The 1990s was an incredible time to grow up developing a lifelong passion for gaming. It was a decade forever marked by the release of some of the greatest games of all time, from Super Mario 64 to Metal Gear Solid and from Final Fantasy 7 to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. True 90s masterpieces. We continue to wax lyrical about these titles, and quite rightly so, but there were so many excellent games released over these years that have, tragically, been largely forgotten today.
From a great Batman title to the adventures of the wonderfully puerile Boogerman and a racer starring the Volkswagen Beetle, here are some great titles from the 1990s that many of us sadly missed out on.
Gargoyle's Quest
Quite The Quest For The Humble Game Boy
Now, Nintendo's original Game Boy isn't exactly a technological powerhouse. Though its limitations in this area surely held back developers who worked on it, the system still packed a wide catalogue of excellent games at the end of its life cycle. It was a natural home for some great platformers, in particular, and Gargoyle's Quest is just one example.
It may not look like much, but this Capcom title blends platforming action with RPG elements like skill upgrades, making for a deeper experience. The plot revolves around Firebrand, the titular gargoyle, who is on a quest to end the threat of the Destroyers. Where a lot of genre entries (especially at the time) never really evolved their characters' abilities beyond running and jumping, Firebrand's limited ability of flight and combat prowess mean that greater variety in environment design is possible, and there's much more of an action focus too. An often-overlooked gem.
Chuck Rock
A Rock-Throwing Good Time
As already noted, the 1990s was a fantastic era for platformers. Some genre icons of the time, such as Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, are still starring in great titles, while others, like former Sega superstar Alex Kidd, have been all but forgotten. Another example of the latter is Chuck Rock, whose prehistoric world is a joy to explore in his eponymous debut, which arrived in North America in 1992 for the SNES, Sega Genesis, and other systems.
In this action platformer, Chuck's wife Ophelia has been kidnapped by a villainous rival, and he must work his way through some wonderfully cliched worlds (jungle, fire, and so on) to rescue her. There are lots of platformer conventions at play here, then, but Chuck Rock separates itself from them by making great use of its setting, wonderfully absurd animation style, and Chuck's unique moveset. His signature attack is his belly bounce, which he can supplement by throwing rocks and larger boulders found in the environment. The latter can be used to attack enemies, reach higher spots, or provide stepping stones through otherwise hazardous terrain. Finding clever ways to reach secrets and generally traverse levels can be a lot of fun, and there's a solid, enjoyable, and varied challenge to be had here.
Fantastic Dizzy
Egg-celent Platforming From Another Forgotten Genre Star
You may not remember Dizzy, the curious little egg mascot who debuted in 1987's Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure. Created by the Oliver Twins, these platformers are known for their fun puzzling element, and Fantastic Dizzy was perhaps the best example of what the series was all about. "Our hero," as the game's intro proclaims, must leave the village of the Yolkfolk in pursuit of the nefarious wizard Zaks, collecting a great wealth of stars (250 in the Sega Genesis edition) to ultimately gain access to his lair. They're found on different screens throughout the game, beginning in the village itself, before expanding into a surrounding forest, an obligatory minecart-riding area, underwater (complete with Super Mario-esque swimming mechanics) and more besides.
Without conventional level beginnings and endings, there's a sense of freedom to Fantastic Dizzy. Though it's not very long, it gives the feeling of an unbroken adventure across a large world as a result, something that some platformers struggle to convey. The controls are simple, but item collection lends some variety, and the wonderfully earwormy music complements the visuals nicely.
Gauntlet 4
An Evolution Of A Classic Hack And Slash
Gauntlet is one of gaming's most iconic adventures. As with a title like Rogue, it's a brilliantly simple and utterly engaging concept that has inspired countless games that came after it. You just choose your character and embark (alone or in a party) on a journey to cut your way through hordes of enemies, making your way through dungeons by clearing out foes and solving simple puzzles. First arriving in North American arcades in 1985, there have been several sequels and attempts to bring Gauntlet back to prominence, and perhaps the best of these was 1993's Gauntlet 4.
A Sega Genesis exclusive, this title is a very substantial package for series fans, offering the chance to play against friends (in a Golden Axe-esque fashion) as well as alongside them. On top of that, there's quest mode, which ties a narrative into the action more closely and tasks your hero (/band of heroes) with traveling to different regions to vanquish a series of dragons that seal away a special treasure. Controls and combat are accessible enough to be welcoming, but not so simple as to quickly become too shallow and repetitive, which is the perfect balance for an arcade action title like this. As is often the case with such games, it really shines in multiplayer, and minor additions like character progression lent an additional depth to the quest that would be expanded on further in later titles. An important moment in the series' history that so many didn't experience at the time.
Boogerman: A Pick And Flick Adventure
A Fascinating And Enjoyably Absurd Time Capsule
Gross-out humor and eye-catching animation is what a lot of 1990s animated entertainment was all about. Interplay Productions' Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure, which hit the Sega Genesis in North America in 1994 and the SNES the following year, embraced those concepts vigorously. It's an almost perfect title in that it knew exactly what it set out to be and to do, and had a lot of success achieving it.
Within the first few seconds of booting up the game, Boogerman has thrown a snotty projectile at the screen and climbed out of a toilet, which both perfectly sets the tone for what to expect throughout this adventure and explains why he hasn't joined the ranks of beloved gaming mascots. The plot revolves around a device invented by Professor Stinkbaum, which can purportedly end humanity's garbage problem by sending all that matter to a different dimension. Boogerman himself is transported by it, taking him on a gross journey from the Flatulent Swamps to the Mucous Mountains. You can think of them like Zones in Sonic titles, only with much more toilet humor. Boogerman travels through toilets like Mario travels through pipes, for instance, and can throw snot balls and flatulence of his own at enemies.
With his limited jetpack-style ability, our hero is very mobile, and the levels are full of toilet plungers and silly collectibles to hunt for. It could have just been a silly, throwaway affair with no substance, but there's actually quite a solid and enjoyable platformer beneath that sticky facade.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
