| Introduction
This is one of two titles that LSP are giving the
Advance treatment to, the other being Extreme Ghostbusters.
The GBC version of Gremlins was an outstanding achievement
both visually and gameplay wise and was arguably one
of the last great titles to grace the format. It would
seems obvious then that given a more powerful format
LSP would be able to make an even better Gremlins game.
Have they? Read on and see...
GamePlay
For anyone who's sampled the GBC version there are
both similarities and differences but, as with the original,
the first thing you must do is choose the character
you want to play - Spike or Gizmo. These lead to slightly
different game styles but your main objective is to
recover all the presents and find the Christmas tree.
This always includes neutralizing the various Gremlins
as they've all stolen a present but you also need to
complete various tasks such as finding door keys or
flipping switches.
On completion of the 'standard' mode you may want
to try your hand at the 'Time Attack'. This allows you
to play through the game again but this time against
the clock and is considerably tougher than just playing
through a level. There's also the multi-player option,
which allows two players to fight it out with one playing
Spike and the other Gizmo. The real plus is that you
only require one copy of the game to enjoy this, a game
feature that's woefully under supported.
Although you have to deal with a password system
it's really not as difficult as most others I've encountered
recently. This is because it doesn't save your score
and lives remaining, but is simply a level code. Even
better is the fact that they're all meaningful words
from the Gremlins world so there's a very good chance
that you'll actually be able to remember it rather than
having to write it down.
Controls
Controlling Spike or Gizmo is incredibly easy and
the controls are also very responsive. The only tricky
part we found is with Gizmo when he's attempting to
neutralize Gremlins. This occurs after you've knocked
them over with a spin and then flash them with your
touch (flashlight). The problem being that until you're
familiar with the controls you tend to keep spinning
and the Gremlins get you. This is nothing to do with
the control system but rather the player in their haste
to do away with the Gremlins. These minor problems are
overcome however with the tutorial that precedes any
game and guides you in every aspect of the control system.
Graphics
The first thing you'll notice in Gremlins are the
main characters which all feature incredibly smooth
animation. This is a result of the developers cramming
in those few extra frames into each character and this
attention to detail is carried throughout the game.
The various environments are taken straight from the
movie and they all look just as good and incredibly
detailed. It's not the first game I've seen of this
quality lately and the French seem to have attained
a level of visual flair on the GBA that's eluded some
other developers across the globe.
Sound & Music
Things start off with a kind of spooky fairground
theme which is an apt way to introduce the game as anyone
who's seen the movie it's based on will realize. The
sound effects are excellent especially when you neutralize
a Gremlin or suffer some damage and the developers have
obviously dedicated some time into capturing original
voices from the movie. Overall this title is an audio
feast, which justifies digging out those headphones.
Final Comments
What Gremlins loses with the absence of the mini
games it makes up for with the inclusion of the multi-player
option, especially from only one cart. Everything else
is here though, and in quality measures, the audio,
the visuals and most importantly, the gameplay. This
is an all round solid platformer and, if you're into
this genre, you can't go far wrong with Gremlins. It
also serves as a benchmark to other developers who are
thinking of giving the Advance treatment to a previous
GBC title. This is what gamers expect: improved graphics,
sound and gameplay. Simple really.
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