Rugrats Adventure Game

Rugrats Adventure Game
Cover art
Developer(s)	Broderbund
Publisher(s)	Broderbund
Series	Rugrats
Platform(s)	Windows, Macintosh
Release	US: September 30, 1998
Genre(s)	Adventure, educational
Mode(s)	Single-player

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 (then a subsidiary of The Learning Company). 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.

Rugrats Adventure Game is the first in a series of video games based on the Rugrats series, preceding Rugrats Activity Challenge and Rugrats Mystery Adventures on PC.

Plot

When the Rugrats attempt to watch a Reptar movie entitled "Reptar vs. the Aliens", featuring aliens kidnapping children in order to enslave them, Didi turns off the television, thinking that the movie is too scary for the babies, and has Stu take out the garbage. Since they can't watch the Reptar movie, the babies decide to act it out instead, but they are stopped by Angelica, who throws Tommy's Reptar doll in a trash can out of spite. Using Tommy's screwdriver to escape the playpen, the Rugrats attempt to save Reptar by stowing away in another trash can to be taken outside but they are spooked by a garbage truck (called "Hubert" by the babies) and sent back in their playpen by Didi.

Refusing to give up, the Rugrats unlock the playpen again, when Angelica comes to "warn" them about the aliens who are coming to kidnap them. Tommy decides that in order to save Reptar, they must find a way outside, use something to reach Reptar with, and create a fake monster to scare "Hubert" away. Eventually, the babies are able to use Stu's G.R.O.S. (Garbage Relocating Outside System) invention to get outside, make a homemade fishing pole (consisting of one of Tommy's crib bars, a long piece of dental floss, a piece of gum for the floss to stick to, and Grandpa Lou's dentures), and disguise Spike as a monster.

After escaping the house, the babies successfully grab the Reptar doll with the fishing pole, but Angelica steals it again and a chase ensues. The Rugrats fight over the doll with Angelica and manage to take it back, but Angelica "transforms" into Angeleeka the Alien Queen, who plans to destroy the planet in order to avoid anybody coming after her. The babies, with Reptar's help, manage to defeat "Angeleeka" by splatting her with a coconut pie. The Rugrats then break the fourth wall, thanking the player for their help as the game ends.

Gameplay

The game follows Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil working to complete the tasks they need in order to get outside and rescue Reptar. The entirety of the game is set in the Pickles' house and each location is split into several screens where Tommy can walk to, with at least one of his friends being in each screen, who can help in collecting items or completing certain tasks. Items are stored in Tommy's diaper, and they can be accessed by clicking on the diaper. Different minigames can be played at certain points in the game, which help the player progress farther. By hovering the cursor over the bottom of the screen, several buttons will show up, revealing how many of the tasks you completed in the main goal, and giving you options on whether to reset the game or quit. A "cry" button is also shown, which will cause the Rugrats to cry when clicked on, prompting a grown-up to take them back to their playpen, the first area in the game.

Production

Rugrats Adventure Game was released alongside Rugrats Movie Activity Challenge and Rugrats Print Shop on September 30, 1998, in anticipation of The Rugrats Movie.^[1] The Learning Company president said, "The unprecedented strength and breadth of the Rugrats franchise offers us the opportunity to promote the Rugrats CD-Roms on a broader scale and with much greater impact than our competition."^[1] Broderbund held a promotion where the purchase of any Rugrats title from November 1998 to June 1, 1999, would give consumers 20% off a second Broderbund kid's product.^[2] As part of a cross-promotion, 200 copies of the game were available as second prize in a scratch-n-win sweepstakes by Simon and Schuster Children's Division, which sold Rugrats books.^[3][4]

Critical reception

AllGame recommended that players sit with their kids to help them if they get stuck.^[5] MacHome described it as being "extensive and richly animated", and a mix between Myst and a Huggies commercial.^[6] Just Adventure felt it was a fantastic title to develop computer skills and a love of adventure games within youth.^[7] Hartford Courant liked the game's "playful" graphics and music.^[8] CBS News conducted a children playtest of the three Rugrats CD-ROMs and found them all to be "winners".^[9] The Boston Globe praised the variety of the three CD-ROMs.^[10] Boston Herald called Rugrats Adventure Game a "waste of money and time".^[11] The Baltimore Sun said the game's requirement to get items in a certain order is frustrating and that it slows down the pace.^[12] The Washington Post deemed it "silly" and "fun".^[13] Los Angeles Daily News praised the title's educational skill-building.^[14] The Los Angeles Times found the main characters' "mangling of the English language" to be grating.^[15] Kiplinger's Finance felt it was "convenient" that the title was tied to the theatrical film.^[16] PC Direct liked the game's mix of comedy, madcap antics, and puzzles.^[17]

The game was nominated for "PC Children's Entertainment Title of the Year" at the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, ultimately losing to Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life.^[18]

Rugrats Adventure Game was among the best-selling PC games of October 1998,^[19] and was 9th-best-selling home education software for 1999.^[20]

References

External links

• Rugrats Adventure Game at MobyGames
• Let's Talk Computers interview

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