Genre: Platformer Developer: Viacom/New Media Publisher: Sega Enterprises Players: 1-2 Released: 1993
As I sit here on a flight to Cancun, on a laptop which suddenly won’t play DVDs, I think of earlier times in my life. Before I knew of Cancun, and what temptations it possessed. I think of sitting in my living room on weekend mornings, watching various cartoons. One of my favorites was a little show called Ren & Stimpy. Even though it was put in with the other cartoons of the time, it always stood out from the rest. Whether it was the edginess of its content, its memorable characters, or its reverting to the olden days by having the actual animators and story board artists get the credit before every cartoon; there was just something incredibly special about this show. This popularity brought along a string of games for the systems of the day. One of these was Stimpy’s Invention.
In Stimpy’s Invention, Stimpy has invented (SHOCK!) a machine that turns everyday garbage into parsley. Ren of course doubts the usefulness of this product and insults Stimpy, who defends himself and turns on the machine. BOOM! The machine has major malfunction, of the non-wardrobe variety, and various key items have blown around the land. It is now Ren and Stimpy’s duty to collect these items to put them back in the machine so they can turn it off. And that’s the plot.
You start off at Ren & Stimpy’s home, and that’s just the beginning of the craziness. During the course off the game, you’ll gradually go on to crazier and crazier levels, including the zoo and the great outdoors. You’ll step in a wrestling ring and fight off Lump and Loaf, and then it’s off to the pound to collect another machine piece. This brings forth one of the games low points. It’s SO short! You’re barely able to enjoy some of the levels. Right when you start to really admire the detail of the freezer, you’ve beaten it. You’ve gotten the timing just right in the pound? On to greater things! Even the final level suffers from this. After a few annoying parts, you’ve beaten the entire game before you know it. Maybe it was done so the small ending doesn’t feel as gyp-ish after beating the game. Maybe it was done to make it more appealing to kids, to make them proud that they were able to beat a video game. Or it could just be the quick buck route.
The sounds don’t support that last theory much though. You’ve got many that come in clear straight from the show. Weather it’s Ren and Stimpy’s voices (Well, mostly Ren, Stimpy is pretty silent through out now that I think about it) You even get (Daniel) Powdered Toast Man talking; even though it’s just “Leave everything to me!” Most of the sound effects don’t seem to be generic stock, but effects done specifically for the game. Be it monkey noises at the zoo or Ren smacking Stimpy sideways, the sounds just plain work.
The music is pretty original, if not slightly generic. You’ll recognize a few tunes from the show, but those are the ones that’ve been used in cartoons for years anyway. It does help make the levels more realistic, but it doesn’t really set any mood, which I doubt was the composer’s purpose in the first place anyway. In the end, all them music can do is make the game better, since there isn’t really anything wrong with it.
Another highlight of the game is the easy to work controls. Your basic “C for jump, B for attack” here. Hold A to run, which you may find your self doing a lot, as the normal walking speed can be kind of slow in many parts of the game.
A slightly revolutionary part of Stimpy’s Invention was the teamwork engine implemented. Sure, you had the jump button, but to get to those really high spots, it required both characters to come together and use a special jump to get to hit. There are different team attacks too, like Ren taking Stimpy’s nose and throwing it for enemies above, or Stimpy rolling Ren like a bowling ball into an enemy far away. While the attacks don’t do anymore damage, they’re a nice touch used to make the game a bit more unique. Especially when up & the A button bring on secret game animations. If you find yourself stuck anywhere, try various button combinations to get out of it; it will most likely work.
While not spectacular, the graphics do their job in keeping the style of the show, and still making it unique. You’ll probably find yourself pausing the game a few times just to admire all the detail put into the backgrounds and into the characters themselves. While there isn’t any real fluid animation here, the frames for the characters used go together well enough for it not to be real noticeable. Overall though, they work for this kind of game.
Overall, Ren and Stimpy is a fun little platformer that’s worth the few bucks you’ll probably find it for. There’s nothing that really stands out, even though the double-teaming is a nice touch and I liked the graphic look, but in the end you’ll find yourself wanting more.
You EEEEDIOT!
SCORE: 7 out of 10
Not a fan of this one. Much preferred Veediots on the SNES. This game was average and boring to me. 5/10.
i agree that this game is a short and fun one, but probably one of the best platformers on the genesis. i’ve owned this game for almost 20 years and still have a blast playing it every time i dust it off the shelfs. too bad ren and stimpy didn’t have future platformers on the playstation because they would have been awesome if they based them off of this game. a 10/10 in my book!
The only problem with this game is that it’s realy REALLY short, it can be finished in about 20 minutes. It’s a fun 20 minutes, but you’ll be left wishing there was more because it is a fun little game.