Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"

Last updated
Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"
SpyFox003.jpg
CD cover art
Developer(s) Humongous Entertainment [lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s) Humongous Entertainment [lower-alpha 2]
Designer(s) Brad Carlton
Lisa Wick
Composer(s)
  • Julian Soule
  • Geoff Kirk
Engine SCUMM
Platform(s) Mac OS, Windows, Wii, iOS, Android, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
ReleaseWindows, Macintosh
  • WW: October 17, 1997
Wii
  • WW: July 17, 2008
iOS
  • WW: May 4, 2012
Android
  • WW: April 1, 2014
Linux
  • WW: April 17, 2014
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: February 10, 2022
PlayStation 4
  • WW: November 3, 2022
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" is an adventure game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment, part of their "Junior Adventure" line and the first entry in the Spy Fox series of games. The game follows the heroic Spy Fox as he attempts to stop a supervillain from stealing the world's dairy milk supply. The game was released for computers in October 1997 to positive reception, and was ported to several other systems over the following decades.

Contents

Plot

On board an airplane, secret agent Spy Fox is contacted by his assistant Monkey Penny, who informs him that the world's supply of dairy milk has mysteriously vanished, with the only clue being a piece of feta cheese traced to the fictional island of Acidophilus in Greece. Spy Fox jumps from the plane and lands on the island, where he meets with Monkey Penny and scientist Professor Quack, who provides him several gadgets. Monkey Penny tasks Spy Fox with finding Mr. Howard Hugh Heifer Udderly III, the missing president and CEO of Amalgamated Moo Juice Inc., who they believe is connected to the milk disappearances.

Spy Fox finds Mr. Udderly tied up over a pool of piranhas in a feta factory and rescues him. Udderly explains that William the Kid, the CEO of the Nectar of the Goats (N.O.G.) Corporation, has kidnapped all the dairy cows in the world and gathered all the dairy milk into a giant milk carton called the Milky Weapon of Destruction, planning to flood the capital with it and frame the cows so he can take control of the dairy world with his "delicious" goat by-products. Udderly claims to have swiped the access code to the weapon's deactivator while William the Kid wasn't looking but admits that he swallowed it to avoid being exposed. Fortunately, Fox uses Professor Quack's "X-Ray Gum" gadget to see the code inside Udderly's stomach, and he sets out to find the deactivator's missing part and a way to reach William the Kid's secret fortress.

On the dock, Spy Fox discovers a ship called the S.S. Deadweight, where a party is being hosted. After forging an invitation to get aboard the ship, Spy Fox meets Russian Blue, the boat's owner and N.O.G.'s head of public relations, who loves dancing the tango. Upon being asked by Spy Fox for information, Monkey Penny confirms that Russian Blue is indeed involved in Kid's scheme and tells Spy Fox to keep an eye on her. Using information obtained from Russian Blue and the S.S. Deadweight, Spy Fox locates Kid's fortress, infiltrating it by disguising himself using a spare N.O.G. jumpsuit.

Shortly after entering, Spy Fox witnesses William the Kid giving Russian Blue the missing deactivator part and ordering her to hide it somewhere safe. After Spy Fox finds and uses the missing piece to disarm the Milky Weapon of Destruction, William the Kid decides to drown the dairy cows in the milk. Due to Kid's carelessness, Spy Fox locates his secret passageway to the cows' holding pen and frees them. William the Kid escapes in his giant getaway blimp and declares that he will return. If the player follows after Kid's blimp, a bonus ending will be unlocked.

In the bonus ending, Spy Fox manages to sneak on Kid's blimp. Monkey Penny gives him the coordinates to a mobile jail for William the Kid to land in. After Spy Fox sets the coordinates and primes Kid's ejection seat, the blimp changes course and Kid is launched in prison, swearing revenge on Spy Fox before resigning to his fate. Later, the President awards Spy Fox with the "Big Daddy Congressional Cookie of Justice" for his heroics.

Gameplay

The game retains the easy-to-use format of the other Humongous Entertainment computer games, but unlike the others, this game introduces talk balloons, which enable Spy Fox to ask any character a specific question instead of simply having an ordinary conversation. There are also special kinds of items called "Spy Gadgets" (made and supplied by Professor Quack), which help Spy Fox solve certain puzzles. Another feature in the game is the ability to use Spy Fox's "Spy Watch", which allows players to save, load, or quit a game, call Monkey Penny, or play a minigame on the watch. The game has multiple narratives; the story branches into a small number of threads midway through the game, and which thread the story follows is randomly selected each playthrough.

Release

The game was initially released for Windows and Macintosh computers in October 1997, and featured an alternate voice cast in the game's European release. Following the purchase of Humongous by Atari, the game was ported to the Wii in 2008, using the Wii Remote for point-and-click controls. It was available for a limited time due to legal problems concerning the port's development. [2] In 2012, Nimbus Games Inc. released a version designed for both iOS and Android. A Nintendo Switch version was released on February 10, 2022, [3] followed by a PlayStation 4 version in November of that same year. [4]

Reception

Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" has sold two million copies and received 20 Awards of Excellence. [8] Adventure Gamers gave the a 4-star rating, [5] while Allgame gave it a 4.5-star rating. [6] The Wii version was less well-received, with IGN giving the port a score of 5.5/10. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SCUMM</span> Game engine developed by LucasArts

Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion (SCUMM) is a video game engine developed at Lucasfilm Games, later renamed LucasArts, to ease development on their graphic adventure game Maniac Mansion (1987). It was subsequently used as the engine for later LucasArts adventure games and Humongous Entertainment games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ScummVM</span> Set of game engine recreations

Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion Virtual Machine (ScummVM) is a set of game engine recreations. Originally designed to play LucasArts adventure games that use the SCUMM system, it also supports a variety of non-SCUMM games by companies like Revolution Software and Adventure Soft. It was originally written by Ludvig Strigeus. ScummVM is free software that is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

<i>A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia</i> 1989 NES video game

A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia is a puzzle-platform game developed by Imagineering and published by Absolute Entertainment for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The video game was released in North America in 1989, in Europe by Nintendo in 1991 and in Japan by Jaleco in 1991. A Boy and His Blob follows an unnamed male protagonist and his shapeshifting blob friend on their adventure to save the planet of Blobolonia from the clutches of an evil emperor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Gilbert</span> American video game designer

Ron Gilbert is an American video-game designer, programmer, and producer. His games are generally focused on interactive story-telling, and he is arguably best known for his work on several LucasArts adventure games, including Maniac Mansion and the first two Monkey Island games. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time.

<i>Putt-Putt</i> (series) Video game series

Putt-Putt is a series of children's adventure and puzzle computer games created by Humongous Entertainment. This franchise was Humongous Entertainment's first game series to be developed. They primarily involve clicking to get to a destination, although some sub-quests and mini-games involve the keyboard. The main character, Putt-Putt, an anthropomorphic purple convertible, and his dog, Pep, travel to various locations.

<i>Backyard Football</i> Video games series

Backyard Football is a series of video games for various systems. The series was developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Infogrames, Atari, and The Evergreen Group. It is one of several sub-series in the Backyard Sports series, and is the first to feature professional players as kids, examples being Steve Young and Barry Sanders. The series currently has eleven titles.

<i>Spy Fox</i> Video game series

Spy Fox is a software gaming series from Humongous Entertainment starring a fictional anthropomorphic fox of the same name, intended for children 8 and up. The series follows the eponymous character, an anthropomorphic fox and secret agent tasked with stopping global crises. Many of the game's names and plot elements are spoofs of the James Bond and Get Smart series.

<i>Pajama Sam</i> Video game series

The Pajama Sam series is a collection of point and click children's adventure and puzzle games originally created by Humongous Entertainment.

<i>Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse</i> 1996 video game

Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse is a 1996 video game and the second of five adventure games in the Freddi Fish series of games developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. It was released on iOS under the title Freddi Fish Haunted Schoolhouse Mystery and on Android with a shortened title Freddi Fish: Haunted Schoolhouse.

<i>Spy Fox 2: "Some Assembly Required"</i> 1999 video game

Spy Fox 2: "Some Assembly Required" is an adventure game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment, part of their "Junior Adventure" line and the second entry in the Spy Fox series of games. The game follows the heroic Spy Fox as he races to stop a giant robot from destroying the World's Fair. The game was released for computers in September 1999.

<i>Spy Fox 3: "Operation Ozone"</i> 2001 video game

Spy Fox 3: "Operation Ozone" is an adventure game developed by Humongous Entertainment and published by Infogrames, part of their "Junior Adventure" line and the final entry in the Spy Fox series of games. The game follows the heroic Spy Fox as he prevents a villainess from opening a massive hole in the ozone layer. The game was released for computers in May 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humongous Entertainment</span> American video game developer (1992-2006)

Humongous Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Bothell, Washington. Founded in 1992, the company is best known for developing multiple edutainment franchises, most prominently Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, Pajama Sam and Spy Fox, which, combined, sold over 15 million copies and earned more than 400 awards of excellence.

<i>Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When Its Dark Outside</i> 1996 video game

Pajama Sam: No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside is a 1996 children's adventure game originally released for PC and Mac. The first game of the Pajama Sam franchise, it sold nearly 3 million units and won 50 awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UFO Interactive Games</span> Publisher of interactive video game content

UFO Interactive Games, based in City of Industry, California, is an American publisher of interactive video game content, developing on multiple platforms with a focus on original and mass-market gaming software. As an official third party licensee of Nintendo of America and Sony Computer Entertainment of America, UFO Interactive Games has published numerous titles for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable consoles.

<i>Putt-Putt and Peps Balloon-o-Rama</i> 1996 video game

Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-Rama is a 1996 action video game, developed by Humongous Entertainment. The game is part of the Putt-Putt series of educational video games. It was part of a series of Junior Arcade games, targeted at kids aged three to eight.

<i>Nicktoons MLB</i> Nickelodeon video game

Nicktoons MLB is a baseball video game released for the Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS platforms. The game was developed by High Voltage Software and published by 2K in 2011. It features playable characters from Nickelodeon shows including SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Danny Phantom, Planet Sheen, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Fanboy & Chum Chum, T.U.F.F. Puppy, and two characters that only appear in the 3DS version, one which is from The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, and the other from the Nickelodeon game Monkey Quest. Characters from Rugrats, Rocko's Modern Life, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Hey Arnold!, The Angry Beavers, CatDog, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, Back at the Barnyard, and The Mighty B! make cameo appearances in the game's loading screens. In addition to Nickelodeon characters, the game also features players from real Major League Baseball teams.

<i>Fatty Bears Birthday Surprise</i> 1993 video game

Fatty Bear's Birthday Surprise is a 1993 adventure video game developed by Humongous Entertainment. It is the second game by Humongous Entertainment, the first being Putt-Putt Joins the Parade. It is also the first and only installment of the Fatty Bear point-and-click games, although the character was also used in the mini-game compilations Fatty Bear's Fun Pack and the crossover spin-off Putt-Putt & Fatty Bear's Activity Pack. In July 2013, Tommo bought the Fatty Bear license for the Atari bankruptcy proceedings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majesco Entertainment</span> American video game publisher and distributor

Majesco Entertainment Company is an American video game publisher and distributor based in Hazlet, New Jersey. The company was founded as Majesco Sales in Edison, New Jersey in 1986, and was a privately held company until acquiring operation-less company ConnectivCorp in a reverse merger takeover, becoming its subsidiary and thus a public company on December 5, 2003. ConnectivCorp later changed its name to Majesco Holdings Inc. on April 13, 2004.

<i>Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds</i> 1994 video game

Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds is a video game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment and the first game released for the Freddi Fish franchise. It was released on November 7, 1994. In 2008, it was released on the Wii under the title Freddi Fish in Kelp Seed Mystery as well as Windows and Macintosh, and on Android with a shortened title Freddi Fish and the Missing Kelp Seeds. The Wii version's availability was limited by legal problems concerning its development. A spin-off handheld LCD game titled Freddi Fish: Jellyfish Jamboree was also released in 1999 that was based on a minigame from Kelp Seeds. Ports for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 were released on February 29, 2024.

Several video games based upon Blue's Clues, a children's educational television series by Nickelodeon, have been released, educational video games and web browser games based on the show. Most of the PC CD ROM-format titles were developed and published by Humongous Entertainment.

References

  1. ↑ "Mistic Software Inc". Mistic Software Inc. 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ Cobbett, Richard (December 22, 2017). "How ScummVM is keeping adventure games alive, one old game at a time". PC Gamer . Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  3. ↑ Humongous [@HumongousEnt] (February 3, 2022). "Get your adventure on with four of the best games you've ever played, arriving for #NintendoSwitch on February 10th" (Tweet). Retrieved March 16, 2022– via Twitter.
  4. ↑ "Playstation4". HE. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  5. 1 2 Keeley, Joe (October 9, 2009). "Review for Spy Fox in 'Dry Cereal'". Adventure Gamers . Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Cook, Brad. "Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" - Review - allgame". Allgame. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  7. 1 2 Thomas, Lucas M. (September 11, 2008). "Spy Fox in Dry Cereal Review". IGN. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" Majesco Entertainment". Majesco Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  1. ↑ Ported to Wii by Mistic Software [1] and iOS by Nimbus Games.
  2. ↑ The Wii version was published by Majesco Entertainment in the United States and Atari Europe in Europe.
    The IOS release was published by Atari.
    The IOS re-release and Android version were published by Tommo.
    The Steam release was co-published by Tommo and Night Dive Studios.
    The Nintendo Switch version was published by UFO Interactive Games.
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.