Introduction
Rugrats is arguably the series that launched Klasky
Csupo into the main stream and their range of programs
now dominate the Nickelodeon TV Networks. After a short
period of producing "The Simpsons", the animation
company developed its own unique style with "Rocket
Power", "Wild Thornberrys" and many others
joining the strange series from a child's point of view.
Although this is the first Rugrats outing on the GBA,
it's not on the Gameboy Color and while some of these
titles have been great fun to play others were not as
well received and a little simplistic. So, here we have
Castle Capers and it will be interesting to see if THQ
have learnt from previous gameplay errors or simply
knocked out yet another cartoon license wrapped around
a platformer.
GamePlay
As with all things Rugrats the plot revolves around
a fantastic story with a large adventure element even
though they never leave the safety of their own home.
It's all in the imagination see? Here we have Tommy
and friends at odds with Angelica who, as usual, wants
to rule the household and generally boss everyone else
around. The game is set in a huge play set located in
the backyard complete with various themed areas including
an Ice Castle, a Beanstalk and inside a clock. Angelica
has appointed herself queen of this new land but the
others want no part of it. As a result, and in keeping
with Angelica's personality, she's hidden some of the
babies' belongings in the various worlds and it's your
job to help find them.
Every area plays out pretty much the same and after
you have chosen a character, you'll be catapulted into
the play set and you can select the type of adventure
you want. All of these are platform based except for
'Ali Baby and the 40 Fleas' which is a flying carpet
challenge. Enter the doorway and you'll be told the
level objectives and two other characters you may find
on the way. It's always worth seeking out your friends
as this not only increases your overall score but is
essential for help getting to those out of reach and
bonus locations. Bonuses are plentiful but in addition
to your 'end of level' item you'll also need to equip
your character with enough diapers and missiles to achieve
success in any given area.
Before you can locate your hidden object you'll have
to battle with Queen Angelica and some of her henchman.
This is usually a simple affair consisting of firing
your missiles in the general area of Angelica as quickly
as possible. One strange and very frustrating aspect
of this section of the game is the absence of any enemy
power indicator so you will never be entirely sure if
you are hitting your target or how much more damage
is required before you complete the level. In addition
you'll sometimes find your energy spiraling down rapidly
without even being aware you're being hit.
Controls
Although this is the usual platform interface and
on the whole the characters are very responsive there
are some moves which proved a little tricky at first
and which may be a bit too complicated for younger players.
For instance 'stacking babies', you'll need some practice
to perform this action and to dismount before something
hits you and depletes your life. Overall though a friendly
control system with frustrations kept to a minimum.
Graphics
The GBA can handle graphics of this nature with very
little effort and the on-screen visuals are almost identical
to those you'll find on the TV series. It's obvious
that a great deal of effort has been centered on creating
Tommy and friends in fine digital form. Things are,
however, a little disappointing on the animation side
and whilst this isn't the worst we've seen it's by no
means the standard that we have come to expect. Characters
should be capable of a little more than gliding around
the screen.
Sound & Music
The music accompanies the gameplay perfectly with
a mixture of samples and background tunes. The whole
experience is kicked off with a wonderful and very clear
rendition of the title track from the show and all the
levels continue this high standard of audio with their
own Rugrats inspired music. In short, all GBA titles
should sound this good and, with the hardware on offer,
there really is no excuse for them not to.
Final Comments
The first thing I would say is that some sections
of Rugrats may be a little tough for the age range they're
obviously aiming for while the lack of any real variety
will bore the pants off some players. On the plus side
there's a lot of terrain and secret areas to cover so
platform purists should enjoy this TV series inspired
romp at least for a while. It's by no means a classic
and if you're on a limited budget have a look at around
as there have already been some excellent platformers
released for the GBA but for fans of the series this
is definitely worth a look.
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