Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland

The one problem with Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is that it’s quite short. I’d say most could beat the game within a couple of hours, tops, and that includes getting every single Reptar Coin. I don’t necessarily mind this too much as I’m interested in replaying on a harder difficulty, but be warned that it’s a pretty quick title to get through if you’re only planning on playing it once.

Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is a surprisingly stellar release thanks to its great theming, tight levels and just the right amount of friction in the controls. One of my favorite experiences this year.

Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is a well-made platformer that captures the heart of what made the TV show tick, and that’s perhaps its greatest achievement. The character swapping system isn’t unique, but it works well owing to some clever and occasionally quite challenging stage design; and, while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, there’s a fun action game here with a good level of exploration. Whether you’re drawn to the HD or retro aesthetic variants is down to which of your nostalgic sentiments is strongest. Either way, the 8-bit representation is so accurate to hardware of that era we can’t...

I played a preview version of Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland back in March. That title was announced from out of thin air, and not by one of the usual suspects GameMill or Outright Games, the publishers usually dropping licensed titles at a near-industrial pace. It was a brand new indie platformer, using the Rugrats license, and taking inspiration from titles like Super Mario Bros 2. Despite being about babies, the title was clearly aimed at retro enthusiasts, all thanks to its gameplay loop...

Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is a fun little game based on the classic Nicktoon, but unfortunately it's a little too short and too easy for the price.  The ability to swap between the four main babies and each having their own strengths and weaknesses is nice, plus the graphics and audio are pretty spot on from what Klasky Csupó gave us over three decades ago.  However, the high price point for a rather easy game that can be completed in under ninety minutes will likely be a bit of a turnoff for a lot of people.  If you're able to wait for it to go on sale, it's definitely worth checking ou...

Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland achieves so much in emulating the feel of a retro Gameboy-released platformer. Although licensed games like this were dime-a-dozen growing up, and were often pretty average, Adventures in Gameland’s spectacular presentation shows genuine respect and care for those toddling bubs. Due to this, I found it easier to forgive the game’s many unforced errors which were all driven by its “classic” design.

Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland isn’t a bad game, it is very simple while also being complicated due to the lack of tutorials. Rugrats can’t decide if it wants to be for the people that grew up with the show or young gamers just starting their journey. This meant that it is not for me, but it might be for you.