Game:

Mischief Makers (1997)

Duration: 2:53:24

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0

Originally recorded: March 26, 2023
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This is a game I've literally been waiting for decades to play at this point. I don't know if I'd really classify myself as having anything along the lines of a "gaming bucket list", but Mischief Makers has been rattling around in the back of my mind ever since I first saw screenshots in gaming magazines back during the heyday of the fifth home console generation. Sadly, my timing was fairly poor: I didn't pick up an N64 until the end of the console's lifespan, long after a niche game like Mischief Makers from early in the N64's lifespan would've been out of print... or available for rental over at Blockbuster. Most of my time with the N64 was spent enjoying it at a friend's house, so rentals back when it still held the potential to be relevant would've been a waste of time. I guess I could've rented the system AND the game together, but considering just how laser-focused I was on the original PlayStation's library at the time, I doubt I would've gotten as much bang for my buck out of spending a weekend with an N64 in tow.

That's the reason why I appreciate that I'm allowed to nominate two games out of the main yearly batch of streams with absolutely no oversight. It gives me the excuse to play things that catch my eye, without having to worry about keeping anyone's interest. Most of the time, it feels like a lot of the games that get the most attention when I stream them are chosen specifically because I'm not fond of them. Honestly, that's probably why I wasn't quite so reluctant to start up... well, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's just say, there's going to be something "special" going down between my main line-up of streams and the bonus games that will carry me to year's end.

As for Mischief Makers itself, it's... definitely interesting. Out of the Treasure games I've played thus far, I'd say that it reminds me the most of Dynamite Headdy, though based on the footage I've seen, that McDonald's licensed game they made for the Genesis might be a more apt comparison in the grand scheme of things. The learning curve was fairly steep, but I think I managed to get into the swing of things by the end of my session. That being said, there were a few technical difficulties I had to work through as well, which provided additional stumbling blocks. Honestly, my first impressions of Mischief Makers is that it didn't really need to be on the Nintendo 64. That is, it didn't feel like it takes advantage of anything specific with the hardware -- the controls in particular feel like they actually might've worked better on a more traditional controller. I do have to give Treasure credit for coming up with a unique means of using the C-buttons though. Probably the best use I've seen for them in a 2D game on N64 thus far... but that feels like I'm damning the game with faint praise.

Originally, I planned on going for all of the gold gems, to get the "full ending". But given just how difficult some of these levels were, I think I'm going to just try to get as many as I can. I doubt I'll ever be skilled enough to beat that first real boss without taking any damage... and I'm sure the later ones will be even more brutal. Not to mention, there was at least one case that requires some insane timing and platforming prowess that... I honestly doubt I'm capable of. Admittedly, I did look ahead though and the way Mischief Makers handles its "true ending" is pretty interesting though. So I'm sure I'll be in for a good time regardless.

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