Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Release: 12/91 Genre: Action
Even though the SNES and Genesis were both on the market by 1991 publishers were still keen to take advantage of the massive NES audience. While most of the popular IP were going to the new consoles licensed video games were still fair game on Nintendo’s 8-bitter. Konami especially went all in with Tiny Toon Adventures being one of their better efforts. While a bit derivative this is still fun for an afternoon.
Babs Bunny has been kidnapped by Montana Max and it’s up to Buster and pals to save her. Its a typical platforming story but that is not why you are here. Spread out across six worlds with 3 sub levels each (with one exception) Tiny Toon Adventures sees you exploring all of Acme Acres including the school grounds. Curiously Acme Acres resembles every platformer out there but I digress. This was an unlikely license from Konami but much like Capcom and Disney they have crafted a solid adventure.
The distinguishing feature of Tiny Toon Adventures is the partner system. At the beginning of each world you can choose from three partners: Plucky Duck, Dizzy Devil, and Furrball. Each comes with a unique special ability that can yield shortcuts or generally make life easier. Plucky can glide after each jump while Furrball can climb nearly any surface. That last one can be a last minute life saver. Dizzy Devil can turn into an invincible tornado for a few seconds that can not only knock out enemies but pass through most hazards like spikes. Once chosen you have to use them until the next world.
The partner system is a cool feature in and of itself but a little under-cooked. To switch you need a power-up of which there are usually only one or two per level. That means for most of the level you won’t get the benefit of using your partner. Even worse, there are times where it might be more advantageous to use Buster which negates the system entirely. A different implementation would have been better. I get that they wanted to shove fan favorite characters into the game in some form but this ain’t it chief.
Luckily Tiny Toon Adventures is solid. As a platformer it is clearly patterned after Super Mario Brothers 3, from its user interface to some of its mechanics. The physics are similar from the way characters can gain extra jump height bouncing off enemies to sliding down hills. But it does have its differences. Collecting carrots is not the same as in the Mario series. Here you trade carrots to Hampton for extra lives, with only thirty required for each. It works out better in that regard although Hampton is not in every level. Cameo appearances from the shows extended cast are plenty and they even go for obscure ones like Danforth Drake and the Wolverine. I have to give Konami credit for using the source material to this extent; it would have been easy to use the popular characters and fill the roster with original creations but they did not.
The level design is pretty strong overall. Because you can choose any of the three characters the stages are designed for Buster first and foremost. There are usually multiple paths through a level and you can clearly see where and how certain characters would be advantageous. In the forest stages Furrballs ability to climb over the tress can make each level shorter. Dizzy Devil makes navigating the spikes in Montana Max’ mansion a lot easier than timing the slide move. Situations like these show how great the partner system could be, it is just a damn shame you don’t get to use it as much. In a way that describes the game as a whole. Everything is solid and has the foundation for greatness but it falls a little short.
The difficulty is pretty low overall despite the game’s best efforts. With a heart you can take two hits before death. While they are limited for the most part they are not necessary. If you choose an appropriate partner for a given world than you can breeze through it in minutes. Tiny Toon Adventures takes after Super Mario Brothers 3 but it does not shower you in extra lives. With its easy bosses and laid back challenge this is targeted for as broad an audience as possible.
In Closing
Tiny Toon Adventures is a safe license that hits all the standard notes and nothing else. There is nothing wrong with that but its genericness means it is low on the platformer priority list. There is a long list of NES platformers I would recommend first no matter how solid it is.
