The Flash (Europe) is a side-scrolling action game for the Sega Master System, developed by Probe Software and published by Sega in August 1993. It’s based on the 1990 CBS television series starring the DC Comics superhero, and by the time it reached Europe the Master System had already fallen out of favor in major markets — making this an obscure release that’s now sought after by collectors.
How to play
Each level is an “Episode” split into two zones, with Tina McGee briefing your mission at the start. The goal is to find the switch that unlocks the exit and reach it before the timer runs out — fail to escape in time and the FED will track you down and take you out. Along the way you can grab stolen gems for bonus points, and every episode ends with a boss fight against the Trickster in his vehicle, which gets tougher as you progress. The soundtrack was composed by Jeroen Tel.
Controls: arrow keys to move, Z and X for the action buttons, Enter to pause.
Tips
- Find the switch before chasing every gem — the level ends in failure if the timer runs out, no matter how many points you’ve collected.
- Keep moving. Reviewers at the time singled out the fast, unforgiving pace as the game’s biggest hurdle.
- Learn each zone’s layout rather than reacting on the fly; the two-zone episode structure repeats throughout the game.
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