Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Released: 1994 Genre: Platformer
Animaniacs was a strange property. It was created as a variety show featuring an extended cast of characters it was genuinely funny for both kids and adults. Not all of its bits were hits but the ones that were still makes me laugh to this day. The humor was smart; some might even say too smart for its own good. Many of its jokes would only be caught by major film/history buffs with some I didn’t catch until I was an adult. It burned short but brightly but at least we got a few games out of it. The Sega version of Animaniacs is a solid effort that does not totally succeed at its puzzle based gameplay but is more enjoyable than a generic platformer.
The Warner siblings decide to open a pop culture shop. The only problem is they do not have any memorabilia to sell. Since they are on the Warner Bros. lot they take advantage of the situation and visit various sets to “procure” some merchandise to sell.
This version of Animaniacs has a lot in common with the Lost Vikings. You control all three siblings at once with each possessing a specific ability. Yakko has a paddle that can stun enemies and can push and pull boxes. Wakko has a mallet that can stomp switches, ignite fuses, and break certain objects. Dot blows kisses that will charm certain enemies for different effects needed for progress. You can switch between characters at any time and need to multiple times in order to progress through each long stage.
You can tackle the game’s first four levels in any order. Each level is themed around a fictional movie. I say fictional but in reality it is incredibly obvious which movie each stage is themed after. You will find homages to Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Friday the 13th nestled in Animaniacs. There all kinds of cameos from the show’s huge cast, most prominently Pinky and the Brain. Each level is equal parts platformer and mild puzzle game. The controls are a slippery which makes the platforming a little sloppy but luckily the stakes are usually low. The puzzles are better however. At every turn you face obstacles that only one character can surpass. These can be simple, like activating cannons to the more complex, like arranging boxes to gain access to a switch. Wakko is called upon the most while sadly Dot sees little use.
The character switching gimmick is fun when it works but the game can be a bit obtuse at times. It is not always evident which character is necessary in a given situation as the use of their abilities can be a little esoteric at times. The most annoying and cryptic element of the game is its boss battles. Ralph the security guard is the Animaniacs equivalent of Robotnik as he shows up in a new contraption or Rube Goldberg style encounter. While simple at heart they are incredibly confusing at first glance and lead to a lot of time wasted. I beat Ralph constantly at the end of Space Trucking only to realize you need to reach the top of the level to end the encounter. It sounds silly but there are plenty of moments like this sprinkled throughout the game. Luckily it is incredibly easy in spite of it.
Animaniacs is clearly targeted at younger gamers and features little challenge outside of its slippery controls. The game is extremely generous with its health items and it is pretty easy to collect 100 stars for an extra life. There are not many enemies in each level with the focus on platforming and puzzle solving. Unfortunately the game is also criminally short at five levels. Once you have figured out the puzzles in each level you can run through them in a few minutes. It makes the password feature seem like overkill. It is a shame too; with one or two more levels and tighter controls this could have been special.
In Conclusion
Animaniacs is a strong licensed title that bucks trends and does something different. It features clever use of its license as well as the stellar production values we’ve come to expect of Konami. This is not one that I would recommend to everyone despite being a solid game however. The lack of challenge and short length will put most of. If that is not a deal breaker go for it.
