Taz: Wanted

About Taz: Wanted

Blitz Games released Taz: Wanted in September 2002 for PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo GameCube. This action-adventure platformer stars the Tasmanian Devil as he tries to rescue his girlfriend She-Devil from Yosemite Sam. The villain has captured the duo at the Yosemite Zoo while filming a commercial to promote the facility. Taz wakes up in a large central cage and must break out before Sam moves She-Devil to a truck for safety. Tweety Bird pops up to guide him toward fifteen distinct levels filled with wanted posters that need destroying. The game earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Children's Entertainment that same year despite its mixed critical reception.

Gameplay

You control Taz through each stage by running, jumping, and spinning into enemies or objects. The core loop involves locating specific wanted posters hidden within the environment to progress toward your main goal. You often have to smash through crates, knock over barrels, or bounce off springs to reach these items. Combat relies heavily on your spin attack which clears groups of guards or "Taz Catcher" workers instantly. Some levels require you to chase down moving targets while avoiding traps set by Sam's men. The controls feel bouncy and responsive, matching the cartoon physics of the source material. You cannot access online features since this title supports single-player mode only.

What Players Think

PlayPile data shows a Metacritic score of 62 out of 100 which reflects its divided reception among critics. Our community tracked an average completion rate of 78 percent with most players finishing the game in about six hours. Players often describe the mood as chaotic and nostalgic rather than tense or serious. Review snippets mention frustration with some level designs but praise the character voice acting. The game holds a "fun" vibe score of 4.2 out of 5 among families who played it during its original run. Only 12 percent of users have unlocked all achievements, suggesting many people stop before finding every hidden poster.

PlayPile's Take

Taz: Wanted is worth playing if you are looking for a short, family-friendly platformer to kill some time. The price on secondary markets usually stays under fifteen dollars which makes the low barrier to entry reasonable. You get fifteen levels that take around six hours to complete if you focus on the main path. The BAFTA nomination proves the development team put effort into the production value despite the lower review scores. It is not a deep experience with complex mechanics but it delivers exactly what Looney Tunes fans expect from the era. Play it once for the nostalgia and skip it if you demand tight controls or modern design sensibilities.

Storyline

Taz and She-Devil are hanging out romantically on Taz Island, but are suddenly captured by Yosemite Sam and held captive in Yosemite Zoo; Taz is kept in a large cage in the center of the zoo while She-Devil is still in a smaller cage in a truck. While Sam films an advertisement for the zoo on TV, Taz attempts to break out his cage, and Sam has She-Devil moved to a safer area of the zoo. After Taz breaks out, Sam has his "Taz Catcher" workers put up wanted posters and post a bounty to help catch Taz. Tweety Bird appears and agrees to help Taz in his journey to save She-Devil, giving him pointers on where the wanted posters Taz needs to destroy are found.