The NewZealand Story
The NewZealand Story — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is The NewZealand Story on?
- The NewZealand Story was released on Arcade, Sharp X68000, FM Towns, Sega Master System/Mark III, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, Atari ST/STE, PC Engine, Nintendo Entertainment System.
- When did The NewZealand Story release?
- The NewZealand Story was first released on August 1, 1988.
About The NewZealand Story
Tiki, a sneaker-wearing kiwi who must save his lover Phee Phee and several of his other kiwi chick friends who have been kiwi-napped by a large blue leopard seal. The player has to navigate a scrolling maze-like level, at the end of which they release one of Tiki's kiwi chick friends trapped in a cage.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Arcade, Sharp X68000, FM Towns, Sega Master System/Mark III, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Commodore C64/128/MAX, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, Atari ST/STE, PC Engine, Nintendo Entertainment System
- Developer
- Taito
- Publisher
- Taito
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Built by | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Master SystemDetails ↓ | 1992 | $15 | $34 | $54 | 2 reviews | — | Low (look-alike) |
| Sega GenesisDetails ↓ | 1990 | $37 | $84 | — | 3 reviews | Software Creations | Low |
The cheapest way to own it loose is the Sega Master System version ($15).
Also released on: Arcade · Sharp X68000 · FM Towns · Sega Master System/Mark III · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Commodore C64/128/MAX · Amstrad CPC · ZX Spectrum · Amiga · Atari ST/STE · PC Engine · Nintendo Entertainment System. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about 2 times a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $30 in Jan 2012, $23 five years ago, and $14.90 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2012 | $30 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $14.95 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $29 | $14.95 |
| Jan 2015 | $28 | $14.95 |
| Jan 2016 | $28 | $30 |
| Jan 2017 | $39 | $40 |
| Jan 2018 | $14.84 | $22 |
| Jan 2019 | $16.70 | $21 |
| Jan 2020 | $18.45 | $24 |
| Jan 2021 | $19.02 | $24 |
| Jan 2022 | $20 | $29 |
| Jan 2023 | $24 | $28 |
| Jan 2024 | $18.20 | $31 |
| Jan 2025 | $7.94 | $31 |
| Jan 2026 | $14.08 | $41 |
| Oct 2026 | $14.90 | $35 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number |
|---|---|---|
| Europe / PAL | 12 November 1992 | 27035-50 |
- Region
- EU
- Released
- 1992
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Master System version
A cute kiwi platformer in a European port.
This is the Master System version of The NewZealand Story, developed and published by TecMagik and released in Europe on 12 November 1992. The game began as a Taito arcade platformer in 1988 in which you control Tiki, a kiwi who must rescue his girlfriend and fellow chicks from a large blue leopard seal.
What the press said at the time
| Sega Master Force Issue 3 | October 1993 | 93% |
| Sega Master Force Issue 5 | November 1993 | 93% |
“Wait! What about the graphics? In a word — STUNNING! It’s hard to believe you’re actually playing a Master System! The visuals are big, bold and extremely colourful.”
“Tiki the kiwi explores large platform levels, armed with bow and bombs and travelling by foot, floating board, balloon, duck and underwater. Stunning arcade-like graphics and frustrating-ly addictive gameplay with lots of secret rooms to discover. One of the Top Ten MS games.”
“Stunning arcade-like graphics and frustratingly addictive gameplay with lots of secret rooms to discover. One of the Top Ten MS games.”
“As you can tell from the screenshots, New Zealand Story is looking very good with graphics that look very close to the coin-op’s.”
Also on other platforms
Arcade · Commodore 64 · Amstrad CPC · ZX Spectrum · Amiga · Atari ST · FM Towns · X68000 · Genesis · PC Engine · NES
| NES | Software Creations |
- NES. In North America the NES version was published by Taito as Kiwi Kraze.
- X68000. The X68000 version, released only in Japan, was an arcade-perfect conversion.
How the other versions reviewed
| Amiga | ACE | 87.5% |
| Atari ST | ACE | 87.5% |
| Arcade | Computer and Video Games | Positive |
| ZX Spectrum | Crash | 91% |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair User | 82% |
| Arcade | The Games Machine | Positive |
| NES | Total! | 93% |
| ZX Spectrum | Your Sinclair | 93% |
| Amiga | New Computer Express | 5/5 |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
Only the European cart exists. Loose, it sits above the middle of the European-only carts, and the look-alike risk is low. Check the manual is there on a complete copy.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
How often it sells
- Loose: about 6 times a year
- Complete: about 6 times a year
- Sealed: rarely — fewer than one recorded sale a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $7.70 in Oct 2019, $37 five years ago, and $37 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2020 | $7.70 | $15.39 |
| Jan 2021 | $51 | $87 |
| Jan 2022 | $43 | $76 |
| Jan 2023 | $50 | $58 |
| Jan 2024 | $35 | $73 |
| Jan 2025 | $44 | $92 |
| Jan 2026 | $42 | $86 |
| Oct 2026 | $37 | $84 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Barcode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 3 March 1990 | T-11013 | 4988611890172 |
- Region
- JP
- Released
- 1990
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Genesis version
A cute kiwi platformer whose Mega Drive cart is a Japanese import, priced above the middle of its group.
This is the Mega Drive version of The NewZealand Story, developed and published by Taito, and it came out only in Japan, on 3 March 1990. The game began as a 1988 Taito arcade platformer, and the Mega Drive version based its levels on the prototype version of the arcade game.
Mega magazine placed it 40th in its list of the best Mega Drive games of all time.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 89% |
| Famitsu | 6/10, 7/10, 7/10, 4/10 | |
| MegaTech | 89% |
“New Zealand Story might look as cute as a litter of kittens, but it's tough and challenging, with differ ent screens from the arcade version to make life dif ficult even for coin-op experts. Highly recommend ed.”
“New Zealand Story on the Mega Drive is as cute, clever and addictive as it ever was, so who cares if I the bits are in different places? Not us, that’s for sure.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
Also on other platforms
Master System · Arcade · Commodore 64 · Amstrad CPC · ZX Spectrum · Amiga · Atari ST · FM Towns · X68000 · PC Engine · NES
| NES | Software Creations |
- NES. Ocean published the NES version in PAL regions, while Taito released it in North America as Kiwi Kraze.
- Amiga. The game was included in the Amiga 500 Batman Pack, launched in September 1989, which sold over 2 million units.
How the other versions reviewed
| Amiga | ACE | 87.5% |
| Atari ST | ACE | 87.5% |
| Arcade | Computer and Video Games | Positive |
| ZX Spectrum | Crash | 91% |
| ZX Spectrum | Sinclair User | 82% |
| Arcade | The Games Machine | Positive |
| NES | Total! | 93% |
| ZX Spectrum | Your Sinclair | 93% |
| Amiga | New Computer Express | 5/5 |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
Among Japan-only carts its loose price sits above the middle, and the risk of a fake is low. Japanese cartridges are a different shape from Western ones and do not fit a Western console without an adapter or removing two plastic tabs in its slot.
The NewZealand Story screenshots
Watch on YouTube
Listings on The Game Traders
No active listings for The NewZealand Story yet.
Be the first to list →Buyers looking for this
No active want ads for The NewZealand Story yet.
Post a want ad →More games like The NewZealand Story
Latest news mentioning The NewZealand Story
No recent news mentions in our 30-day feed window.