Summary
The 90s was a decade rife with some of the biggest cartoon series to grace the small screen. As studios were seeing audiences mature, animation was maturing alongside them, and the line between deep stories and dark comedy was getting blurrier with every passing prime-time hour.
One of the greatest outcomes of this animated renaissance was the video games that it inevitably spawned. Many of these games would come out during a show’s original run, while others would ride a show’s popularity intothe new millennium. These are some of the best games based on 90s cartoons.
1Nicktoons Racing
A Character-Racer Where Personalities Shine
Crossover games are one of the best ways to get more mileage out of a network’s most iconic characters.Nicktoon’sRacingis a perfect example of this fun and interesting mentality. While the game saw release on several consoles, itsGBA version is probably the best.
Being a humble kart racer, there isn’t much in the way of unique gameplay here. What it lacks in that department, though, it makes up for in personality.Nicktoons Racinghas a perfect mix of wonderfully designed tracks, faithful character models, and addicting renditions ofNicktoonsmusic tracks, all of which breathe life into this celebration of 90’s Nickelodeon cartoons.
2Rocko’s Modern Life: Spunky’s Dangerous Day
Genuinely Unique In its Escorting Gameplay
InSpunky’s Dangerous Dayplayers have to help Spunky the dog get to a fire hydrant at the end of each level. Playing as Rocko, they have to run ahead of the dog and clear the path by utilizing a myriad of platform-altering tools.
Gameplay moves at a slow pace for sure, progressing at the speed of Spunky’s crawl. However, at times, players have to juggle things like picking up Spunky to change his direction of movement and defeating a mob at the same time. Hectic situations like this make completing a level never feel like a chore, and instead end up being extremely satisfying.
3Duckman: The Graphic Adventures Of A Private Dick
An Adventure Game That Captures The Show’s Mature Essence
Duckman: Private Dick/Family Manwas a product of the boom inmature animationthat the 90s seemed to be a hotbed for. While comedic, it was squarely adult in its themes and dry in its jokes. The adventure game,The Graphic Adventures of a Private Dick, is no different, while also including a rather meta premise.
The game sees Duckman removed from a starring role in his own TV show before embarking on an adventure to steal it back. It’s a romp that, thankfully, makes no compromises in its dark comedy. For instance, one of the game’s wildest bits involves Duckman dialing into an erotic phone line, before torturing his former assistants for literally no reason.
Battle for Bikini Bottomisn’t the greatest 3D platformer ever made. In fact, if players are trying it for the first time with the 2020 remaster, they might not understand what all the nostalgichype was about. However, this game has a lot to offer long-time Spongebob fans.
With fanservice oozing out of Spongebob’s pores,Battle For Bikini Bottomis basically a one-stop shop for those who think they know the show inside and out. It even features a map that visualizes the layout of some of the most iconic areas from the show, like The Krusty Krab and Goo Lagoon. This game is simply the perfect introduction to 3D platformers for kids and new gamers alike.
5Kyatto Ninden Teyandee
Each Cat Has A Distinct And Fun Playstyle
Based on the animeKyatto Ninden Teyandee(known asSamurai Pizza Catsin the West), the Famicom game by the same name was released as a Japan exclusive. It’s an action platformer, akin totheMega Mangames. The main difference is that instead of bosses providing the player with different powers, each playable cat has different attacks or traversal abilities.
Players start a stage by selecting one of these cats (but can switch between them mid-stage), and then claw their way to the end by blasting through boulders or flying over obstacles. Along the way, they’re treated to some beautifully realized scenery and character designs that make it easy for fans of the show to recognize everyone, even in 8 bits.
The Perfect Puzzler To Play With A Friend
Goof Troopsets players on a quest to rescue friends Pete and PJ from pirates, which is nothing like anything that happens on the show. And yet, it’s a recipe for a game that, while light on story, is heartily unique in its action-puzzler gameplay.
Co-op is optional, but it makes sense for two people to take up the roles of Max and Goofy, respectively. The duo then navigates the game’s many screens by grappling across ledges and pushing around starry blocks to open up passageways. Players can even catch items mid-air before throwing them back at enemies, making for some intense moments to share between friends.
Another NES platformer in the vein of theMega Manseries,Darkwing Duckis a pretty straightforward action platformer, pitting the feathered hero against a handful of his rogue’s gallery as they run amok in the city. There are a few distinct factors between Darkwing and the Blue Bomber, though. Namely, his blocking and equally handy hanging abilities.
Most things, like progression, puzzles, and combat are built around hanging from ledges or pulleys. It’s intuitive, and along with his trusty gas gun, serve to get this caped crusader through the night. A night that culminates in a fateful showdown with the dastardly Steelbeak.
Disney and Empty Clip Studios really cooked with theGargoylesgame, providing 90s kids with one of the coolest adaptations of one of the most underrated 90s cartoons. The sight of Goliath gliding between rooftops and crawling up walls, only to jump off into a swift swipe simply never gets old.
That wonderful verticality is seen everywhere, from the cobblestones ofa disheveled castleto the rooftops of NYC. It plays well into the dark atmosphere carried over from the show, allowing players to become an unstoppable force lurking from all angles. At the same time, the variety in the game’s stages makes sure that no moment in its brisk three-and-a-half-hour runtime is wasted.
Simpsonsgames typically do a great job of referring to their own storied history.Hit and Run,though, is probably the most successful at it, including a vast number of nods to the show, while still providing a fun open-world adventure. And, with over a decade of episodes to call back to, devs never had to worry about the lack of mature content that made theGTAgames infamous.
It’s the perfect example of a game that is unafraid to be asweird and ridiculousas its source material while showing competence in its mechanics. There are so many fun easter eggs to see and fidget with,making it genuinely surprising that no other licensed game seems to have followed in its footsteps for a good while.
Up until 2014, there were several attempts attranslating the world ofSouth Parkinto a video game, none of which ever really got it right. WhatThe Stick of Truthdoes differently is that it integrates its healthy-sized cast of characters seamlessly into its fully fleshed-out take on a turn-based RPG.
Game-specific gags abound, like the kids clearing out of the street to let cars pass during combat, or enemy-specific attacks like wolves peeing on the player. Somehow, Obsidian managed to incorporate their years of experience making exceptional RPGs into what amounts to one hilarious joke of a game, and it simply paid off. The bottom line is that the perfect storm resulting inThe Stick of Truthis enough to make anyone proud to be a 90s kid.
