out of the water above. They must catch as many fish as possible within a minute by moving the hand with the D-pad and pressing either the left double arrow, square, or left shoulder button to extend the hand to catch a fish.
Not catching a required number of fish during a level or catching a black fish that occasionally appears will cause the player to lose a life and the game will end when there are no more remaining lives.
Golden Arrow[]
The player must shoot arrows at a moving target, getting as high a score as possible in order to qualify for the next round and continue playing. If the player does not make enough points to qualify then the game ends.
There is a wind meter that determines wind strength; at the beginning of a round, the player must press the circle, right double arrow, or right shoulder button in order to choose wind strength from an onscreen meter. If the resulting number is a high positive number, the wind will blow the arrows upwards when thrown; if it is a high negative number, the wind will blow the darts downwards. Pressing the square, left double arrow, or left shoulder button will fire the arrows during rounds.
GP Race[]
The player starts off each race with 99 units of fuel in order to qualify for the next race. They must avoid other vehicles and rocks that litter the roadways; hitting either of these will cause their motorcycle to crash and use up a bit of fuel before a replacement cycle can take its place. If the player runs out of fuel before completing a race the game will end.
The square button or left shoulder button is used for gas, whereas the circle, right double arrow, or right shoulder button is used for brakes.
Grass Cutter[]
With the start of each game, the player has 99 time units in order to cut all the onscreen grass via moving a person with their lawn mower. A fast-moving cloud appears several times during a stage, which will cause an area the player has already mowed to regrow. If the player runs out of time before all of the grass is mowed then they will lose a life and the game will end when all lives are lost.
Jewel Master[]
This is a clone of Sega's Columns, where the player must match game pieces that contain three jewels each that drop from the top of the screen to the bottom; i. e. if three blue-colored circle jewels are all lined up together either vertically, horizontally or diagonally, the blue jewels will be removed and the remaining jewels in the vicinity will stay onscreen if there are not at least three of the same jewels that match.
With every jewel that makes contact with the playfield that does not match with any others, the stack of jewels will rise higher and higher and the game will end if the jewel stacks reaches the very top of the screen. The jewels, while in play, can be rotated by pressing any button on the controller, and pulling down on the D-pad will cause the piece in play to drop down to the bottom.
With every 80 jewel pieces matched, the player will advance to the next level, along with earning a bomb piece that will remove all jewels of the same shape that the bomb lands on (i. e. if the bomb lands on an orange triangle jewel, then all the orange jewels on the screen will be removed).
Last Cabra[]
The player controls a fighter jet that flies over a continuously scrolling landscape, shooting down a variety of enemy aircraft and a boss. An 'S' powerup is released fairly often after gunning down various squadrons, which will increase the player's score and number of onscreen shots at once (firing in up to three directions maximum).
Colliding with any aircraft or their fire will destroy a jet and the game will end when there are no more jets left in reserve.
Motor Rally[]
The player begins a race with 2:08 on the clock. They must avoid other cycles and road blocks that appear on the track; colliding with either will stop the race and the player will lose time until they can continue the race and build their speed back up (as gas is controlled by the square or left shoulder button). Running out of time before completing a race ends the game.
Move Fun[]
The player can choose from either the Play or viewing the High score screen options at the beginning of each game, then they must choose from if they want the game to have figures, fruits or flowers to match during a game.
Once an option is chosen, the player must match at least three items in a row (either horizontally or vertically) via moving their cursor with the D-pad and then using the left double arrow, square, or left shoulder button to move a piece into place. Once three of the same items in a row are matched, they are then removed from the screen and the player is awarded points and some extra time to their turn. The player's remaining time is represented by a bar at the top of the screen, which is rapidly moving towards the right side; if the bar reaches the right end of the screen, the player loses a chance to complete the current level that they are on and the game will end if three chances are lost.
The player starts off with 30 pieces to match up to get to the next level, then that number increases by 10 with every level they beat.
Pinball Track[]
The player has three minutes per life per maze to maneuver their ball through a maze to locate a key and exit the maze so they can move onto the next one. Each maze is littered with holes, which it is not always apparent if the ball will make it through a lane without making contact with a hole. If the player runs out of time or if their ball does connect with a hole, the player will lose a life and the game will end when all three lives have been exhausted.
Push the Ball[]
The player controls a paddle that is used to push a ball across an air hockey-type table, trying to get the ball past their computer opponent and score a goal. The paddle can move in all directions in the player's area, and pushing the ball forward will increase the speed the ball moves. Scoring 20 goals against the computer will cause the player to move up to a different computer-generated opponent, whereas losing a match will end the game.
Sea War[]
The player controls a battleship at the top of the screen. Enemy ships at various depths below will move from one side of the screen to the other while firing up depth charges. Pressing either the left double arrow, square, or left shoulder button will fire down at the enemy ships.
Being hit by an enemy's depth charge will cause the player to lose a life and the game will end when all lives are lost.
Star Ally[]
In this vertically-scrolling shooter, players face a variety of enemy ships before encountering a boss ship that must be destroyed. Destroying the boss ship will advance the player to the next Stage; if they are able to complete all four Stages the game will end. Colliding with any enemy ship or their firepower, however, destroys players' ships and the game will also end when there are no more ships remaining.
Destroying an entire formation of one kind of ship usually results in a power-up being released. Catching the same power-up repeatedly will increase players' firepower several times over, although if the player loses a ship or completes a Stage their ship will revert back to its regular state.
Power-ups[]
- S--adds to player's score
- 1UP--extra ship
- B--homing bombs that automatically target enemies
- F--shoots several shots straight forward
- V--shoots powerful shots straight forward
- H--shoots several shots in several directions forward, along with behind the player's ship
- L--shoots several shots in several forward angles
The game also has a two player option, which the first player must go through an entire game before the second player is allowed their turn.
Ultra Doggy[]
The player controls a doggy that must make it across several lanes of a busy roadway, starting from the bottom of the screen to the top. Collecting money bags adds to the player's score, whereas a boot will increase the doggy's speed and a key will unlock the top area so another key will appear on the playfield. Once that key is collected and taken to the top right of the screen, the level will be completed and the player will receive a bonus for time remaining. Making contact with any vehicle will cause the player to lose a life and the game will end when there are no remaining lives.
VR Racing[]
This is almost the exact same game as Motor Rally except for a few differences.
Again, the player must avoid other cycles and puddles (rather than road blocks) that appear on the track; making contact with another racer will instantly stop the race and the player will lose time until they can continue and build their speed back up (as gas is controlled by the square, left double arrow, or left shoulder button). Running into a puddle or a side of the road will decrease the player's speed and running out of time before completing a race ends the game.
The player has four different tracks this time around, along with curves in the road, which the player is warned with an onscreen prompt which way to turn beforehand, along with the addition of having brakes (which are controlled by the circle, right double arrow, or right shoulder buttons).
Completing all four tracks before running out of time will end the game.
Wison[]
There are 54 puzzles to choose from; moving the cursor over any of the numbers and pressing Start will begin a game.
The player has 200 units of time in order to figure out a puzzle; at right are several puzzle pieces that the player must choose and fit into a puzzle in order to win the game. The player can only choose a highlighted (orange) piece via pressing either the right double arrow, circle, or right shoulder button, pressing one of those buttons again places the piece into the puzzle area, and pressing the left double arrow, square or left shoulder will rotate the puzzle pieces.
If the player is able to solve the puzzle or they run out of time the game will end.
Additional notes/trivia[]
- Holding down the square and circle buttons during power-up leads to a test screen, showing the version number of the unit, along with two virtual keypads. It also has a controller test, as pressing on the D-pad or either of the buttons will light up accordingly on the screen (although the square and circle buttons are marked as buttons A and B on the screen). Pressing the reset or start buttons returns to the main title screen.
- Due to being a pirated version of the 25 in 1 unit, no copyright date, nor name of the manufacturing company can be found anywhere on any of the games, the menu or startup screens. The main startup screen reads "SuperGames" at the top and "25 different games" at the bottom left. There is no onscreen character shown when the player scrolls through games like on the original 25 in 1 unit, although the title screen is only slightly changed from the original, still showing a jet fighter and Formula 1 racer car. Some game names were changed (Last Cobra is now Last Cabra), a lot of the English is incorrect (like the "guests" for Fire Fighter should be "victims" or perhaps "people rescued", and many of the games will just read "win" once the player beats a level), and some games are not on the unit that were on the original 25 in 1 (such as Space Castle). Fire Fighter is also reportedly a hack/clone of the Famicom game Flying Hero.
- The square, left shoulder and left double arrow buttons all have the same function, whereas the round, right double arrow, and right shoulder buttons also share the same function (if they are even used for a game). It is assumed that this redundancy is just in case any of the buttons were to wear out, then the player will have several still-functioning spares that they can still use to play.
- Several of the games have unique features, such as Dragon Fire is the only game that will start off at the same level where the player left off when their game ends. Move Fun is the only game where the pause function is disabled. Star Ally has a bug where the highest score will get erased if the player picks another game to play after playing Star Ally, along with the scores for it (and all other games with a high score feature) also being erased whenever the 25 Games unit is turned off. Fish Catcher is the only game to have parallax scrolling.