Bouncers

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Overview

Bouncers is an arcade basketball game developed by Dynamix and published by Sega of America for the Sega CD in December 1994.¹² The game features a unique twist on basketball where players control the ball itself rather than a human athlete, bouncing off opponents to score goals.¹³

Released exclusively in North America, Bouncers combines sports gameplay with fighting game mechanics in a slapstick atmosphere similar to games like Earthworm Jim or ClayFighter.³⁴ The game features voice acting by Mark Hamill, Michael Bell, and John Kassir.¹²

Game Info

Developer: Dynamix¹ Publisher: Sega of America¹ Engine: Custom Platforms: Sega CD¹ Release Year: December 1994² Series: Standalone Protagonist: Basketball Characters Sierra Lineage: Sierra Label (Dynamix)

Story Summary

Bouncers features eight playable basketball characters, each with their own personality and intro cartoon sequence.³ The game takes place across eight fantasy courts ranging from standard city basketball courts to exotic locations including tropical settings with monkey hoops, haunted houses with skeleton rib cages forming goals, underwater arenas, and low-gravity moon courts.¹³

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Bouncers employs a side-view perspective with 2D scrolling gameplay.¹ Controls are simplified to jumping and attacking, allowing players to bounce off opponents and launch themselves toward hoops.³

The game uses a straightforward two-button control scheme: A for jump and B for attack.³ Players attempt to bounce off opponents to score or attack them to prevent scoring.³

Structure and Progression

Players select one of eight basketball characters and compete across eight fantasy courts.¹³ Games are played over four two-minute quarters, with players advancing to face new opponents upon victory.³

Gameplay Mechanics:

• Score by bouncing off opponents and launching into hoops¹
• Multiple hoops per court (two to three depending on arena)³
• Power-ups including spring shoes for higher jumps and winged boots for floating³
• Power-downs like lead boots that limit jump height³
• Bonus basketball icons with varying point values³
• Fighting mechanics allow kicking opponents into the air¹

Courts and Environments

The eight courts each feature unique visual themes and gameplay strategies:³

• City Court: Standard basketball arena with rims
• Tropical Court: Monkeys hold hands to form hoops
• Haunted House: Skeleton rib cages serve as goals
• Snow Court: Holes in cliff edges act as hoops
• Moon Court: Low-gravity environment
• Underwater Court: Aquatic setting

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Bouncers received mixed reviews upon release, with critics divided on its unconventional concept.²³

Magazine Scores:²

• Electronic Gaming Monthly: 6/10
• Game Players: 81%
• GamePro: 4.25/5
• Next Generation: 3/5 stars
• VideoGames: 6/10

Next Generation stated that “It’s goofy as hell, and a complete blast. However, it’s such an odd concept for a game that it seems you either love it or hate it. Fortunately, we liked it.”²

Modern Assessment

Aggregate Scores:

• MobyGames Critics: 54% (6 ratings)¹
• MobyGames Players: 3.1/5 (2 ratings)¹
• MobyGames Moby Score: 6.1¹
• Sega-16: 3/10³

Sega-16’s retrospective review described the game as “shallow and rushed,” criticizing its limited content while acknowledging the amusing intro cartoons for each character.³ Modern collectors note that multiplayer significantly improves the gameplay experience.³

Hardcore Gaming 101’s retrospective was more critical, calling the game “practically unplayable” due to realistic physics applied to the basketball characters, noting that “even for the Sega CD, a system with no shortage of strange, inscrutable games, the existence of Bouncers is nothing short of perplexing.”⁵ The review also praised the hand-drawn backgrounds similar to other Dynamix adventure games.⁵

IMDB users rate the game 5.8/10 based on 18 ratings.⁶

Development

Origins

Bouncers was developed by Dynamix, a Sierra subsidiary known for titles like The Incredible Machine and Betrayal at Krondor.¹² Designers Rhett Anderson and Dave Hensley had previously created Basketball Sam & Ed as a type-in program for Compute!‘s Gazette magazine in July 1987.²

In 1988, Anderson and Hensley wrote Arcade Volleyball for the Commodore 64, which Randy Thompson and Tim Midkiff subsequently ported to the Amiga.² This experience informed the development of Bouncers.²

Production

The development team was led by executive producer Jeffrey Tunnell, Dynamix’s founder, with Randy Thompson serving as producer.¹ The design team included Rhett Anderson, Dave Hensley, Tim Midkiff, and John Garvin.¹

John Garvin created the game’s art and cartoon cutscenes.¹ Garvin later became lead designer and creative director on the Syphon Filter series at Bend Studio.²⁷

Music and sound effects were composed by Christopher Stevens, Timothy Steven Clarke, Jan Paul Moorhead, and Ken Rogers.¹ Stevens and Clarke left Dynamix shortly before the game’s release to establish LoudMouth, Inc., a game music production company.² Tracks from Bouncers were included on the group’s 1995 album Get Loud! vol. 1.²

Voice direction was handled by Ginny McSwain, with Sher Alltucker coordinating talent.¹

Technical Specifications

Sega CD Version:¹

• ESRB Rating: Kids to Adults
• Players: 1-2 Players
• Multiplayer Modes: Free-for-all / One-on-one (VS)

Version History

Version	Date	Region	Notes
1.0	December 1994	North America	Only release2

Easter Eggs and Trivia

• Bouncers features voice acting by Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Michael Bell, and John Kassir¹²
• The game’s art style resembles 1960s space age cartoons³
• Music can be played in a standard CD player by inserting the game disc³
• John Garvin went on to create the Syphon Filter series²⁷
• The game was added to MobyGames by producer Randy Thompson himself¹
• Dynamix was a Sierra subsidiary at the time of development⁸

Legacy

Critical Perspective

Bouncers represents Dynamix’s experimental approach during the Sega CD era, combining sports and fighting game mechanics in an unconventional package. While commercially unsuccessful, the game showcased the studio’s willingness to pursue unique concepts.³

The game has become a collector’s curiosity, with modern assessments noting that while the single-player experience is limited, multiplayer battles provide entertaining gameplay.³

Connection to Sierra

As a Dynamix production, Bouncers is part of Sierra’s extended family of games. Dynamix was acquired by Sierra On-Line in 1990 and continued operating as a subsidiary until 2001.⁸ The Sega-16 review notably credits Sierra as the developer.³

Downloads

Digital Availability

• Not available on modern storefronts

Preservation / Emulation

• MobyGames Entry¹
• Wikipedia - Bouncers²
• VGMdb - Bouncers Soundtrack⁹
• Sega-16 Review³
• IMDB Entry⁴

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames - Bouncers - release dates, platforms, critics score, technical specifications, full credits, ESRB rating ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴

2. Wikipedia - Bouncers - development history, contemporary reviews, voice actors, LoudMouth Inc. founding, John Garvin career ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷

3. Sega-16 - Bouncers Review - gameplay description, court types, controls, retrospective analysis ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴

4. IMDB - Bouncers - game classification, voice actor credits ↩ ↩²

5. Hardcore Gaming 101 - Bouncers - retrospective analysis, physics critique, comparison to other Dynamix adventure games ↩ ↩²

6. IMDB - Bouncers - user rating 5.8/10, writer credits, Angry Video Game Nerd reference ↩

7. Wikipedia - Bouncers Development - John Garvin career path to Syphon Filter ↩ ↩²

8. Wikipedia - Dynamix - Sierra acquisition, subsidiary history ↩ ↩²

9. VGMdb - Bouncers - soundtrack information, Get Loud! vol. 1 album, character-specific music credits ↩