🎮 Cheats & Hidden Options
Boogerman hides a couple of useful cheats that can make exploring the game a lot more convenient. These codes let you jump straight to any stage or refill your mucus and belch abilities, which is especially handy if you want to revisit specific levels or experiment with the game's more unusual mechanics without starting over.
Level Select
On the title screen, press the following button sequence:
LSpaceK
If entered correctly, you can then press and to scroll through the available levels and start the game from any stage.
Refill Mucus and Belch
To refill your mucus and belch abilities, first collect a spicy pepper and a milk bottle during gameplay. After that, press the following button sequence while in-game:
Space
If entered correctly, your mucus and belch meters will be refilled.
🕹 Gameplay, Levels & Controls
Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure is a traditional 2D side-scrolling platformer for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive that follows classic platforming rules while introducing a few unusual combat mechanics. At its core, the game plays much like other action platformers of its era, but with a mix of exploration and resource-limited attacks that make it stand out.
Boogerman's basic movement includes running, jumping, and crouching. The game is divided into more than 20 levels spread across multiple themed areas, and many of these stages are larger than they first appear, with paths that lead both horizontally and vertically. Players will find hidden passages and optional sections that reward exploration and familiarity with the controls.
Combat relies on Boogerman's signature gross-out abilities rather than traditional weapons. He can throw boogers, burp, and use gas-based attacks to defeat enemies, but all of these moves use up limited resources. Refills for the snot and gas meters are scattered through levels, encouraging players to manage these resources carefully rather than spamming attacks.
These attacks can be modified with power-ups found in stages. For example, collecting a spicy pepper lets Boogerman boost gas attacks and even perform limited flight using a flaming fart rocket, while milk enhances mucus attacks. These temporary power-ups add variety to combat and movement, though they do not fundamentally change the platforming basics.
Boogerman's health is represented by the color of his cape rather than a traditional health bar. The cape starts red, indicating full health, and turns yellow after taking damage. If Boogerman is hit while his cape is yellow, he loses a life. Extra capes can be collected throughout levels to restore health.
Many stages include checkpoints - often disguised as huts - which activate when touched, allowing players to restart from that point after losing a life. This helps balance the game's difficulty, as enemies and hazards can be surprisingly punishing in later levels.
Overall, Boogerman blends straightforward platforming with exploration and limited-use abilities. Its level design encourages players to look beyond the obvious path and make the most of the unusual mechanics that give the game its unique identity.
🎭 Style, Humor & Difficulty
Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure fully embraces gross-out humor as its main identity. The game's visuals, animations, and sound effects are built around exaggerated bodily functions, with cartoon-style characters and deliberately silly presentation. This approach was intentional and closely tied to the game's attempt to stand out among 90s platformers.
The humor extends beyond visuals into sound design. Boogerman's attacks are accompanied by loud, comedic effects that reinforce the crude tone. While reactions to this style vary, it is central to the game's personality and cannot be separated from the experience itself.
Despite its playful appearance, the game's difficulty is more demanding than it might seem. Later stages feature tighter platforming, more aggressive enemy placement, and boss fights that rely on learning attack patterns rather than brute force. Progress often requires patience, precise movement, and careful use of limited offensive resources.
Overall, Boogerman's style and challenge are closely linked. The game uses humor to create a unique atmosphere, but beneath that surface lies a platformer that expects players to take its mechanics seriously.
💡 Did You Know?
🎮 Multiple Platform Releases
Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure debuted on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive in 1994 and was later released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1995. The Genesis version was also re-released on the Wii Virtual Console in the late 2000s, making it accessible to a new generation of players.
🔬 Developed by Interplay, Not SEGA
Although often associated with the SEGA Genesis, Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure was developed and published by Interplay Productions, a studio better known at the time for PC games and franchises like Earthworm Jim and ClayFighter. Boogerman was part of Interplay's push into console platformers during the mid-1990s.
🧪 Never Received an Official Sequel
Despite its distinct identity, Boogerman never received a proper sequel. A reboot project was proposed years later through crowdfunding, but it was never officially released. As a result, the original game remains a standalone entry within Interplay's catalog.
📦 Remembered More for Personality Than Sales
Boogerman was not a major commercial hit at launch, especially arriving late in the 16-bit generation. However, its unusual theme and strong visual identity helped it gain cult status over time, and today it is often cited as one of the strangest - and most memorable - platformers on the Genesis.
🏁 Conclusion
Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure is a rare example of a platformer that fully commits to its own strange idea. Beneath the crude jokes and exaggerated visuals lies a carefully constructed game that values exploration, precise movement, and thoughtful resource management. It may look silly on the surface, but it expects players to pay attention and play well.
Today, Boogerman stands as one of the most unusual titles in the SEGA Genesis library. If you want to experience this cult classic again, you can play Boogerman online directly on this site and explore its bizarre worlds at your own pace. Its willingness to be different is exactly why the game remains memorable decades after its original release.