Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

I don't know, that's why I'm asking you, ha. Okay, enough with that. Hopefully, by now, everyone has seen the movie and knows who framed one of the most memorable cartoon bunnies of all time. And, of course, with every successful blockbuster must come the inevitable game based on a movie (okay, maybe not all: Casino Royale didn't have a game). Granted, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of movie based games have turned out decent enough if not fantastic. I'm going to take a cue from Spider-Man 2 and 3 as examples (though many claim the third movie game wasn't that great, but I thought it was just as fun as two). And the list goes on, but this review is intended for a much older flick, so, I guess, I'll just go ahead and get to the review (which you're all probably saying, ppppppuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhllllease.)

Story 8/10
If you have seen the movie, then, you probably think you know the story of the game. Eh, wrongo. If the history of video games has taught us one thing, it's this: stories differ significantly when adapted. Again, though, not a bad thing, especially for this game. In fact, the game feels more like a sequel, although, a sequel with the same basic premise, just altered slightly. Or maybe, the creators felt they had their own story to tell. Basically, Roger gets a call from Marvin Acme who tells him to come on over. During their meeting, Roger is informed by Marvin he feels his life is in danger and is then shot to death with Roger as the only witness. So, basically, as Roger, you have to discover and defeat the real murderer and save your wife Jessica. Now, the parts I referred to which made it feel like a sequel include the dialogue between Roger with Eddie Valiant and Dolores. They talk as if they've known each other before and make it sound as if they've been through this ordeal before with the same villains. Not a big deal, and it's always nice to change some things for the sake of interesting gameplay. But, still, pretty predictable. I believe it's actually mentioned at the very beginning who the bad guy is, but it's the same as in the movie, so, no mystery here.

Graphics 10/10
No complaints in this area, which I don't really seem to have much of most of the time. I'm pretty easygoing. As long as I can see everything clear enough and there are no glitches, I'm alright. It's even better when the gamesprites look a lot like their respective film counterparts. For a game on the gray screen handheld, they all looked relatively close. There were no glitches which made me happy. The graphics of the environment consisted of an overhead view similar to the Zelda games which is always a nice touch. The buildings were fair looking and it was a nice feeling to explore a little bit of the city and talk to random citizens (who, oddly enough, had dead on advice to give despite being some random citizen). Actually, one more thing I find amusing is that the limited color on the original gameboy added to the atmosphere of the game. After all, the story is supposed to be noirish, despite the fact that there are cartoon characters making visuals of the film all pretty and lively. Still, having a black and white tone really harkens back to the days of the Maltese Falcon. I know, it wasn't intentional, since the original gameboy didn't have color, but still a nice result, anyway.

Music and Sound 10/10
Again, no complaints. The sound effects were fine and the music was fun to listen to. It provided a sense of noir which added to the atmoshpere of the game and while it was repetitive, I never got bored of it. Also, each level had its own unique sound which is a nice touch. The sounds of pain inflicted upon Roger or other characters had a real cartoon feel about them which is actually perfect. After all, these are cartoon characters and you're really not killing each other. It's more reminiscent of those old looney tunes episodes of Wiley E. Coyote or Sylvester always end up getting hurt in comical, cartoon ways. I think that was a nice aim to have here, since they are cartoon characters in a human world fighting each other. Points for that cartoonish sound.

Gameplay 8/10
Well, the gameplay was decent, though the game itself was pretty short, but oh well. My other complaint was that it had a password save system. I know a lot of games back in the day used passwords, but a regular saving system would have been better. Other than that, the game played just fine. The puzzles aren't real difficult, but you do get a little exploration. As I stated above, the game is presented in Zelda-style overworld view which is always fun. You get to utilize many enjoyable toon weapons from the film such as the punch-glove hammer and gun with toon bullets. Heck, you even get to ride Benny the Cab in a boss fight. You interact with people who give you clues and hints of what to do next. You can even interact with all of the drunks at Dolores's bar which I found entertaining. But, I'll still never get over the fact that a bunch of people you never met before carry some vital and personal information that's probably more than they would know. However, who am I to criticize? Other game play options involve you needing to pick up items to help further into the level. It does capture a sense of adventure gaming, but combined with action platforming to keep it apart from that genre. Not a bad idea. Plus, I don't think there was too much combination of items. I believe it was mostly using them individually. It was still an enjoyable romp. It took me a while to beat it, but, I was also younger then. Nowadays, it doesn't take too long at all. So, not overly long, but could have been longer. Just because it was on a gameboy doesn't mean it couldn't have been longer. I played many games on the system that were of decent length, so, no excuses.

Replayability 5/10
Okay, coupled with the length of the game is the other downside. Although, I might as well combine them to form one, since they seem to go hand in hand. Once you go through it, that's it really. There is nothing to unlock, no power ups or secret endings, just one playthrough and that's about it (unless I missed something the last time I played, but highly doubt it.). Might be enjoyable if you feel like playing through it again, but you won't find anything new, except maybe coming up with a different strategy for playing through it. That's all she wrote.

Overall, Fun, worth a look, might be worth a buy if you like. It's entertaining which is what games should be, but it could have been better. Still, not a total loss and not a waste of money, especially if you are a fan of the film.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/20/08

Game Release: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (US, November 1991)