Believe it or not, Rugrats video games are a crucial part of my life. The ones for the original PlayStation to be exact. They are some of the earliest gaming memories I have and as such I tend to revisit them now and then out of nostalgia. Last year’s replay proved surprisingly fruitful. I began to make connections between their design and my current sensibilities. I still enjoyed the wonky jumps, the eccentric soundtracks, the varied missions, and the interactables.
Color me surprised when, not long after, I learned of a brand new Rugrats game coming in 2024. Now, Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland had somehow found its way to me—likely one of its most scrupulous critics. Does it live up to the freshly revisited and carefully examined batch of nostalgia? Can it match the expectations of someone molded by a hyper-specific niche?
Well, it did! After a quick, lovely intro explaining how the babies want to replicate a video game, it lets you move around the Pickles’ house and figure everything out on your own. Movement, mechanics, collectibles, goals, enemies—everything is up to the player to discover. Adventures in Gameland is not afraid to create friction, and this learning curve is perfect for its short runtime, totaling around three hours casually.
I love how each stage begins in the real world, before one of the four playable babies (Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil) climbs into the attic, or squeezes behind a fridge to find a land of make-believe. The soundtrack changes, and you enter this crazy world full of toy adversaries, platforming challenges, and secrets that will unlock the path to the boss or help you on the way there.
At any time, you can switch between the hand-drawn, “HD” version of the game or the one made to work on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), with an optional CRT filter toggle. Similarly, there are two renditions of the soundtrack intended for each, though they can be mixed to the player’s liking. It honestly feels quite surreal to play a game where you can always switch between two such great, vivid styles.
The HD look felt a bit awkward at first due to the proportions of the kids compared to the house they inhabited, but once I entered my first imaginary world and got to relish in the rich backgrounds and watch the animations, I was completely swept off my feet. No complaints about the NES look though, maybe because I played with it my second time through but it even felt slightly easier to control with the fewer animations.
Nearly stealing the show, the soundtracks are impeccable. Whereas many NES throwbacks or covers use the bass as the main attraction, Adventures in Gameland has a wide range of tricks up its sleeve to match the eccentricity of the show’s soundtrack. As a shorter game, it might have an easier time filling the space, but between its enchanting grooves, a fresh rendition of the classic theme, and sounds that snap you into thinking “Oh, that is just lovely,” I would put it up there as one of this year’s finest. The pitter-patter of the babies crawling on the floor adds a lot to it as well.
Though made with the NES in mind, structurally Adventures in Gameland reminds me more of the Gameboy’s library. A very short platformer with an enjoyable skill curve, replayable, and pretty tight on the screen space. Fits right in with Mario Land or Kirby’s Dream Land, though thanks to its modern sensibilities it feels like a natural evolution of such design in all the best ways.
The aforementioned friction plays a big role in that success, there is just enough of it to figure out during a full run. The momentum carries over a bit when letting go of a direction, for example, making jumps a bit trickier than some may be used to. Each kid possesses stats for throwing and jumping, and figuring out which is best for each stage is also part of that process.
Though the pacing is overall great, a few screens here and there feel a bit empty, while others use pretty cheap tactics. For example, while using HD visuals, the many different variations of floating enemies reappear out of thin air after being defeated, leading to some cheap hits, or double hits if you were to fall into a pit. Given the fact that collectibles are not saved on pick-up, the several crashes I experienced also led to some frustration.
Plus, the co-op, though obviously a nice bonus, is clearly a less-than-ideal way to experience the game. Tighter screens and block-stacking puzzles benefit a more controlled experience, the soundtrack is best enjoyed on headphones, and there are very few ways for the players to interact with each other meaningfully enough to make the two-player experience more than a one-time gimmick.
It is hardly a knock against the game, though. The single-player experience is just so special that I want to encourage anyone to give it a spin as more than a novelty licensed game experience with friends. The MIX Games and Wallride have created something that has no right to be as good as it is, understanding not just what makes a great platformer, but also what makes a great Rugrats game (important for me and the eleven other people who care).
Their strong vision for the property shines through, and so does their passion for gaming history. From the NES to modern consoles, Adventures in Gameland takes all the right ideas from different eras to create this wonderful, bite-sized package. Perfect theming, stellar platforming, sublime soundtrack—catch me finishing my third playthrough before this review goes live. Simply put: Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland is one of my favorite experiences this year.
Mateusz played Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland on PC with a review code.
