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If you were a ’90s kid, you likely spent time doing one of two things: playing video games or watching cartoons. One of the best cartoons on TV was Nickelodeon’sRugrats, a show following the larger-than-life adventures of a group of babies (and their well-meaning but hilariously oblivious parents).
Now you can experience ’90s nostalgia all over again with Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland, an 8-bit NES-inspired platformer. In this new adventure, Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil search for Reptar coins to prove to Angelica that babies are good enough to play “bibeo games.” Use these beginner tips to help our favorite babies reach their goals!
Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland uses ajumpandlift button. To avoid confusion among different console owners, we’ll refer to thejump button as “A"and thelift button as “B.”
Each Baby Has Different Movement Stats
One of Adventures in Gameland’s standout features is itsroster of selectable characters: Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil. Each baby hasvarying proficiencies in jumping and lifting. You can swap out babies at any time. However, once all four babies lose their health, it’s game over.
Lil has an additional skill, which allows her toglide with her skirt, ala Princess Peach. Hold down the A button during a jump to try it out!
Swapping out babies can help you navigate various obstacles. For instance,Chuckie and Lil are great for platformingdue to their high jump scores. Conversely,Phil suits boss battlessince he can throw objects farther to reach enemies.Tommy is a strong all-rounderthat can handle most situations.
🟩🟩⬛⬛(2/4)
🟩🟩🟩⬛(3/4)
🟩🟩🟩🟩(4/4)
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Zoom Out For A Better View Of The Stage
Adventures in Gameland has two art styles: an 8-bit style ala NES and an HD style emulating the Rugrats cartoon. HD mode automatically positions the camera to fullscreen.
Unfortunately, you’llmiss many vital details playing in fullscreen mode, especially when climbing a tall tower of obstacles. Fortunately, you’re able to quicklyswitch to the original 4:3 view by pressing either trigger button on your controller.
Avoid Enemy Confrontations Whenever Possible
One early mistake we made playing Adventures in Gameland was pursuing every enemy we encountered. It’s a common mistake, especially if you play action games where crushing foes is the main objective. However, with the exception of boss battles,platforming games prioritize making it to the end of the stage.
We recommendavoiding enemy confrontationswhenever possible. If a Mr. Friend doll is blocking your path, by all means, annihilate that creepy thing! But if you can jump over or sneak past a foe without risk to your health, that’s the best course of action.
You’ll need all four of your babies' stamina to defeat Adventures in Gameland’s formidable bosses. Therefore, you should do whatever you may to avoid taking damage before a stage’s end.
You Can Move Blocks To Reach High Spaces And Defeat Enemies
Did you knowyou can lift, place, and throw blocksin Adventures in Gameland? We didn’t. The game does a subpar job of introducing controls. Plus, there isn’t a clear indicator of what blocks are moveable. Despite the lifting stats displayed on the character select screen, the mechanic is still easy to miss.
Adventures in Gameland is significantly less complicated once you learn how to lift and move blocks. Stacking blocks will help you jump to high areas. Throwing blocks is vital for attacking enemies and defeating bosses.
B Button + Left or Right
Down (While Holding Block)
Preserve Your Health By Swapping Out Babies
Your babies' health is a precious resource. Each baby getsone life bottle with four sections. Depleting that baby’s life bottle takes them out of the game. You canregain health by collecting baby bottles and earning extra lives via cookies. Otherwise, that’s all you get.
You get unlimited respawns by playing the game onNewborn difficulty. But we’re too stubborn to admit defeat.
What’s worse is that if the baby you’re controlling dies, you’re next baby willrespawn at the last checkpoint. If the previous checkpoint you reached was a while back, you’ll have to play through the same obstacles again. If your baby dies during a boss battle, you’ll have to restart it from the beginning.
Fortunately, there is a workaround to this issue. You can swap out babies at any time. So, if you’re close to defeating a boss or reaching a new checkpoint, but your current baby is low on health, you cantag in a new baby to finish the job.
Hold The Up Button Near Ropes To Grab Them
Remember when we said Adventures in Gameland doesn’t explain its controls well? Climbing vines, ropes, and pipes is another example. Don’t expect your baby to latch onto a rope simply by jumping in front of it. You need tohold the up button near the ropeto climb on.
you may alsoscootch slightly left or right while climbing a ropeto jump to your next target. But don’t scootch too far or your baby will let go of the rope and fall to their demise.
Try The Game In 8-Bit Mode To Increase Your Accuracy
Despite including an HD mode, Adventures in Gameland was designed asan 8-bit adventure. Limited Run Games even soldan NES port of the gameon its website. After playing Adventures in Gameland, we can confirm that the8-bit mode feels better to play.
While HD mode is lovely, everything in8-bit mode is more clearly defined. There are fewer visual distractions, a reduced color palette, and no elaborate backgrounds. Lines, character sprites, and other details stand out more as well.
If you find yourself struggling to gauge a jump or aim a block at a target, we recommend switching to 8-bit mode. The clear objects and lack of distractions will increase your accuracy.
Learn A Boss’s Gimmick To Defeat Them
Most platformersframe boss battles around a central gimmick, Adventures in Gameland being one of them. So, before you lose life after life charging toward bosses head-on, observe theirattack patterns and the stage design first. You’ll likely find clues to defeat the enemy.
For example, let’s dissect the"Big Boy” Pickles boss battle. This battle occurs at the Sandbox stage’s end, which features manyMr.Driller-Esque collapsible tiles. Goading “Big Boy” tostamp onto the same column of tiles will open a path to the next section. In the last section, you’llthrow flies at “Big Boy” to defeat him.
