Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt

Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt is an interactive board video game developed by Realtime Associates for the Nintendo 64. It was originally shown at THQ's booth in 1999^[1] and was published that same year.^[2] The game is based on the animated television series Rugrats which aired on Nickelodeon from 1991 until 2004. It features the original voices from the Rugrats cast and borrows its concept from Nintendo's Mario Party franchise.

The game features three game boards. Angelica's Temple of Gloom which has an Aztec setting, Pirate Treasure Hunt where the babies scuba dive under water to find hidden treasure near a sunken ship, and Reptar Rally which is the only stage that changes the babies into dinosaurs (resembling the form of Reptar). Reviews were critically mixed to negative, receiving an aggregated score of 52.67% from GameRankings.

Gameplay

Players control one of four babies including Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil. Angelica serves as the main antagonist during the Temple of Gloom board, trying to snatch items in question before the others. She also may take away items from other players if they come in contact with her. Susie (only on the Pirate Treasue Hunt board), Spike, and Grandpa (Lou Pickles) serve as allies doing various tasks such as giving players extra cookies when they come in contact with them. Dil Pickles, who became Tommy's baby brother in The Rugrats Movie, appears when a player stops on a "Mystery" space, driving the Reptar Wagon and changes the identity of the spaces on the board.

There are three different game boards, Reptar Rally being the most distinctive. There is also a hidden square option that can be turned on or off at the start screen. Toy cards give players special abilities. One lets players turn into Reptar and travel up to five squares and stop anywhere they like, which can only be achieved normally when a "Set Spin" is selected randomly from the spinner.

The main goal, however, is to collect the most of a specific item. Stages usually begin with a brief cut scene to explain what needs to be collected, then the game begins. Items can be gathered after landing on the "Search" space, which can be recognized by the magnifying glass design. Searching may lead players to find only a dust bunny, a dud item with no function, but it is the only way to acquire certain items. If a player finds the "Double Search Power" tool when searching, he/she may search twice every turn.

Players can also collect cookies, toy cards, and energy. Cookies are a form of currency that may provide opportunities for special bonuses. Toy cards can be purchased if one lands on a toy card space; which if used wisely, can stretch the limits of game play for a single turn. Energy is needed to move from one space to another in all boards excluding Reptar Rally. If one run out of energy, he/she will begin to nap, causing him/her to warp to a "Bedroom" where the player can warp to any of the main rooms instantly. There are also spaces for recovering different sleep amounts.

Screenshot of gameplay during the Angelica's Temple of Gloom board.

Game boards

Angelica's Temple of Gloom has an Aztec setting, and is the only one of the three boards that is played cooperatively. Stu brings home statues that Angelica accidentally shatters. The babies must recover all of the missing statue pieces (four times the number of active players) before Angelica finds hers to win. Pirate Treasure Hunt involves the babies scuba diving under water to find hidden treasure near a sunken ship. After Stu shows the babies his replica of a pirate ship, Grandpa Lou tells (the beginning of) a story about pirates with treasure. They must find all four kinds of "pirate treasure" to win. Reptar Rally is the only stage that changes the babies into dinosaurs (resembling the form of Reptar). Here they collect different types of candy on an island made of sweets. If they successfully collect candy from everyone else's stash, they win.

Development

Scavenger Hunt was originally shown on THQ's booth at the E3 in 1999.^[1] In 1997, THQ signed an agreement with Nickelodeon to develop and publish video games using the Rugrats license through December 2002. The deal gave THQ exclusive rights to Rugrats for all current and future systems from Nintendo, Sony and Sega.^[3] THQ said that early development has been discussed by game designers, adding that the title is currently in the design stages. The game was intended to be an adventure game, adding that Rumble Pak compatible and multiplayer aspects are unknown at the time.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score GameRankings 52.67%[4] Review scores Publication Score AllGame [5] IGN 3.7/10[6] Nintendo Power 5.3/10[7]

Upon its release, Scavenger Hunt received mixed to negative reviews from critics. It currently holds an aggregated score of 52.67% based on 3 reviews.^[4] Turhan Herder on IGN gave it a 3.7/10, and called it "a dull, sloppy mess which not only embarrasses everyone involved but manages to tarnish the very license it meant to exploit." Herder said that "young children will quickly be bored from the slow pace and frustrated by the unintuitive game mechanics, while more experienced gamers will balk at the simplistic play and juvenile subject matter." Herder commented on the review that the game "is yet another example of a publisher trying to make a quick buck off a popular license."^[6]

References

External links

• Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt at MobyGames