McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure (1993)
The ROMANOV Archive explores the surreal cultural detour in McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure (1993) for the Sega Genesis — a fast-food mascot platformer that unexpectedly stages Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.
Developed by Treasure, the game is remembered for its colorful polish and inventive mechanics. Yet its most haunting moment comes in “Magical Town,” when Ronald McDonald’s train plunges into a dark tunnel. The music shifts, and suddenly the stage belongs to ballet: bunny ballerinas pirouette gracefully as Swan Lake fills the air. A licensed platformer pauses its whimsy to perform high culture.