👾【The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates】〖Squiggy's SNES First Level Quest〗(First Level Only)
The entire galaxy is being threatened by Zora the Space Pirate and her band of cosmic riffraff! Captain Zoom is here to enlist mercenary services from a mid-level sprocket manufacturer, who is apparently the most qualified person to save the galaxy. Zora's starship is closing in on the Solar System... Does George Jetson, armed with a Pneumo Osmatic Precipitator, have what it takes to defeat a band of zany space pirates in this mega-galactic adventure? Tune in now to find out!
Through a painfully long opening sequence, we learn that Zora is the leader of SPREE, Space Pirates Revelling in Evil Enterprises, whose ultimate goal is to create a "planet paradise" by stealing the resources from all surrounding worlds and adding it to hers, using her patented Neutron Force Beam.
It's not even that evil really, she just wants to make a utopia for all her friends. That concept doesn't sound too bad, yeah? I'm sure humans would do the same thing if we needed resources from a neighboring planet to survive and someone else was living there and using them. It's sad but you know it's true, we'd wipe them all out and keep furthering our own race before we gave up the ghost, or even compromised on our future. It's both terrifying and strangely inspiring.
After that overdrawn intro, we get into the meat of the gameplay, which is a thoroughly average platformer with one neat gimmick to set it apart -- your Pneumo Osmatic Precipitator, also known as P.O.P. This is a device that is basically a glorified vacuum. It allows you to suck up blocks and fire them at enemies as well as stick yourself to walls. Pretty cool actually!
The mechanic is novel and original, and I can think of only a few other games that let you platform like this. Bionic Commando for the NES is the first to come to mind, which is pretty similar but not exactly the same. It actually makes traversing the levels pretty fun, and I really started enjoying it as the game went along. I could see myself playing through a whole game like this, even if the rest of the game was just your average platforming experience.
So, to sum it up -- The vacuum mechanic is really what makes this stand out from the average platformer at a gameplay level, and coupled with the Jetsons characters and storyline, it's a pretty cool game all-in-all.
Roo can roo it, Rorge!
💚 Squiggs
--⦕ Wikipedia ⦖------------
The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates is a 1994 platform game video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, based on the animated sitcom The Jetsons.
Captain Zoom informs George while was traveling to work that Zora, the leader of the space pirates, is planning on looting the solar system of all of its resources. George has to go through nine stages of intergalactic action in order to stop the pirates using a special device known as a Pneumo Osmatic Precipitator (P.O.P.). This device allows George to hold on to things and breathe underwater as well.
There are various boss fights with machinery. With a high enough score, the player goes into a bonus stage where items must be collected before time runs out. Players must also travel through tubes to get from one part of the level to another. A speed chase level is also included in one of the levels of the game.
The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates was originally released in North America by Taito Corporation. Sting Entertainment developed it, with Hideki Takahagi as the main music composer for the Jetsons game, using Mitsuhito Tanaka's primary sound driver for Sting. This game was considered the very last one that used Mitsuhito Tanaka's primary sound driver for Sting until they were ordered by Square Co. Ltd to get rid of the sound driver and create a brand new one for Treasure Hunter G.
GamePro gave the game a negative review, summarizing, "if you liked The Jetsons ... then you might be able to wade through this game. Intermediate gamers need not apply much to this one, though. The Jetsons game is basic hop-n-bop, space-style, but it seems like all the other hop-n-boppers out there." Electronic Gaming Monthly rated the game at 6.4/10, praising it as "a faithful cartoon animation, with good graphics and character animations", but criticized the awkwardness of the suction cup attack.
--⦕ Series Information ⦖--------------
Squiggy's SNES First Level Quest is a series where I attempt to beat the first level of every SNES game. Some will be chosen randomly, some chosen because I liked them when I was younger, and some chosen by viewer request. This isn't necessarily a review or first impression or anything - the only true goal is to first define "What is Level 1 in this game?" and then beat it.
You can find the series playlist here: • 【Squiggy's SNES First Level Quest】
