Dick Tracy
The police detective controlled by the player. He investigates the criminal organization threatening the city.
How it plays
The game uses a side-scrolling perspective. Tracy moves through linear urban stages, avoids hazards, defeats criminals, and advances toward major confrontations.
Play alternates between physical attacks and weapon use. Enemies appear throughout the stages, while platforming and movement are used to navigate the environment. Progression is stage-based, with later sections increasing the difficulty and leading to encounters with important villains.
Plan your run
Learn the timing of Tracy’s attacks before rushing into groups of enemies. Keep moving through open areas, use the environment to control enemy spacing, and conserve firearm ammunition for dangerous encounters.
Approach boss sections cautiously. Observe attack patterns, strike during openings, and avoid standing directly in front of enemies for extended periods.
Meet the cast
The police detective controlled by the player. He investigates the criminal organization threatening the city.
The principal crime boss and the central antagonist associated with the game’s story.
A masked criminal figure from the Dick Tracy setting.
Before you begin
Use short attacks while advancing instead of remaining stationary near groups of enemies.
Save ammunition for tougher enemies and major confrontations.
Explore each stage carefully for a safer route through hazards.
Dick Tracy is a 1990 DOS action game developed by Distinctive Software and published by Walt Disney Computer Software. It is based primarily on the 1990 Dick Tracy film, while drawing on the broader comic-strip setting. Players control police detective Dick Tracy as he investigates criminal activity and confronts members of Big Boy Caprice’s organization. The game combines side-scrolling movement, platforming, close-range fighting, and firearm-based combat. Its stages present urban environments and enemy encounters rather than a large adventure world. Reception was mixed: the license and comic-book presentation were recognizable, but contemporary criticism commonly focused on repetitive action, limited depth, and uneven execution compared with stronger action games of the period.
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