35 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
35 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
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---
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title: "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland: Sesame, Let Me Out Of Here!"
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date: 2022-05-15
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score: 1
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howlongtobeat_id: 63914
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howlongtobeat_hrs: 1
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game_name: 'The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland'
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game_genre: '2D Platformer'
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tags:
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- '2D Platformer'
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game_release_year: 1999
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game_developer: 'Bonsai Interactive Corporation'
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---
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_Why on earth would you want to buy a Sesame Street game that's clearly aimed towards kids?_ I can hear you thinking. Because there are surprisingly entertaining and excellent Muppet-alike games out there. Of course I'm talking about [The Muppet CD-ROM: Muppets Inside](https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/muppet-cd-rom-muppets-inside)---it even contains a DOOM map pack called _The Kitchen Of Doom_ where you as the Swedish chef have to fight off angry vegetables:
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{{< youtube URKaT-EQ5P0 >}}
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_Elmo in Grouchland_ is everything _Muppets Inside_ isn't. It's not funny, not pleasant to play through, has little variation (unless you count the amount of over-saturated color usage to convince you you're really, really playing a Game Boy _Color_ game here!), and no decent game length. For `€6` on the second hand market, I kind of expected something like this, but couldn't resist trying anyway. I accidentally came across this game for the first time in a retrospective video on [Who Framed Roger Rabbit](/games/gameboy/who-framed-roger-rabbit) and thought _huh, that looks cool_. Yeah, that's about it.
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According to [Mobygames](https://www.mobygames.com/company/bonsai-entertainment-inc), Bonsai Interactive also made _Barbie Super Model_ for DOS, Genesis/MegaDrive and SNES. That explains it! There are two more Game Boy Color Elmo games: _Elmo's 123s_ and _Elmo's ABCs_. After that, Mobygames' entries end, but [their official website](https://www.bonsaiec.com/) lists a few more obscure GBC games.
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_Grouchland_ itself fits neatly into the Elmo lineup: it's extremely easy, extremely colorful, and extremely short. Like, ten minutes short. Each level requires about a minute of going from left to right (sometimes bottom or top, too!). Before you even properly begin exploring a level, it ends and you're greeted with an intro screen for the next one. This is without a doubt the shortest GB game I ever played. There's a _hard_ difficulty option, and even that could not be called a challenge.
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Bonsai clearly tried to make the graphics pop to appeal to a younger audience, and I must say it's pleasant enough to the eye, especially compared to so many other shoddy jobs out there on the Color. That said, this is a shoddy job too, even as a gift for a six-year old. They'll likely breeze through this even faster than me.
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There are a few obstacles to avoid and a few hard to see diamond shapes to collect to increase your score, but overall, I had little sense of what was going on, except that Elmo lost his blanket, and we had to get after it. Turns out it tumbled into a sewer, traveled through "Grouchland", and ultimately was left hanging on a helicopter? At least the jump mechanics aren't as bad as in [Tom and Jerry](/games/gameboy/tom-and-jerry-frantic-antics), but it doesn't help that you barely need them.
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The only other positive thing I can say about the game is that it's cheap. If you want your kid to grow up in a nostalgic rush of the nineties with a Game Boy, please _do not_ buy this game for them. If you're looking for a simple and cheerful platformer, take a look at Kirby's Dreamland instead.
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