Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt

Last updated
Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt
Rugratsscavengerhunt.jpg
North American cover art
Developer(s) Realtime Associates
Publisher(s) THQ
Composer(s) Mark Mothersbaugh
Mutato Muzika
Platform(s) Nintendo 64
Release
  • NA: June 29, 1999
  • EU: August 10, 1999
Genre(s) Board game
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt is an interactive board video game developed by Realtime Associates for the Nintendo 64. It was published by THQ in 1999. [1] The game is based on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats , which aired on the network from 1991 to 2004. It features the original voices from the Rugrats cast reprising their roles as Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, and Phil and Lil DeVille as well as supporting characters Grandpa Lou, Didi and Stu Pickles, Reptar, and series antagonist Angelica Pickles.

Contents

The game features three game boards: Angelica's Temple of Gloom, which has an Aztec setting; Pirate Treasure Hunt, where the babies scuba dive under water to find hidden treasure near a sunken ship; and Reptar Rally, which is the only stage that changes the babies into dinosaurs, resembling the form of Reptar.

Gameplay

The opening cutscene shows Didi Pickles, Grandpa Lou, Tommy Pickles, and Chuckie Finster in the Pickles home. Didi is setting up a board game while Grandpa reads the rules, leading to the setup screen. The game includes a multiplayer option for up to four players, and it has four playable characters, including Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil. Any characters not controlled by the players are instead controlled by the game through artificial intelligence.

The main goal is to collect the most of a specific item. Stages begin with a cutscene to explain what needs to be collected, then the game begins. A spinner is used to determine how many spaces each player can move. Items can be gathered after landing on the "Search" space, which can be recognized by the magnifying glass design. Searching may lead players to find only a dust bunny, a dud item with no function, but it is the only way to acquire certain items. If a player finds the "Double Search Power" tool when searching, he/she may search twice every turn. Dil Pickles, Tommy's brother, appears when a player stops on a "Mystery" space, driving the Reptar Wagon and changing the identity of the spaces on the board. There is a hidden square option that can be turned on or off at the start screen.

Players can collect cookies, toy cards, and energy. Cookies are a form of currency that may provide opportunities for special bonuses. Non-playable characters, such as Grandpa and Tommy's dog Spike, serve as allies doing various tasks such as giving players extra cookies when they come in contact with them. Toy cards give players special abilities. One lets players turn into Reptar and travel up to five squares and stop anywhere they like, which can only be achieved normally when a "Set Spin" is selected randomly from the spinner. Toy cards can be purchased if one lands on a toy card space; which if used wisely, can stretch the limits of game play for a single turn. Energy is needed to move from one space to another in all boards excluding Reptar Rally. If one runs out of energy, they will warp to a "Bedroom" where the player can then warp to any of the main rooms instantly. There are also spaces for recovering different sleep amounts.

Game boards

Gameplay during the Angelica's Temple of Gloom board. Tommy in Scavenger Hunt.jpg
Gameplay during the Angelica's Temple of Gloom board.

There are three different game boards, set in environments imagined by the babies.

Angelica's Temple of Gloom has an Aztec setting, and is the only board to be played cooperatively. The story of this game board begins when Stu Pickles comes home with a set of expensive replica Aztec statue pieces before being called away by Didi. Grandpa begins to tell the babies a story about exploring ancient Aztec ruins and coming to the Temple of Cokabowla before falling asleep. Angelica tells the babies the replicas are cursed and they would be sorry if they were to break, before accidentally breaking all of the statues onto the board. To win, the babies must recover all of the missing statue pieces (four times the number of active players) before Angelica finds hers. Angelica serves as the main antagonist, trying to snatch items in question before the others. She also may take away items from other players if they come in contact with her. If Angelica finds all her pieces first, then she successfully pins blame on the babies, telling Stu that they are responsible. The Rugrats are sent to their cribs, while Angelica laughs and says that adults will believe anything. If the babies find all their pieces first, then Angelica denies responsibility and leaves the room, while the babies celebrate their win.

Pirate Treasure Hunt takes place at a sunken ship. Stu buys a small pirate ship for an aquarium, and it reminds Grandpa of when he went scuba diving for a shipwreck containing treasure. After he falls asleep again, Angelica shows the babies foreign objects and passes them off as treasure, while telling them that there is more to be found all over the house. She says that whoever finds the most treasure will be her first mate and split the findings. Players compete against each other, each one exploring the shipwreck and trying to collect four kinds of pirate treasure. Susie Carmichael, a non-playable character, offers to help the babies find the treasure, providing them with a new piece whenever they encounter her on the board. After someone completes this task, the ending cutscene shows the babies back inside the house with Angelica. She congratulates them on finding her "treasure" until she realizes that the objects she showed them earlier are just useless junk. Tommy believes the real treasure is inside the aquarium's pirate ship, and Angelica tries to take it out and prove him wrong. However, she is caught by Didi and is upset that the babies ruined her plan.

Reptar Rally changes the babies into dinosaurs resembling Reptar as they each travel around mountains of candy. The story begins with Phil and Lil fighting over a Reptar doll, which goes flying out of their hands, knocking over a glass of chocolate milk. Angelica then tells the babies that Reptar comes from a place that is always messy with candy, serving as the setting for this board. Each player must collect a certain amount of specified sweets in order to win. Players move one way through several zones, each home to different sweets. Each zone is accessed by collecting keys, which are found by landing on certain spaces. The closing cutscene shows Angelica in the Pickles house trying to take the sweets from the babies, before tripping on the Reptar doll.

Development and release

In 1997, THQ signed an agreement with Nickelodeon to develop and publish video games using the Rugrats license through December 2002. The deal gave THQ exclusive rights to Rugrats for all current and future game systems from Nintendo, Sony and Sega. [2] Among the first projects announced as resulting from this deal was an as-yet untitled Nintendo 64 game scheduled for release in 1999. [3] [4] Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt was originally shown at THQ's booth at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo. [1] Mark Mothersbaugh composed the game's music. [5] The game was released in France in December 1999. [6]

Reception

Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt received generally mixed reviews. Turhan Herder of IGN called Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt "a dull, sloppy mess which not only embarrasses everyone involved but manages to tarnish the very license it meant to exploit". Herder described Scavenger Hunt as a basic gameplay style marred by "design decisions ranging from the incomprehensible to the downright bizarre". [9] Some critics wrote Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt's use of license, such as the incorporation of the original voice actors, and simple gameplay would appeal to very young players but detract older gamers. [lower-alpha 1] AllGame journalist Anthony Baize and N64 Pro reviewer Paul felt only Rugrats fanatics would enjoy it. [7] [15] Other critics, such as Herder and N64 Magazine 's Mark Green, wrote even young children would get tired of it quickly. [10] [9] [11]

The main criticism was the boring gameplay, specifically its primitiveness and slow pace. [9] [14] [6] Critics panned Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt as a monotonous experience consisting only of a limited number of game modes with little variety and the same goal between them: to roll dice and wait turns until a player has collected a certain number of items. [lower-alpha 2] Green found the Pirate Treasure Hunt the most thrilling of all the boards for its treasure-hunting theme and rock-paper-scissors mini-game; however, he found it mostly unexciting, as most of the gameplay still involved tedious collecting and even when a player lands on a hunt-for-treasure tile, "you simply get to jiggle the camera around a bit and await the random result of your search". [11] Shaun wrote success was based on the randomness of tiles, making the challenge more based on luck than strategy. [8]

Critics were annoyed by the length of time computer opponents took at their turns. [7] [12] Shaun of The Electric Playground was one of them, and lamented even playing with human friends was a stall as cutscenes still had to play in each turn. [8] Baize also attributed the issue to unreachable goals, especially with Reptar's Rally; he reported that, in a mission to get 30 candy pieces, one player could obtain only two-to-three per turn, made more tedious by other players stealing them. He did, however, find the cutscenes the game's best aspect. [7]

Comparisons to Mario Party were frequent and usually unfavorable. [14] [13] [6]

Praises included the colorful graphics, particularly its closeness to their 2D incarnations, the inclusion of voice acting from the series, and the spot-on lip synchronization. [lower-alpha 3] Mega Fun found the characters well-animated and designed. [10] Green had criticism towards the presentation, however, such as the "muffled" quality of the voice clips and the animation of the Rugrats being equivalent to the movement of "robots from a cheap 1960's sci-fi movie". [11]

Notes

Related Research Articles

<i>Rugrats</i> 1991–2004 American animated television series

Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently—Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and the twins Phil and Lil, and their day-to-day lives, usually involving life experiences that become much greater adventures in the imaginations of the main characters.

<i>All Grown Up!</i> 2003–2008 American animated television series

All Grown Up! is an American animated television series developed by Kate Boutilier, Eryk Casemiro, and Monica Piper for Nickelodeon. It serves as a sequel to Rugrats, and explores the daily lives of protagonist Tommy Pickles, his little brother Dil and his childhood friends, now tweens/adolescents. The concept for the series was based on the Rugrats episode "All Growed Up", which served as the original series' 10th anniversary special and proved successful with audiences.

<i>Rugrats Go Wild</i> 2003 American film directed by Norton Virgien and John Eng

Rugrats Go Wild is a 2003 American crossover adventure film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. It is the final installment to both the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys film series and the sequel to both the films Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) and The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002). The film takes place after the final two seasons of Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. Christine Cavanaugh, the original voice of Chuckie Finster, was replaced by Nancy Cartwright.

<i>The Rugrats Movie</i> 1998 American film directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien

The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 American animated comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats. It was directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien and was written by David N. Weiss & J. David Stem. & Saw the birth of Tommy Pickles' baby brother Dil Pickles, who appeared on the series the next year. The film features the voices of E. G. Daily, Tara Charendoff, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie, Cheryl Chase, Cree Summer, and Charlie Adler, along with guest stars David Spade, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Cho, Busta Rhymes, and Tim Curry. The film takes place between the events of the series' fifth and sixth seasons. The Rugrats Movie is the first feature film based on a Nicktoon.

<i>Rugrats in Paris: The Movie</i> 2000 film directed by Stig Bergqvist and Paul Demeyer

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie is a 2000 animated comedy film that is the second film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats and the sequel The Rugrats Movie (1998). This film marks the first appearance of Kimi Watanabe and her mother, Kira. The film also marks the appearance of the first significant villains in the Rugrats franchise, the child-hating Coco LaBouche and her accomplice, Jean-Claude. The events of the film take place before the series' seventh season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reptar</span> Fictional character

Reptar is a fictional character from the American animated television series Rugrats. It is a green T. rex with rounded, blue spike-like appendages on its back, which intentionally causes it to resemble and spoof Godzilla. Outside of Rugrats-related films, Reptar appears as a playable character in Nickelodeon Kart Racers, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Pickles</span> Fictional character in the Rugrats franchise

Thomas Malcolm "Tommy" Pickles is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the animated children's television series Rugrats, the reboot, and its spinoff series All Grown Up!. He is also the protagonist of The Rugrats Movie (1998) and Rugrats Go Wild (2003), and a major character in Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000), as well as other various Rugrats-related media.

<i>Rugrats in Paris: The Movie</i> (video game) 2000 video game

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie is a video game based on the 2000 animated movie of the same name. The game follows the adventures of the Rugrats in a European theme park. A console version of the game was released in 2000, for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and a handheld version for Game Boy Color. A version for Microsoft Windows was later released in 2001. The console version's gameplay is similar to Rugrats: Studio Tour, but Paris’ attractions sometimes have minigames too. The handheld gameplay is a side-scrolling platformer. The Windows version's gameplay is an adventure game in which the player must find Chuckie's Wawa Bear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Growed Up</span> 1st and 2nd episodes of the 8th season of Rugrats

"All Growed Up" is a special episode of Rugrats that aired on July 21, 2001 to celebrate the series' tenth anniversary. The special serves as the first two episodes of the eighth season of Rugrats, and the 145th and 146th episodes of the series overall. The episode's premise was to focus on what the babies' lives would be like if they were ten years older. The episode proved to be popular enough for a series based on it to be made.

<i>Rugrats: Royal Ransom</i> 2002 video game

Rugrats: Royal Ransom is an action-adventure game developed by Avalanche Software and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The game was released on November 26, 2002, and is based on the Rugrats television series, which aired from 1991 to 2004 on Nickelodeon. The game's plot is loosely based on Rugrats: Castle Capers.

<i>Rugrats: Search for Reptar</i> 1998 video game

Rugrats: Search for Reptar is a platform video game that was released in North America on Halloween 1998 and in Europe in November 1998 exclusively for PlayStation in North America and in the PAL region by THQ. Based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon Rugrats, which aired from 1991 until 2004, the game follows the cartoon's main character, Tommy Pickles, who has lost his Reptar puzzle. It features stages that are typically based on episodes from the television show. It was followed up by Rugrats: Studio Tour, released in 1999 on the same platform.

<i>Rugrats: Totally Angelica</i> 2000 video game

Rugrats: Totally Angelica is an action video game based on the 1991 Nickelodeon animated children's television series Rugrats. It was developed by Art Co., Ltd and published by THQ for the Game Boy Color (GBC) and PlayStation. The GBC version was released in 2000, while the PlayStation version was published in 2001. It is also the last Rugrats game to be released for the PlayStation and Game Boy Color. A direct sequel for the PC was released in 2002, titled Totally Angelica: Boredom Busters!. It was a point and click adventure game, and was developed by KnowWonder and published by Mattel Interactive.

<i>Rugrats: Studio Tour</i> 1999 video game

Rugrats: Studio Tour is a 1999 PlayStation game based on the Nickelodeon television series Rugrats developed by n-Space and published by THQ.

At the Movies (<i>Rugrats</i>) 3rd episode of the 1st season of Rugrats

"At the Movies" is the first segment of the third episode of the animated television series Rugrats. It originally aired on the television network Nickelodeon on August 25, 1991, during the series' first season. In the episode, The Rugrats go to a movie theatre to see The Dummi Bears and the Land Without Smiles, but Tommy is infatuated with seeing a monster movie, Reptar!. He and the babies sneak out of the theater room to catch a showing of Reptar! while leaving a wake of accidental mayhem and destruction as they do.

"Runaway Reptar" is a TV movie initially released as the 18th and 19th episodes of the sixth season of the animated television series Rugrats. It originally aired on the television network Nickelodeon on November 27, 1999. The plot follows the babies watching a Reptar movie and imagining themselves as part of the story. It was directed by John Holmquist and Jim Duffy, and was the first two-part episode in the series.

<i>Rugrats</i> (film series) Film series starting in 1998 and concluding in 2003

The Rugrats film series is a series of animated comedy-adventure films based on the popular Nickelodeon animated series, Rugrats, created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain. The three films were released in 1998, 2000, and 2003. The first and third films received mixed reviews, while the second received generally positive reviews. The series also experienced declining commercial success with each film.

Rugrats is a Nickelodeon media franchise created by Klasky Csupo consisting of television shows, films, video games, and other entries. It commenced in 1991 with the premiere of the television series of the same name. The franchise revolves around the adventures of a group of toddler friends who learn about the world and their relationship to it. It is owned by Paramount Global.

"Mother's Day", also known as the "Rugrats Mother's Day Special" or "Rugrats Mother's Day", is the second episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series Rugrats and the show's 67th episode overall. It revolves around the holiday from the perspective of a group of babies—Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, and Phil and Lil Deville. Tommy, Phil, and Lil attempt to find the perfect mother for Chuckie while sharing their favorite memories about their moms. At the end of the episode, Chuckie's mother is revealed to have died of a terminal illness. It concludes with Chuckie and Chas looking through a box of her belongings, including a poem she had written for her son. Meanwhile, Didi Pickles tries to plan the perfect Mother's Day with her mom Minka, while Betty DeVille helps Stu Pickles with his invention to help mothers.

<i>Rugrats Adventure Game</i> 1998 educational adventure video game

Rugrats Adventure Game is an educational adventure point and click video game based on the Rugrats television series released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh on September 30, 1998. It was developed and published by Broderbund. The game follows Tommy Pickles and friends Chuckie, Phil, and Lil as they try to rescue Tommy's beloved toy Reptar from being thrown out as garbage. The game incorporates point and click gameplay, with characters and objects appearing in different locations even after the player has visited them once. Angelica, the series' main antagonist, appears in the game to help further the story and ultimately become the game's main villain.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt". IGN . May 14, 1999. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  2. ↑ "THQ Inks Rugrats Agreement". IGN . February 16, 1999. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Rugrats Crawl to Console". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 102. Ziff Davis. January 1998. p. 22.
  4. ↑ "THQ Sweeps Up Rugrats". IGN . October 9, 1997. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt - Credits". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt". X64 (in French). No. 22. October 1999. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Baize, Anthony. "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt – Review". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Shaun. "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt". The Electric Playground . Archived from the original on February 19, 2001. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Herder, Turhan (July 6, 1999). "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt". IGN. Archived from the original on January 15, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Rene (December 1999). "Rugrats". Mega Fun (in German). p. 50. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Green, Mark (October 1999). "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt". N64 Magazine . No. 33. p. 59. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Nate; Jason (July 1999). "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt". Nintendo Power . Vol. 122. p. 116. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 "Rugrats: Die Große Schatzsuche". Video Games (in German). December 1999. p. 110. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt". Video Games (in German). October 1999. p. 57. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Paul (October 1999). "Rugrats: Treasure Hunt". N64 Pro . pp. 38–41. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
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.