Kid Chameleon

Chameleon KidGenesis, Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP +11992

  1. JP1992
  2. NA1992
  3. EU1992
  4. RU—

Kid Chameleon came out in North America and Europe in 1992 and was renamed Chameleon Kid for its Japanese release on 29 May 1992. It is one of the games on the Nintendo Classics service, and it also appeared on the Wii Virtual Console in 2007 and in Sega's Genesis compilations.

Kid Chameleon is a platformer developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega for the Genesis. It came out in 1992; in Japan it was released on 29 May 1992 under the title Chameleon Kid. Graeme Bayless directed it, Mark Cerny was among its programmers and Mark Miller wrote the music.

The game is built around masks that turn the hero into different characters, each with its own abilities and hit points; collected diamonds power special Diamond Powers. It is also unusually long: over 100 levels with over 1800 individual screens, linked by teleporters that lead to other levels and alternate paths, with no password or save system.

The game returned on the Wii Virtual Console in 2007 (22 May in Japan, 28 May in North America, 1 June in Europe), in compilations such as Sega Genesis Collection and Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, and on the Nintendo Classics service. Fleetway's Sonic the Comic also ran Kid Chameleon stories in 1993 and 1995.12

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Kid ChameleonWikipedia gives March 1992, TCRF gives 28 May 1992 Genesis 1992 Sega 2
NA Kid ChameleonVirtual Console Wii May 28, 2007 Sega 2
JP Chameleon Kid Genesis May 29, 1992 Sega 1
EU Kid ChameleonWikipedia gives May 1992, TCRF gives 28 June 1992 Genesis 1992 Sega 2
AU Kid Chameleon Genesis 1992 Sega 1
KR — Genesis 1992 Samsung 1
BR Kid Chameleon Genesis 1992 Tec Toy 1
JP —Virtual Console Wii May 22, 2007 Sega 2
EU Kid ChameleonVirtual Console Wii Jun 1, 2007 Sega 2

Also known as: Chameleon Kid JP1

Box art by region

  • Kid Chameleon box art, North America release
    NA Kid Chameleon
  • Kid Chameleon box art, Europe release
    EU Kid Chameleon
  • Chameleon Kid box art, Japan release
    JP Chameleon Kid

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • TitleMega Drive (JP)

    The Japanese release is called Chameleon Kid rather than Kid Chameleon.1

  • GraphicsMega Drive (JP)

    The Japanese title screen places its graphics differently and uses a lighter background gradient, possibly to make the logo stand out.1

Reception

Reviews were mixed to positive: GameRankings averages 68%, MegaTech gave 64% for the lack of challenge, and Console XS gave 89/100 for the variety of forms. Mega ranked it #35 in its Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.2

In lists

Sources

  1. 1tcrf.net
  2. 2en.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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