Rugrats: Retro Rewind Collection Review - Dirty Diaper

Odds are if you were born in the mid‑80s and grew up on 90s cartoons like I did, you’ve at least heard of the Rugrats series. The show aired on Nickelodeon and centered around a group of toddlers getting into all sorts of mischief. Rugrats would only run for three seasons before its reruns gained popularity, ultimately leading to a late 90s revival. With its newfound success, there were, of course, toys and movies created, and yes, video games. Rugrats Retro Rewind Collection, which comes to us from Mighty Rabbit Studios and Limited Run Games, collects six of these releases, but were these games memorable in the first place? Or is this collection a bag of dirty diapers?

In Rugrats: Retro Rewind Collection, players gain access to the following titles: Rugrats: Search for Reptar on PlayStation, The Rugrats Movie (the video game…I know, that’s confusing), originally released on the Game Boy and Game Boy Color; Rugrats: Time Travelers, also on Game Boy Color; Rugrats: Studio Tour, which debuted on PlayStation; Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, released on PlayStation, N64, Game Boy Color, and later PC; and finally Rugrats: Castle Capers on the Game Boy Advance. So technically, you’re getting eight games in total, all of which were part of a licensing deal between publisher THQ and Nickelodeon that ran through the early 2000s.

While they weren’t all stinkers, THQ did have a bit of a reputation for releasing mediocre licensed games during that era, and unfortunately, when it comes to the games featured in this particular collection, they’re all about as fun as a wet diaper. First off, I think it's fair for me to wonder, who was asking for a collection of these games? Not that there aren’t fans of Rugrats mind you, my wife is one of them, but even she had no fondness for these releases. Not a single game here has aged well, whether it be the visuals, audio, controls, or game design. 

When it comes to the handheld releases, most of these games are middling platformers. Regardless of which title you select, expect lazy, half-hearted level design, a slew of weak minigames, and truly nothing that hadn’t already been done at a higher level by the time these games saw the light of day. Many of these games offer little in the way of attacks, meaning you’ll mostly be crawling and hopping through terribly constructed levels that have you collecting random items and tossing switches. If you had to choose one, Castle Capers on the Game Boy Advance is probably the strongest offering. Its more open-ended nature and decent visual design make it worth a very quick look, but it's still nothing to write home about. 

The 32‑ or 64‑bit era games are somehow even worse. While the PS1 is full of classic releases that have aged remarkably well, many others weren’t as fortunate. Sadly, the Rugrats inclusions here aren’t up to snuff, even by the standards of the time. Today, the 3D Rugrats games play like mud, offering strange movie‑studio tours full of bad minigames and ticket collecting, odd hide‑and-seek challenges, and lousy camera and tank controls. Much of the time you’re collecting Reptar tickets just to purchase new items and unlock more bad minigames and challenges. I’m all for gaming preservation, truly, but you have to wonder why Limited Run Games are investing energy into titles that nobody has fondness or positive memories of.

At the least, players will be able to view manuals for each game and listen to the musical tracks in a dedicated player. Not that these games have amazing soundtracks mind you, but I can appreciate the option. There’s also the ability to save and rewind during gameplay so that you can actually progress if you care enough, and a few filters. I wouldn’t say this collection goes above and beyond, but at least some effort was given to modernizing the games just a smidge. But in the end, it's not enough as Rugrats: Retro Rewind Collection will leave the taste of sour milk in your mouth. These games simply weren’t good then, and they’ve only gotten worse now. Even if you are a diehard fan of the series, best to avoid this collection like a dirty pacifier. While it somewhat functions as a collection and preserves these games for what they were, they simply aren’t worth your time to begin with.

BROKEN LAMP: BELOW AVERAGE