Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose! Longplay (SNES) [QHD]
102Game Info
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Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Year of Release: 1992
Game Review & Impressions
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Although Tiny Toon Adventures was definitely a cartoon show of my era growing up, it's not something I can say I ever watched. I guess it was Warner Bros. attempt to bring the classic Looney Tunes brand of animation and humour into the 90s for a more modern audience, but I confess I always preferred the escapades of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to any of the then-new animated shows Warner Bros. put out.
In any case, Tiny Toons Adventures was a prominent show for it's time and, unsurprisingly, a plethora of games based on the license soon followed. Buster Busts Out! is the first of the games based on the show I've played and recorded, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Many of Capcom-developed Disney licenses for the SNES have felt limited as a result of targeting a younger player base, and I wondered whether this would fair the same.
When it comes to genre and theming, Buster Busts Loose! is a platform game, although it doesn't really have prescribed plot in the traditional sense, more that each of the six levels are individual vignettes, bookended with mini-games. Five of the six main stages are traditional platforming fodder, with Buster Bunny traversing platforms, collecting power-ups, and beating up bad guys in return for collectible stars. Buster has the ability to dash at turbo-like speeds for a limited period of time, which enables him to ascend walls and leap greater distances, allowing him to hunt for elusive carrot and Gogo Dodo trophies in hard-to-reach locations. It's all typical platforming stuff seen before, but the quality of the sprite-work and animation is what really stands out here; typical top-draw Konami work.
The fourth stage, should you reach it, is different to the rest. Here, Buster and friends are engaged in a Football game against an opposing team, and there's limited time to score a touchdown to clinch victory for the Acme Looniversity squad. Holding the ball, Buster must hoof it up the field, ducking and weaving between the opposing team. It's a palette cleanser of sorts, bringing some variety to the typical platforming levels.
Speaking of variety, I was impressed by the bonus games, each of which present an opportunity to earn extra lives. These are divided into games of skill or chance, but all are genuinely good fun, especially if you get to experience all of them. The game of squash involving Furrball batting a ball against the back wall of a squash court was surprisingly good fun; the ball speeds up with each successive ricochet, making it a true test of one's reactions.
As to what I thought about Buster Busts Loose!, Konami undoubtedly deserve credit for creating something that recreates the look and feel of the show. Where it falls down, in my opinion, is the lack of an coherent narrative; it never feels as though there's any greater goal, other than to simply get through the level at hand. Some of the levels also feel somewhat sparse in terms of content; some sections are quite short, and other than a few enemies to bash, there's not much to get your teeth into. Those looking for content and longevity will be better served by the likes of Super Mario World or Yoshi's Island, which are arguably better games, but if you were a of the show, this is worth a look.
Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode
01:10 Stage 1
08:50 Stage 2
20:00 Stage 3
27:40 Stage 4
31:20 Stage 5
39:18 Stage 6