NES #25: Puss in Boots: Pero's Great Adventure

Developer: Shouei System

Publisher: Electro Brain

Release Date: June 1990

 This game reminds me of my old gaming adage: If a game has the word great in the title it is probably bad. Luckily Puss in Boots beats the trend by being not completely worthless. It’s just not one that particularly stands out. It’s most notable for staring the mascot of Toei animation, the makers of Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. It has no other connection to Toei besides the character though, so it’s a very minor footnote in the company’s history. This is a game that was always around, but I never bothered to play it. It came out just in time for my first summer vacation, but I wasn’t quite renting games yet. I played it as an adult after hearing that it was easy. Luckily, it is more challenging than people give it credit for. There is some challenge to be found.

(Well, it's not exactly the whole world, but at least he goes to Space Wars.)

 Puss in Boots reminds me of an Alex Kidd game in that almost every level plays differently. In some you are on foot, in some you are underwater, in some you are in a plane etc. It also has Alex Kidd’s love of weird enemies. The first level has blobs and killer horseshoes while the flying levels have lightning bolts despite the sky being sunny. Many of the more humanoid enemies attack in odd machines. It does add some much-needed flavor to the game. It is much needed because despite the game being a world tour of sorts the levels are not all that interesting. Half of the levels are either underwater or in the sky making for nothing but blue backgrounds. Other levels take place in buildings which could be anywhere. The around the world theme really isn’t utilized very well.

(I hate doors you can't go into)

 The most intriguing aspect of the game is its difficulty. It’s a game that’s both very easy and very hard. Most of the levels are short making it a quick play through. We’re talking fifteen minutes from start to finish. This makes it sound like a cakewalk, but in true NES fashion it’s not quite as it seems. The game only has three continues so failure is an option. While the first half of the game is pretty easy it gets hard near the end. The last level almost has Castlevania difficulty. It’s a confusing maze with plenty of traps and hazards. Right before the final boss there is a difficult mini-boss and a hallway of fire. It all culminates with one of the harder boss fights on the console. It’s one nobody talks about, but I had more trouble with Count Gruemon than I did with almost any boss from a more famously difficult game. So, it’s one of those games that is short, but takes a few tries to beat. I still don’t know how I beat that boss. It just happened one time.

(Despite the potential, most of the levels look more like this)

 So here we have yet another NES game for the okay section. It plays alright but it just doesn’t stand out in a field of vastly superior platformers. It’s my third NES game in a row to miss the good column, but of course I’m picking out what games to review so I guess that’s on me. I am learning that ranking every game regardless of console makes for some weirdness. Right at the bottom of the green section I have some obscure but decent Atari 2600 games. I already decided Puss in Boots was only okay when I played it, so it can’t go above them. Of course, I definitely see myself playing Entombed and Red Sea Crossing in the future, but the quality is about the same and I doubt many people would rank them that way. So, we have a new top purple game. Puss in Boots edges out Baraduke to become the new most okay game in history. Congratulations!

 

NES Quality Percentage: 13/25 or 52% 

(images are from mobygames.com)