Grimace's Birthday

Last updated

Grimace's Birthday
Grimace's Birthday GBC Cover.png
Menu screen
Developer(s) Krool Toys
Publisher(s) McDonald's
Producer(s) Mike Wires
Designer(s) Tom Lockwood
Programmer(s) Bryan Taylor
Artist(s) Tom Lockwood
Platform(s) Browser
Release12 June 2023
Genre(s) Platformer
Mode(s) Single-player

Grimace's Birthday is a 2023 browser-based platformer game developed by Krool Toys and published by McDonald's. The game was a promotional title released to coincide with the launch of the Grimace Shake on 12 June 2023. Development of Grimace's Birthday used GB Studio, a tool to create games compatible with use on Game Boy hardware, although the game was not a Nintendo-licensed title and did not receive a physical release. Grimace's Birthday was positively received, with several critics directing attention to the unexpected theme and medium for a promotional game and the strong likeness of the game's visual presentation to Game Boy titles.

Contents

Gameplay

A screenshot of gameplay in Grimace's Birthday. Grimace's Birthday GBC.jpg
A screenshot of gameplay in Grimace's Birthday.

Grimace's Birthday is a side-scrolling platformer in which the player takes control of Grimace throughout four levels with two stages each. In the first stage, the player controls Grimace on a skateboard, able to perform rail grinds and other tricks. In the second stage, Grimace moves freely and has a bubble power-up, allowing him to float. Each level is scored against a time limit, with points accumulated from actions such as defeating enemies and performing tricks. Throughout the levels, the player can collect Grimace Shakes for bonus points. After completing every level, the player can complete a bonus minigame and blow out the candles of their birthday cake for bonus points. [1] Grimace's Birthday features two game modes besides the main story mode: a "Score Attack" mode in which the player is tasked with gaining as many points as possible under a time limit and a "Freeskate" mode in which the player can move freely with no time limit. [2]

Plot

Grimace is planning a birthday party at McDonald's, but his friends, Birdie, Hamburglar, and the McNugget Buddies, are missing. To host his party, Grimace must find his friends before midnight. Along the way, Grimace finds Hamburglar stealing burgers. Birdie tells Grimace that she is stuck in telephone wires, but Grimace discovers that Birdie planned a birthday surprise with the McNugget Buddies. With his friends, Grimace returns to McDonald's to blow out the candles of his birthday cake and describes the day as the "best birthday ever".

Development

Grimace's Birthday was commissioned by Wieden+Kennedy on behalf of McDonald's and produced and directed by Brooklyn-based studio Krool Toys, founded by Tia Chinai and Stefan Cohen. [3] The game was released as a promotional tool to coincide with the release of the Grimace Shake and the limited-edition Grimace Birthday Meal. [a] [5] A McDonald's press release stated the promotion aimed to "pay homage" to "childhood memories [at] McDonald's" by putting a "modern spin on these memories" through marketing that meets the "intersection of nostalgia and culture". [6] Though the game did not receive a physical release, it is the first promotional title for McDonald's playable on a console since the 1993 Sega Genesis title McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure . [7]

The gameplay of Grimace's Birthday was designed by Tom Lockwood and coded by Bryan Taylor. [1] This was done through GB Studio, a game development tool that allows the creation of ROM images compatible with Game Boy hardware. [8] It was developed under time constraints; it was completed in less than seven weeks to coincide with the release of other Grimace's Birthday promotions. [7] The game was released as a browser game on the Krool Toys website, and not formally released as a Game Boy title, although users have ported the game to Game Boy hardware. [1]

Reception

Several critics noted the unexpected quality of Grimace's Birthday, with Andrew Liszewski of Gizmodo describing the game as a "surprisingly solid platformer" [9] and Zoey Handley of Destructoid expressing surprise that the game was "actually good". [1] Handley praised the "well-executed variety" of the game modes, while criticizing the short length of the game, writing that the mechanics were underused. [1] Mariella Moon of Engadget noted the game "worked smoothly", but stated she struggled with jumping over obstacles and sliding across hand rails, citing her "clumsy handling of the game's controls". [10]

Critics have commented on the game's strong resemblance to the presentation of Game Boy Color titles. Kelsey Raynor of VG247 noted that the game was developed with a "keen eye for retro games", praising the "real passion and effort". [11] Andrew Cunningham of Ars Technica similarly called the pixel art "legitimately great" and "cleverly designed", noticing the game's request for a color device when a user tried to play the game on the original Game Boy. [12] Ashley Bardhan of Kotaku highlighted the game's marketing, describing the official website as a "part of the perfect 2000s internet time capsule." [13]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ The exact date of Grimace's birthday is unknown. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game Boy Advance</span> Handheld game console by Nintendo

The Game Boy Advance (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2001, and in mainland China as iQue Game Boy Advance on June 8, 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game Boy Color</span> Handheld game console by Nintendo

The Game Boy Color is an 8-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT screen rather than monochrome, a processor that can operate twice as fast, and four times as much memory. It retains backward compatibility with games initially developed for its predecessor.

<i>Mario Tennis</i> 2000 video game

Mario Tennis is a 2000 sports video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 (N64). Following Mario's Tennis, it is the second game in the Mario Tennis series. The game is known for being the introduction of Luigi's arch-rival, Waluigi, and the re-introduction of Princess Daisy and Birdo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonaldland</span> Fast food-themed media franchise and fictional world

McDonaldland is a McDonald's media franchise and the fictional fantasy world inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his friends. Starting with the creation of Ronald McDonald in 1963, it is primarily developed and published by McDonald's. Initial attempts to expand the McDonaldland universe by marketing agency Needham, Harper & Steers were seemingly retconned due to legal issues, but ongoing aspects were expanded in McDonald's projects in collaboration with Data East, Virgin Interactive, Treasure, SEGA, and Klasky Csupo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Game Boy</span> Accessory for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System

The Super Game Boy is a peripheral that allows Game Boy cartridges to be played on a Super Nintendo Entertainment System console. Released in June 1994, it retailed for US$59.99 in the United States and £49.99 in the United Kingdom. In South Korea, it is called the Super Mini Comboy and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics. A revised model, the Super Game Boy 2, was released in Japan in January 1998.

<i>Pokémon Trading Card Game</i> (video game) 1998 video game

Pokémon Trading Card Game is a digital collectible card video game developed by Hudson Soft and Creatures and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. It is an adaptation of the card game of the same name. It was initially released in Japan in December 1998 and internationally in 2000. The game includes the first three sets of the trading card game, as well as exclusive cards not available elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Meal</span> Childrens meal sold by McDonalds

A Happy Meal is a kids' meal usually sold at the American fast food restaurant chain McDonald's since June 1979. A small toy or book is included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a red cardboard box with a yellow smiley face and the McDonald's logo. The packaging and toy are frequently part of a marketing tie-in to an existing television series, film or toyline.

<i>Balloon Kid</i> 1990 video game

Balloon Kid is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It was released in October 1990 in North America and in January 1991 in Europe. It is the sequel to Balloon Fight. It was never released in Japan for the original Game Boy, but two years after its original release, a licensed Family Computer port titled Hello Kitty World was reprogrammed and released by Sanrio's subsidiary Character Soft exclusively in Japan on March 27, 1992. A Game Boy Color edition with a few new features titled Balloon Fight GB was released in Japan on July 31, 2000.

<i>M.C. Kids</i> 1992 platform video game

M.C. Kids is a 1992 platform video game developed and published by Virgin Games. It was initially released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in February 1992 in North America, and by Ocean Software in May 1993 in Europe. As a licensed product for the McDonald's fast food restaurant chain, the game stars two children named Mack and Mick who venture into the fantasy world of McDonaldland in order to return Ronald McDonald's magical bag which has been stolen by the Hamburglar. The game was created by four people in eight months: Darren Bartlett Gregg Iz-Tavares and Dan Chang (programming) and Charles Deenen (audio).

<i>Donald Land</i> 1988 video game

Donald Land (ドナルドランド) is a 1988 platform video game produced by Data East in association with the McDonald's Corporation for the Family Computer, based on the McDonaldland franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changeables</span> McDonalds toy series

Changeables was a toy series produced by McDonald's and given as the prize inside a Happy Meal. The series took advantage of the transformable robot gimmick popularized in the 1980s, only the Changeables turned into popular McDonald's menu items.

<i>McDonalds Treasure Land Adventure</i> 1993 video game

McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure is a 1993 platform game developed by Treasure and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. Based on the McDonald's fast food restaurant chain, specifically its McDonaldland marketing campaign, players control Ronald McDonald in his efforts to retrieve the missing pieces of a map that lead to the location of a buried treasure from a group of villains. Ronald can defeat enemies by using a magic attack and can latch onto hooks with his scarf to reach higher platforms.

The Teenie Beanies are miniature Beanie Babies that were offered as McDonald's promotions in Happy Meals from 1997 to 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald McDonald</span> Clown mascot of McDonalds

Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. He inhabits the fictional world of McDonaldland, with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird and The Fry Kids.

<i>The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald</i> 1998 animated series

The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald is an American animated miniseries of retail direct-to-video episodes, produced by Klasky Csupo in association with the McDonald's Corporation. It centers on McDonald's mascot Ronald McDonald and the gang in McDonaldland. A total of six 40-minute episodes were produced and released on VHS, with five of them being available exclusively in participating McDonald's restaurants from October 9, 1998 to January 30, 2003.

<i>Toy Story Racer</i> 2001 video game

Toy Story Racer is a 2001 kart racing game developed by Traveller's Tales and Tiertex Design Studios and published by Activision. It was based on the Toy Story franchise, primarily the first film. The game was released in March 2001 for the Game Boy Color and PlayStation systems. The PlayStation version received "generally favorable reviews" according to Metacritic. In 2010, the PlayStation version was re-released on the PlayStation Store as a PS one Classic.

Bomberman GB is a sub-series of video games in Hudson Soft's Bomberman series released for the Game Boy. The first entry was Bomberman GB, released as Wario Blast: Featuring Bomberman! in North America and Europe, later succeeded by Bomberman GB 2, under the name Bomberman GB internationally, and Bomberman GB 3, which was only released in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grimace Shake</span> Promotional milkshake sold by McDonalds

The Grimace Shake is a berry-flavored milkshake that was first sold at McDonald's restaurants in the United States from June 11, 2023 to July 11, 2023, to celebrate the 52nd birthday of Grimace, the purple, milkshake-loving character from McDonaldland. The shake was then introduced in Canada the following year, starting on May 14, 2024. A third limited run took place in the United Kingdom for one week starting on August 28, 2024, celebrating McDonald's 50th anniversary in the country. The shake was also introduced to Norway on September 4, 2024. It released in Australia on October 4, in South Africa on October 22, in New Zealand on October 23, and Japan on October 30.

Krool Toys is an American indie game studio founded by Tia Chinai and Stefan Cohen. Some of their clients include McDonald's, Warner Music Group, and SubwayCreatures.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Handley, Zoey (13 June 2023). "Grimace's Birthday is a new Game Boy Color advergame, and I'm kind of lovin' it". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  2. ↑ Gutierrez, Luis Joshua (13 June 2023). "McDonald's Made A Grimace Game For Some Reason". Gamespot. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Destefano, Mike (2 July 2022). "Krool Toys is Making Nostalgic Video Games Inspired By Your Favorite Albums". Complex. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Astrid, Kayembe (12 July 2023). "Why was the internet obsessed with McDonald's mascot Grimace — and his shake?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. ↑ Alexander, Cristina (14 June 2023). "McDonald's Released a Brand-New Game Boy Color Game for Grimace's Birthday". IGN. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Wanerka, Laura (6 June 2023). "You're Invited: McDonald's Celebrates Grimace's Birthday with Special Meal & Shake". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  7. 1 2 McFerran, Damien (19 June 2023). "The Making Of: Grimace's Birthday - The McDonald's Game Boy Adventure That Became a Viral Sensation". Time Extension. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  8. ↑ Paternostro, Emi (13 June 2023). "McDonald's Celebrates Grimace's Birthday with a GB Studio Game". GB Studio Central. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Liszewski, Andrew (13 June 2023). "McDonald's Serves Up a Brand New Game Boy Color Game in the Year 2023". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  10. ↑ Moon, Mariella (14 June 2023). "McDonald's just released a Grimace Game Boy Color game". Engadget. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  11. ↑ Raynor, Kelsey (15 June 2023). "McDonald's releases video game for 25-year-old Game Boy". VG247. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  12. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (14 June 2023). "For reasons no one can fathom, McDonald's has released a new Game Boy Color game". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  13. ↑ Bardhan, Ashley (13 June 2023). "McDonald's Just Released A Game That Runs On Game Boy Color". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.