Crazy Chase Longplay (Game Boy Advance)
314Developed and published by Kemco in 2002
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Kid Klown in Crazy Chase is one of my favourite games on the SNES. It might not have been the deepest game, or had the most replay value, but great graphics, ultra smooth scrolling and a quirky sense of humour meant it still struck a chord and is one of the games I recall enjoying playing back in the day.
When I learned that Kemco had released an updated version for the Game Boy Advance, I was really keen to check it out, especially because it contains more levels than the original version and that's always a good thing, right?
The game's backstory sees the daughter of King Klown, Princess Honey, kidnapped and it's up to Kid Klown to rescue her from the clutches of Dirty Joe, the infamous space pirate. It was curious to note that Dirty Joe was originally called Blackjack in the SNES version, but Kemco saw fit to rename his character for some reason. The story is explained through an overly-long series of still images, accompanied with scrolling text. Those without the patience to sit through this can skip it altogether and get on with the main game.
For those unfamiliar with the original, the game is set across a number of themed levels where the objective is to defuse a massive bomb that Dirty Joe has planted at the end of the level. In true cartoon fashion, the bomb has a ridiculously long fuse that is draped throughout the level and acts as a visual indicator as to how much time you have left to reach the end of the stage. All manner of obstacles, traps and other perils block Kid's path and these must be avoided to reach the end in time.
Getting hit by a trap not only costs Kid precious time, but it also drains part of his health. Health can be topped up by collecting red HP balls located throughout the level, but the real danger is beating the ever-fizzing fuse and the pressure can force the player into making silly mistakes if they start rushing. Of course, part of the game's charm is the variety of silly, slapstick animations of Kid whenever he trips, stumbles, or gets incinerated by a trap.
Although defusing the bomb is a prime concern, Kid must also keep an eye out for playing cards depicting the ace from each suit. The cards are hidden inside balloons strategically placed whithin each level, but there are no tell-tale signs that indicate what the contents of said balloon actually are. One of the game's rules is that you can only run forwards, never back, so if you miss a balloon then it's lost. Fail to collect all of the aces and you're forced to replay the entire level again until you find the missing cards! Once all of the cards are collected, Kid is awarded a gold key that can be used to unlock one of the locks on Princess Honey's prison cell.
Kid can (and should) collect any gold coins that he finds on his travels as these earn credits in each of the end-of-level bonus events. For the GBA version, Kemco introduced giant coins that are worth multiple single coins and are definitely worth grabbing.
The first of the new levels included in the GBA version sees Kid hurtling down a rickety mountain railway atop a rail cart, whilst the second involves sliding down an icy glacier atop an improvised sledge. Both of these sections can be very tough since you can't actually stop moving, so there's a greater chance of missing aces. The final new level is a traditional running stage set inside what looks to be a palace and is very similar to other levels of this type, except with new art work and traps to avoid.
Kemco have tried to address one of the chief criticisms of the original SNES version by adding more content. The only problem with this is that the game actually loops through each level for a second time, and, whilst the layout of levels change, the gameplay and mechanics don't. I have to admit that boredom kicked in well before the game ended.
The process of translating the game from the SNES to GBA hasn't entirely been a success either either. The frame rate is noticeably lower here and performance suffers even further when the screen gets busy and there have also been a range of nips and tucks in terms of of visual fidelity and animation, no doubt to make room for the extra levels.
The games audio has been updated and much of the music has been rearranged with new samples and effects, but I think that these changes are more to justify the re-release rather than a genuine need to change them.
Despite the continued visual appeal and quirkiness, I just didn't enjoy the GBA version of Crazy Chase as much as I had hoped. Players unfamiliar with the original will probably find it more rewarding than I did, but recycling of content means that fun eventually turns to drudgery and I suspect that a lot of players will turn the game off before reaching the end.
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