Many who grew up watching the earlier days of Nickelodeon will no doubt have fond memories of Rugrats. A show that creatively turned mundane, every day experiences to life and into grand adventures, through the imagination of the babies who served as the main cast. Fans of the series and retro junkies alike can rejoice, as a new adventure awaits the Rugrats in 2024: Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland!
A baby’s gotta do what a baby used to do
In 2021 the series saw a reboot in 3D, which didn’t seem to fall too well with older fans of the series. To reassure those right away, this WALLRIDE game is based on the first iteration of the series and the 2D hand drawn graphics really bring this across well, at least from what we can see thus far.
Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland’s premise fits nicely within the source material. Tommy, Chucky, Phil and Lil see a commercial for the new Raptor video game and this gets the creative juices flowing. Before they know it, they find themselves traversing through a video game of their own, made out of the different area’s in and around the Pickles’ house. Other characters will also make their appearances and no doubt we will find another reason to hate Angelica.
The game will feature 6 levels that need to be platformed through. There will be collectables to be found and enemies to get in your way. These can be stomped on or made to disappear with a well-placed thrown item, somewhat akin to Super Mario Bros 2. Just like in that game, the four playable characters have slightly different attributes when it comes to jumping and grabbing stuff. What is different though, is that you can play through the game with a second player in co-op.
On (many) baby’s first console
But why compare an old NES game with a new release? Well, that’s because next to the HD hand drawn graphics, you may switch to an 8 bit version of the game at will. This makes it feel very much like an NES game, which incidentally was still rather relevant when the show first aired in 1991. It feels so fitting, that WALLRIDE went one step beyond and is planning a physical copy for the NES, to be published through Limited Run Games.
WALLRIDE previously brought us the beat ‘m up Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl for the NES, so they are no stranger to the scene. For those of us who still love to play on those older systems, it is always great to see a new release for them. Obviously, this version will not include the HD visuals, but should otherwise offer the full gameplay experience regardless.
For those who have long packed away their old NES (you did not get rid of it, right?), there will also be versions available for modern systems. The game is planned for a 2024 release and published by The MIX Games, though specific dates and platforms have not been announced.
