Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers
System: NES
Release Date: June 1990
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Platformer
Capcom was busy leading up to June 1990 also releasing Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers. Fat Cat is up to his old tricks once again and a kitty cat kidnapping is upgraded to the abduction of Gadget! Enter Chip ‘n Dale… and Monty and Zipper… as they travel through 10 levels of platforming action to save their friend and put an end to Fat Cat’s evil ways.
Start of by choosing to play a 1 or 2 player game. Then decide if you’re going to be Chip or Dale. They play exactly the same, so choose your favorite. I decided I’d play as Chip until I needed to continue. I never needed to continue, so the superior chipmunk sat on the sidelines. Controls are simple; jump with the A Button and pick up and throw crates with the B Button. You can hide in the crates for invincibility against an attack by holding down.
There are pickups around the level. For every 50 flowers you collect, a 1up star will float on screen. However, once you reach 999, you won’t get credit for any more hearts, so try to win within those extra 19 lives. After each level you have a chance to grab an extra life or two in boxes, if you’re fast. This is more than enough lives to get through the game. The last level can give you fits with the final gauntlet of enemies before the final boss. They killed me bunch of times before finally getting past them.
Many, but not all levels end with a battle against a boss. Bosses all require you to pick up a ball and throw it at them while avoiding a projectile of some kind. It may take a life to figure out how to avoid their attacks, but nothing too hard. Last time I played through this was years ago with Gert. We had a great time. I wish I could have gotten her to play this time around!
Graphics: 3.0
I really like the backgrounds and obstacles in the level showing the size of our protagonists.
Sound: 3.0
The theme song is a perfect 8-bit rendition of the TV show. The level tunes are all good.
Gameplay: 3.5
Chip and Dale handle really well. Jumping and throwing boxes feels good.
Difficulty: 2.5
Only the last level will give you a modicum of trouble. Everything else is a breeze and you don’t get any powerups.
Fun Factor: 3.5
This is an incredibly tight game that you can’t help but have fun with.
Overall Grade: 3.1
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers earns a B. Certainly a top tier game on the NES. Play it, enjoy it, and have a great time.