Mischief Makers ReviewSeveral years ago, I purchased an N64 from a used game store and an obscure title known as Mischief Makers. I played it, and found myself to enjoy it, but I eventually sold it to get Super Mario 64. And you know what? I regret it. Mischief Makers is a very interesting gem for the Nintendo 64 developed by Treasure, the same company who also created Gunstar Heroes. Not only is Mischief Makers very interesting, its also very original. What other game do you know of where you ride on a cat, throwing missiles back at a dog-shaped vehicle? That's what I thought. So, let's serve some justice through fire and take a look at this game.
Gameplay:
The setting of this game is you're on a planet with odd clay people (The planet and the race are both called Clancer) as Marina Liteyears, a robot maid created by the self-proclaimed Professor Theo. When the professor is kidnapped by the Empire, its up to Marina to save him by beating down enemies, and solving puzzles to advance. Along the way, you will have to shake enemies, objects, and many other things. One of these objects are the Clanpot, a magic pot that you put stuff in to create something else. Think of this as Kirby's cooking cauldron, only instead of making food, it usually makes a weapon of some sort. There are four gems you can collect from enemies and levels. The red gem helps you continue with more resources at the start. The blue one gives you a little bit of health back. The green one give about 10 red gems and some health. And there is one yellow gem on each level, which are needed for the best ending of the game. (Including an alternate scene where you can beat up Teran, a Clancer, yourself, preventing him from getting a punch on you.)
The controls are hard to figure out at first, but once you've figured them out, you'll be sailing smoothly, but the boss fights are still pretty tough on their own. After you complete a world, you save the professor, only for him to get thrown to the next world by Marina out of self defense. Along the way, you will have to help people out in strange scenarios (Including riding a tricycle across an exploding bridge) and fight the Beastector, a powerful trio of animals with the intelligence of humans that believe Marina to be a criminal, due to her doppelganger, Calina, causing mayhem. Something very disturbing that you will notice right away is that everything has a face. The blocks, the objects, the faces...I wouldn't be surprised that Clancer is just one big sphere with a face on it. And all the Clancers have the same face: A face deprived of all life with a gaping mouth and no eyes. But, I suppose its not as creepy as having no face at all. And no one ever mentions the faces, which really makes me wonder about them. But, I'm getting off topic, let's finish this up.
Graphics: 9
Unlike many N64 games, this is a 2D game, but it makes up for it with excellent graphics and great detail.
Sound: 9
What I like about Mischief Makers a lot is its originality, and its sound choice is very original. If you haven't heard it, its unlike anything I've ever heard. The voice clips are alright too.
Addictiveness: 7
Unfortunately, this game lacks replay value, but I do want to come back and play it for fun one day. The yellow gems were a nice touch.
Story: 9
As I've explained, Professor Theo is captured by the Empire and Marina goes to rescue him, as she fights the Empire and Beastector. The plot unfolds as you continue.
Depth: 7
Though there isn't a whole lot of depth, I found the Clanpot idea to be great, and I wish they would have used it for more purposes, like having more recipes and puzzles for them.
Difficulty: 8
Though the controls aren't always easy to pick up, the game itself is difficult, and you'll probably need to practice a little to defeat a certain boss. This game is very generous by exposing the weak point of the enemy.
OVERALL: 9.1
Mischief Makers is very under looked, so if you're fortunate enough to pass it up, I would highly recommend giving it a go. So, I guess this is it for now, so, until next time, I leave you with this review.
"Through fire, justice is served!" ~Lunar, Mischief Makers
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Graphics
9 Sound
9 Addictive
7 Depth
7 Story
9 Difficulty
8