Wayne's World (video game)

Last updated
Wayne's World
Wayne's World SNES.jpg
Super NES cover art
Developer(s) Gray Matter Inc. (SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis)
Radical Entertainment (Game Boy, NES)
Robert Fiorini & Associates (DOS)
Publisher(s) THQ (console versions)
Capstone Software (DOS)
Designer(s) Johan Thornton (Game Boy)
Ed Konyha (Game Boy/NES)
David Bright (Genesis/SNES)
Programmer(s) Johan Thornton (Game Boy)
Chris Lippmann (NES) [1]
Artist(s) Ed Konyha (Game Boy/NES)
Composer(s) Paul Wilkinson (Game Boy/NES)
Rob Wallace (DOS)
Peter Stone, Nick Eastridge (Genesis/SNES)
Platform(s) SNES, NES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Game Boy, DOS
ReleaseSuper NES:
  • NA: April 1993
  • EU: 1993
Sega Mega Drive/Genesis:
  • NA: February 18, 1993
Game Boy/NES:
  • NA: November 1993
Genre(s) 2D action platformer
Mode(s) Single-player

Wayne's World is an action video game based on the film of the same name and released in 1993 by THQ. Different versions of the game were released; the NES and Game Boy games were developed by Radical Entertainment and feature both protagonists Wayne and Garth as playable characters. The Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis games were developed by Gray Matter and feature only Wayne as a playable character.

Contents

Gameplay and Premise

NES

The NES version keeps true to the plot of the original film, as the premise involves Wayne and Garth trying to stop a rich producer from buying their public access television show. [2] The first level takes place at Kramer's Music Store, where Wayne fights several sentient instruments to obtain the Excallbur, [3] such as guitars, drums, cymbals, saxophone, trumpets, and stacks of Barry Manilow records. [4] In the second level, Wayne and Garth go to the Gasworks to battle bouncers, martial artists, and tough guys [5] in order to meet Cassandra, who is performing with her band at the venue. [6] Following this encounter, Garth fights ninjas and black cats in an alleyway (level three) [7] while Wayne takes on security guards, floating television screens, black spiders, and power cords [8] at Ben's studio to find the show contract. [9] However, he fails to find it and, in the next level, goes to Ben's condo where not only does he try to get the contract but also save Cassandra from the producer. [10] There's a time limit to completing each stage. [11]

The player controls both characters, each with different attacks; Wayne uses karate kicks learned by his girlfriend Cassandra, and Garth is equipped with a 4000-volt laser gun. [12] Both characters can duck, jump regularly, and do a "cool major-high flip jump" activated by pressing A and up on the D-pad. [12] The player starts the game with four lives and 22 "worthiness" units representing health points. [11] Worthiness points can increase by collecting donuts and P power-ups that are garnered by killing enemies. [13] The P power-ups include two extra worthiness units and strengthen the power of Wayne and Garth's attacks, giving Wayne 20 "roundhouse kicks" and Garth 20 100-gigawatt blasts. [14] After completing each level, there's a bonus level consisting of several donuts for the player to collect; if all donuts are garnered, the player will receive an extra life. [15]

Super NES/Genesis

At Noah's Arcade, Wayne and Garth get sucked into the game Zantar where Garth is captured by the titular purple gelatinous cube. In rescuing his friend, Wayne traverses through four levels, each surrealist versions of places he encounters in real life. [16] Along the way, Wayne is equipped with a guitar weapon that can be power-up'd with amps that execute larger chords, "chorus" power-ups that allow for three-chords to be played on screen at a time, a "distortion" icon that makes the chords move in "a distorted path," and a "homer" power-up that move towards enemies. [17] Other items Wayne can collect include "Schwing" items that obliterate all enemies currently on the screen, a thumbs-up icon increasing the player's "worthiness" level (although it's unknown and not explained in the manual what that is), hearts that serve as extra lives, and additional guitar items that increase the amount of notes Wayne can play at a time. [18]

The first level is Kramer's Music Store, where many instruments coming to life going after Wayne; [19] these include accordions, trombones, shooting floating bagpipes, clarinets that shoot missiles from off screen, drums, falling guitars, kazoos that charge in swarms, cellos that attack with bows, and saxophones. [20] In the second level, Wayne finds himself shrank at Stan Mikita's Donut Shop, [21] with enemies like donut monsters, coffee cups, grease, steam blasts, and falling sugar cups attacking him. [22] What follows is the third level, Wayne and Garth's favorite nightclub named the Gasworks, [16] [23] where sentient objects continue to serve as enemies; these include darts, bar stools, shooting disco balls, "rock 'n roll boots," gas jets, "six-legged Beatles," and shooting Yellow Submarines. Wayne also faces human bouncers in the level. [24] The final level is a fantasy version of a suburb Wayne used to live in, where he has a showdown with Zantar and saves Garth. [25]

DOS

Reception

Jonathan Davies of Super Play , reviewing the SNES version, was bored with it, describing its gameplay as only "jumping around collecting things" with the only appealing factors being its voice samples and Wayne and Garth's faces. [32]

Computer Gaming World stated in 1993 that the PC version of "Wayne's World is, like, fun, man". The magazine recommended the game to those new to adventures, who would enjoy a "rather typical" game with "good humor, unexpected twists, and an odd setting". [35] Describing it as "bogus", a later review in the magazine advised against Wayne's World as an introductory adventure game for children. [36]

Commenting on the NES version, GamePro 's Data Carvey praised the game's humor, such as with its enemies, between-level cutscenes, and manual, but panned its perceived lack of difficulty and poor presentation; he wrote that the enemies were easily beatable, the backgrounds and sprites were "undetailed" and "flat," and its audio consisted of a "pretty cheesy soundtrack" and sparse sound effects reminiscent of games from the 1980s. [28]

Super Pro's Sam Hickman named Wayne's World the worst SNES game of 1993. [37] In 1995, Flux magazine ranked Wayne’s World 19th on their 25 All Time Worst Video Games. [38]

Conversely, Brazilian magazine Ação Games, gave the SNES game a fun rating of 4/4, praising the graphics, sound, and the richness of items. [39]

Notes

  1. ↑ The four critics in Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the SNES version gave it different scores: a 3/10, 4/10, 5/10, and 6/10. [27]
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the NES version two 2/5 scores for graphics and sound, 2.5/5 for fun factor, and 3/5 for control. [28]
  3. ↑ Nintendo Power gave the NES version two 2.5/5 ratings for play control and challenge, and two 3/5 scores graphics/sound and theme/fun. [30]
  4. ↑ Nintendo Power gave the SNES version 3.6/5 for graphics and sounds, 3.1/5 for play control, 3.5/5 for challenge, and 3.3/5 for theme/fun. [31]
  5. ↑ In the review of the Genesis version from VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, its writer, Jeffrey Tschiltsch, gave it a 5/10, while four editors awarded it a 3/10, 4/10, 5/10, and 6/10. [33]

Other games

An adventure game based on the film was released for personal computers by Capstone. Argonaut was also developing a version for the unreleased Super NES CD-ROM upgrade. [40] Nothing is known of the gameplay, just that Argonaut planned to include footage from the movie and "a lot of heavy metal music".

Related Research Articles

<i>Super Mario World</i> 1990 video game

Super Mario World, known in Japan as Super Mario World: Super Mario Bros. 4, is a 1990 platform game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach and Dinosaur Land from the series' antagonist Bowser and the Koopalings. The gameplay is similar to that of earlier Super Mario games; players control Mario through a series of levels in which the goal is to reach the goalpost at the end. Super Mario World introduces Yoshi, a ridable dinosaur who can eat enemies.

<i>Warios Woods</i> 1994 video game

Wario's Woods is a puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo. It was released in Japan and North America in 1994 and Europe in 1995 for both the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A spin-off of the Mario series, players control Toad in his mission to defeat Wario, who has taken control of the Peaceful Woods. Gameplay revolves around clearing each level by using bombs to destroy groups of enemies. The game also features a multiplayer mode that allows two players to compete against each other.

<i>Mario Paint</i> 1992 video game

Mario Paint is a 1992 art creation video game developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 (R&D1) and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Mario Paint consists of a raster graphics editor, an animation program, a music composer, and a point and click minigame, all of which are designed to be used with the Super NES Mouse peripheral, which the game was packaged and sold with. Per its name, the game is Mario-themed, and features sprites and sound effects that are taken from or in the vein of Super Mario World.

<i>The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends</i> (video game) 1992 video game

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends is a video game released by THQ between 1992 and 1994 for Game Boy, NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis adapted from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends TV series.

<i>The Magic of Scheherazade</i> 1987 video game

The Magic of Scheherazade is an action-adventure/role-playing video game (RPG) developed and released by Culture Brain for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The game was released in 1987 in Japan and 1990 in North America. The plot is based on Middle Eastern folktales found in One Thousand and One Nights. It involves an amnesic hero traveling through time in an attempt to rescue the princess Scheherazade from the evil wizard Sabaron, who has summoned a horde of demons to bring chaos to the once peaceful land of Arabia. The Magic of Scheherazade is divided into chapters and incorporates elements of both action-adventure and RPG gameplay styles. In each chapter, the player character can freely explore an overworld in a top-down perspective. The player engages hostile enemies with various weapons and spells through both real-time solo action on the overhead map and random, turn-based battles fought alongside befriended allies.

<i>The Addams Family: Pugsleys Scavenger Hunt</i> 1992 video game

The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt is a platform game released by Ocean in 1992 in Europe and 1993 in North America. It is based on the 1992 animated series. It was released in North America for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in February 1993, Game Boy in July 1993, and the Nintendo Entertainment System in August 1993.

<i>Battletoads/Double Dragon</i> 1993 video game

Battletoads/Double Dragon is a 1993 beat 'em up developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. It was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and later ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis, Super NES, and Game Boy. The SNES version was released on Nintendo Switch Online in September 2024; it was the game's first re-release as it was not released on the Rare Replay collection.

<i>Kirbys Dream Course</i> 1994 video game

Kirby's Dream Course is a 1994 miniature golf video game developed by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). A spin-off of the Kirby series and the first released for the SNES, players control the pink spherical character Kirby through a series of courses by launching him towards the goal hole at the end. Kirby can hit enemies to collect power-ups that grant him unique abilities, such as those that allow him to destroy certain obstacles or fly around the level.

<i>Krustys Fun House</i> 1992 video game

Krusty's Fun House is a puzzle video game based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons.

<i>Batman: Return of the Joker</i> 1991 video game

Batman: Return of the Joker is a 1991 platform video game, the follow-up to Sunsoft's first Batman game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Unlike that game, which was based on the 1989 Batman film directed by Tim Burton, Return of the Joker is entirely self-contained and based more on the modern comic book iteration of Batman, but the Batmobile and the Batwing are featured from the 1989 film. A remake of Return of the Joker, titled Batman: Revenge of the Joker, was released on the Sega Genesis by Ringler Studios in 1992. A Super NES version of Revenge of the Joker was completed but never officially released; a ROM image surfaced online in later years.

<i>Mighty Final Fight</i> 1993 video game

Mighty Final Fight is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up released by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. It is a spinoff of Capcom's 1989 arcade game Final Fight, which was previously ported to the Super NES. Unlike the CP System arcade classic and its SNES ports, the characters in this edition are depicted in a comical childlike "super deformed" or "chibi" art style in the same spirit as Famicom games such as both Konami's Kid Dracula and Namco's Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti.

<i>The Addams Family</i> (video game) 1992 video game

The Addams Family is a platform game based on the 1991 film of the same name and developed and published by Ocean Software. It was released for home consoles such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, computers such as the Amiga, and handheld consoles like the Game Boy.

<i>Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit!</i> 1994 video game

Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit! is a 2D platform game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System based on the sitcom of the same name. A Sega Genesis version was planned but never released.

<i>Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a fighting video game developed and originally published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in Europe for the Sega Genesis in June 1994. It is based on the 1993 film of the same name, which is a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. Following the events of the movie, players take control of Bruce Lee across several stages that takes places in different time periods of his life and fight against some of his adversaries.

<i>Mr. Nutz</i> 1994 video game

Mr. Nutz is a 2D side-scrolling platform game published by Ocean Software. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in late 1993 in Europe and in North America and Japan in 1994. In 1994, it was released for the Mega Drive as Ocean's first Sega game, and on the Game Boy. It was also released on the Sega Channel in 1995, the Game Boy Color in 1999, and remade for the Game Boy Advance in 2001.

<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> (1993 video game) 1993 video game

The Wizard of Oz is a 1993 platform video game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and loosely based on the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Developed by Manley & Associates, it was published by SETA Corporation and released in North America in 1993 and in Europe in 1994. The player assumes the role of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion in a series of levels containing hidden areas, mazes, and puzzles to bring Glinda's magic ruby slippers to the Wizard of Oz.

<i>Super Mario All-Stars</i> 1993 game compilation

Super Mario All-Stars is a 1993 compilation of platform games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It contains remakes of Nintendo's four Super Mario games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Famicom Disk System: Super Mario Bros. (1985), Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986), Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988), and Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988). As in the original games, players control the Italian plumber Mario and his brother Luigi through themed worlds, collecting power-ups, avoiding obstacles, and finding secrets. The remakes feature updated graphics—including the addition of parallax scrolling—and music, modified game physics, a save feature, and bug fixes.

<i>Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind</i> 1993 video game

Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind, often shortened to Bubsy, is a platform game developed by Accolade and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis in 1993. It is the first entry in the Bubsy series of video games. The game's title is a play on words in reference to the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with the game revolving around Bubsy defending the planet's supply of yarn balls from alien invaders.

<i>The Lost Vikings</i> 1993 video game

The Lost Vikings is a puzzle-platform game developed by Silicon & Synapse and published by Interplay. It was originally released for the Super NES in 1993, then subsequently released for the Amiga, Amiga CD32, MS-DOS, and Mega Drive/Genesis. The Mega Drive/Genesis version contains five stages not present in any other version of the game, and can also be played by three players simultaneously. Blizzard re-released the game for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. In 2014, the game was added to Battle.net as a free download emulated through DOSBox. In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, The Lost Vikings was re-released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as part of the Blizzard Arcade Collection in February 2021.

<i>Time Trax</i> (video game) 1994 video game

Time Trax is a 1994 action-platform video game developed by Malibu Interactive and published by Malibu Games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is based on the television series of the same name, which aired from 1993 to 1994. The story follows police Captain Lambert as he tries to stop criminal fugitives from changing history and gaining control of the future, with aid from his supercomputer assistant. The player controls Lambert across eight levels, apprehending enemies using a stunner weapon capable of sending them back to the future. The player can also use martial arts to defeat enemies, or use a time ability to slow them down.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Game Credits: W - Video Game Music Preservation Foundation Wiki".
  2. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, pp. 2–3.
  3. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 8.
  4. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 9.
  5. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 13.
  6. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 12.
  7. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 14–15.
  8. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 17.
  9. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 16.
  10. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 18–19.
  11. 1 2 NES instruction manual 1993, p. 6.
  12. 1 2 NES instruction manual 1993, p. 5.
  13. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, pp. 6–7.
  14. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 7.
  15. ↑ NES instruction manual 1993, p. 10.
  16. 1 2 SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 2.
  17. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 7.
  18. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 6.
  19. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 8.
  20. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 9.
  21. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 10.
  22. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 11.
  23. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 12.
  24. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 13.
  25. ↑ SNES instruction manual 1993, p. 14–15.
  26. ↑ Whitta, Gary (July 1993). "Wayne's World". Computer and Video Games . No. 140. p. 58. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  27. ↑ Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Sushi-X (February 1993). "Wayne's World". Electronic Gaming Monthly . Vol. 6, no. 43. p. 22.
  28. 1 2 Carvey, Data (March 1994). "ProReview: Wayne's World". GamePro . No. 56. p. 110.
  29. ↑ Price, Adrian (June 1993). "Wayne's World". GamesMaster . No. 6. p. 66. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Wayne's World". Nintendo Power . Vol. 52. September 1993. p. 103, score on 107.
  31. ↑ "Wayne's World". Nintendo Power. Vol. 46. March 1993. p. 103, score on 107.
  32. 1 2 Davies, Jonathan (July 1993). "Wayne's World". Super Play . No. 9. p. 71.
  33. ↑ Tschiltsch, Jeffrey (August 1993). "Wayne's World". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment . No. 55. p. 65.
  34. ↑ Cheshire, Sophie (August 27, 2004). "Wayne's World". Sega-16. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  35. ↑ Goble, Gordon (November 1993). "Are These Guys Worthy?". Computer Gaming World. pp. 140–141. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  36. ↑ Germain, Jack (December 1993). "Wayne's World". Computer Gaming World. p. 174. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  37. ↑ "What About Us?". Super Pro. No. 14. January 1994. p. 101.
  38. ↑ "The 25 all-time Worst Video Games". Flux (4): 32. April 1995.
  39. ↑ "Ação Games".
  40. ↑ An Interview with Argonaut Software. Electronic Gaming Monthly, May 1993. Page 111.

Bibliography

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.