Owning just a Nintendo 64 was difficult for any regular gamer. Sure, it had some of the most memorable and greatest games of all time, but the release calendar suffered many of the longest droughts of any system. 1997 was one of the system’s better years. Not only did it bring with it Goldeneye 007 and Mario Kart 64, but also a much lesser known, smaller scale release that just happens to be one of my favorite video games of all time. This title was called Mischief Makers, and it failed to get a lot of attention due to the fact that it was a two dimensional side scroller in an age of 3D platform games. It was not only the first game of its type on the Nintendo 64, but also marks the first Treasure title released on a Nintendo platform. For this review I’m here to tell you why this amazing and widely overlooked title belongs in every serious gamer’s collection.
Mischief Makers puts you in control of an android named Marina. I say ‘android,’ but she’s actually an ‘Ultra Intergalactic Cybot G,’ whatever that means. One day Marina is called to action as the inventor who created her is kidnapped by a weird group of aliens called “Clancers.” It’s up to her to save him, and eventually the very world itself. Mischief Makers’ story may sound standard, but it’s full of zany characters and situations. It’s a real riot, and it’s one of the wackiest games available on the Nintendo 64. As I mentioned earlier Mischief Makers is a two dimensional action platformer. As Marina you can run left/right, jump, grab items/enemies, and use your rocket boosters to gain momentum in any direction. The main gimmick here is Marina’s ability to shake items and enemies. This interaction is regularly required to use on elements in each environment, and the developers came up with some really creative uses for it.
A significant amount of the platforming in this game is focused around your jet pack and grabbing abilities. The C-buttons control the propulsion direction, but they only work in short bursts that require you to press them repeatedly. You can manipulate many items while holding on and using the rocket boost, and this concept is constant throughout the entire game. These that depend on the rocket boost are the ones that I found most difficult; you need fast reactions and later on one misstep will lead to certain death. One unique aspect of Mischief Makers is the fact that falling off a cliff doesn’t mean instant death and often times you’ll lose only a portion of your life bar and be thrown back into an earlier section of the stage. It’s a tough game and it being forgiving makes Mischief Makers much more approachable. Level design is kept extremely inventive, and in many stages you have different objectives or hazards. I particularly enjoy the levels where the everything sways, and also the areas where you have to lead other characters from the start to the end. The variety is really cool, and there isn’t any particular task that isn’t fun or that doesn’t offer a unique challenge.
The gameplay evolves constantly from start to finish, and this keeps Mischief Makers interesting all of the way to the end credits. It’s one of the most fresh platformers released even to this day. Marina is armed with a ton of abilities the game does a really nice job of easing you into it and teaching you how to play. You’ll be tested with simple tasks in the beginning, but later on the obstacles become much more significant and trying. It’s a perfect balance. Sometimes you’ll handle mechanics that are only present in that single stage such as controlling a robot using only your rocket boosts, or shaking items to rotate the roof around. Entire games have been built around these singular concepts, but for Mischief Makers it’s a mere stage that takes just a few minutes to complete.
The highest point of this game is its boss fights. Treasure came up with some really inventive ways to incorporate Marina’s skills in battling against them, and they’re no pushover let me tell you. These characters are done in typical screen filling fashion wherein you must memorize attack and movement patterns. Some of these encounters are really unique. Migen throws punches at you that you must catch and then throw back, there’s a kitty which you must play dodgeball against, and even a high speed motorbike battle against a huge bazooka toting rival. Most bosses come complete with voice samples and zany dialogue, and this makes them extremely memorable and charming. While the whole game is excellent the boss encounters are simply incredible, and are among the best that the developers have ever designed.
Mischief Makers isn’t a particularly impressive Nintendo 64 game, but the art style more than makes up for this. Because of its two dimensional nature this game holds up significantly better than most other games of its era. This title is mostly sprite based with both backgrounds and characters coming off as a little blocky especially during instances where the camera zooms on them. The characters have a very cartoon-ish and colorful look that is extremely pleasant and memorable. Sprite work is so well done here that this game has a sort digitized look like in Donkey Kong Country or Yoshi’s Story. What’s really impressive is the fact that the game never suffers from even the slightest amount of slowdown even when facing full screen boss characters or several different enemies at once. The only problem I can think of whatsoever is that the backgrounds can sometimes be a bit drab but that’s hardly a major issue. Because it relies more on style than pushing the hardware Mischief Makers is still a really good looking game even today.
Most people I’ve spoken to who have played this game hated its soundtrack, but I for one have always loved it. The music is very typical for a Treasure title, and it fits the atmosphere perfectly with upbeat compositions and quirky high pitched notes. I especially like the intro and screen transition themes, but it’s all really enjoyable to be honest. The sound effects are also extremely well done. Everything from Marina’s jump to her rocket boost is all very nice. The voice samples are extremely charming and memorable. Anyone who has played this game will remember Marina’s ‘shake, shake’ sample, or the ‘help me, Marina!’ clip at the beginning. For a cartridge based game the voice work is surprisingly clear, and it’s actually pretty impressive.
It’s criminal how underrated Mischief Makers is. At release most critics just cast it aside, but it has always been one of my most favorite games on the platform. Not only that but it’s also one of the best platform games of all time. Treasure is a developer long known for making fun and quirky games, but Mischief Makers might just be their very best title of all time. If you have any interest in the genre you owe it to yourself to track this one down; the prices for it on Ebay are surprisingly reasonable and it’s easy to find. Most gamers will disagree with me but I think it’s the singular best game Treasure has ever made. Yes, it even beats out Gunstar Heroes. It’s cheap, fun, has a great sense of style and humor. So then, what are you waiting for?
