Received: April 17th, 2019 | Written: July 19th-20th, 2020
Year: 1995 | Developed by: Pax Softnica and Nintendo R&D1
Published by: Mitsui Fudōsan | Distributed by: Dentsū | [ ⬤ ]
So who's in the mood for some feel-good entertainment?
Image from Wikipedia
Peanuts was a comic strip series written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz which ran from October 2nd, 1950 to February 13th, 2000 (one day after his death, but in the days since they've shown up in newspapers as reruns) which over time would become one of the most important and influential comic strips of all time and set the standard for four-panel gag strips to come. Centered squarely around children (and a beagle and bird companion) driven by the psychological complexities of the characters and the humor driven by their interactions, Charlie Brown and the gang have been around for almost seventy years and would be adapted to TV specials, toy merchandizing, theatrically released movies, and video games.
Image from GameFAQs
One of those video games in question was the Super Famicom-exclusive Snoopy Concert which came out in Japan on May 19th, 1995, which was co-developed by Pax Softnica in their Nintendo 16-bit foray with Nintendo R&D1; produced by Hiroo Takami, executive produced by Hiroshi Yamauchi, assistant produced by Hideto Kobayashi, programmed by Hikonori Suzuki, Tomoyoki Sumi, and Kōichi Kawashima, and directed by Kazunobu Shimizu (credited as "Isshin Shimizu"). One of the things about this game that's interesting, however, is the publisher and distributor.
Logo images from Wikipedia
In the publisher's chair was Mitsui Fudōsan (full name Mitsui Fudōsan Kabushiki-gaisha) which was a Nihonbashi-Muromachi based Japanese real estate company founded in 1941, and acting as a distributing company was Minato-based Dentsū which has been around since 1901 as a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company in Tokyo. The reason I find it interesting is because both companies have got largely nothing to do with video games, with Snoopy Concert being the exception. Kinda strange if you ask me, and I'm not sure how these variables got together, but I digress. 😕
Always stick with Stereo, folks, never Monoaural
In the point-and-click title Snoopy Concert after bypassing the title screen you have a choice to start in either van Pelt brother Rerun or Linus', Schroeder's, and Charlie Brown's mini-games in any order of your choosing with Woodstock acting as the cursor for the majority of the game.
Left: Nope, no balloons for you! 🎈 | Right: What'd Rerun ever do to her to deserve having produce tossed at him?
Snoopy Concert is compatible with both the normal game controller and the mouse controller, but for the sake of this review I'll largely focus on the controller-based controls because they feel more responsive and is the ideal way to play this game. In Rerun's mini-game you take control of a hand-shaped cursor as he's careening out of control down the neighborhood, grocery store, parking garage, and ultimately the movie theater and it is up to you to prevent him from crashing and flying out of his stroller, cart, or shopping car (or holding on to the stray balloon for too long). Stuff to watch out for are balloons, open doors, balls, and produce being tossed at you by a girl, so you'll have to move your cursor and click on these obstacles to either pop, deflect, or move them.
Left: Push the ball out of the way | Right: Joe Cool pushing a flower through a gap with this nose
You can even slow down Rerun's ride by slightly holding down the front or make him speed up by pressing the button while the hand is holding the handle behind him (mandatory for one later portion), especially as he'll occasionally ride up inclines or down them. Slowing down the ride a tiny bit gives you a sense of control, but slow it down too much and Snoopy will appear via helicopter ears until he drags Rerun away at the cost of a life (each of which you'll gain upon entering a new segment by one).
Left: Dashing down the stairs | Right: The Flying Ace falling after being shot down
For the three other characters' mini-games you maneuver Woodstock around the screen in any corner with the direction buttons and guide Snoopy to the position he's at when he calls him either softly (B/Y) to which he'll walk or loudly (A/X or quickly double tapping B/Y) to which the beagle will run, so long as Woodstock is within Snoopy's vicinity, that is (i.e. not offscreen). Depending on Woodstock's positioning in relation to Snoopy (sometimes coupled with timing) you can also stop him mid-walk/mid-run, jump upwards or leap across, crouch and have him move in that position by holding down and pressing either button, pick up an item by clicking on it, using said item for the thing it pertains to, climb stairs, and enter through a door or touching a sign.
Left: Jumping upward | Right: Cliff platforming
By himself Woodstock can even survey the entire playing field before guiding Snoopy if you are uncertain at first, but remain separated for too long and Snoopy will begin to snore at which point you have no choice but to wake him up to continue. With Linus', Schroeder's, and Charlie Brown's mini-games they each have different goals: for Linus Snoopy undertakes the errand of delivering a flower to his classmate Lydia in his stead before the opposition gets there first, for Schroeder Snoopy goes on a quest to search for his music notes, and for Charlie Brown Snoopy goes full detective.
Left: Gotta beat the fin to the end | Right: Thus ends the flower delivering errand for Linus
After reaching a specific point in each of Linus', Schroeder's, and Charlie Brown's portions you'll be given a password at the end of a dialogue sequence in the form of a seven-digit phone number which you can enter by clicking the telephone in these characters' menu screen. Rerun's mini-game is the shortest of them all so no password is required for him.
Left: Picked up Sally's lunchbox she left behind on the way to school | Right: (Hang on a second, I'd recognize those freckles anywhere!)
This game was graphic designed by Eiko Takahashi, Shimizu, and Takashi Koyama, and they've all done a terrific job at capturing the classic Peanuts aesthetic with full aplomb. 😃 The simple yet appealing pastel tones, the marker-like scribbles, the comic strip-like dot patterns for certain surfaces, the gentle outlines, the way it faithfully translates the look and tone to video game format is remarkable.
Left: This detective mystery is brought to you by the Flying Ace | Right: In exchange for Sally's letter Franklin gives you his bowl of popcorn in return
I love the in-game title design and how it incorporates Snoopy's colorful pawprints in the "Snoopy" part of the title while each individual letter of the word "Concert" features the recognizable trademark outfits of the beloved Peanuts characters (e.g. Schroeder's purple striped shirt in the second "c", Charlie Brown's yellow shirt with a zig-zag pattern in the letter "e", and the vertical striped pattern of Peppermint Patty's shirt in the letter "r", et al). It's a cute and subtle touch, that is. 😃
Left: Swappin' action | Right: 😴
Among the notable locations you'll be traversing through in Snoopy Concert is a sidewalk backed by a white fence, a grocery store with a variety of refrigerated goods, a parking garage with a variety of cars in the Rerun segments; in the Linus segments there is a nicely drawn mountain cliff and later on a simple mountainous backdrop; the neighborhood Charlie Brown and Snoopy live in is nicely drawn with each home having a different house and door design, there are a neat variety of stores downtown like the movie theater and the barber shop to name a couple of them, and the Summer camp has got a fitting Summer look with the water all around and the greens of the trees;
Left: 🎵 Daaanciiing, yeah 🎵 | Right: The Kite-Eating Tree entangles Charlie Brown in revenge (and drops his catcher's mitt in the process)
and finally Schroeder's mini-game is where Snoopy and Woodstock will go through a grassy field, a leafy forest, a jungle, a warm-colored outdoor area with a swirly sun in the backdrop which then segues into a cold-colored night scene after setting down, until at last Snoopy flies into space and becomes the first beagle on the moon with the star-laden galaxy. The game incorporates a minimal amount of Mode 7 which is sparingly used in a couple portions: in the Rerun segment as you push the ball aside (only to rebound from the wall) and in a later Schroeder segment of the space area as Snoopy rotates while going in any direction with a jet pack on his back.
Left: Bus stop | Right: (Hmmm, this movie theater looks quite abandoned, don't think, Woodstock?)
The familiar Peanuts gang are endearingly designed in video game format, their expressions and traits faithfully recaptured (especially during the dialogue cutscenes, and what is interesting is how even though they appear within the frame when they speak their face appears again beside the dialogue along with the mirrored mouth flaps). I like Rerun's panicked face as he's about to hit an open door (unless you close it quickly), Schroeder's reactions upon his notes being swindled or taken away during the cutscenes are humorous (including one isolated instance when he looks at us in befuddlement after witnessing his music notes being treated as the Olympics), Snoopy animates well (I love the detail of his ears billowing in the wind upon being in midair) and his range of outfits and expressions, and I like how swiftly Woodstock flitters his wings and the way he walks and crouches (when Snoopy is boxing a flower I adore the way he imitates his best friend in action). 😄
Left: Running fast | Right: Digging ahead
The music for Snoopy Concert was composed by Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka (in his second contribution to the Peanuts video game license after the 1983 Game & Watch adaptation Snoopy) and Minako Hamano; Tanaka first offered his services to Nintendo in 1980 (having composed music for their early arcade games Radar Scope and Heli Fire, several Game & Watch titles such as Mario's Bombs Away and Spitball Sparky, the Nintendo 8-bit based Metroid and Kid Icarus, the Game Boy launch title Super Mario Land, Dr. Mario, Mario Paint, Argonaut Software's X, and Ape's first two Mother turn-based RPGs prior to this game)
Left: Amplifying Woodstock's voice | Right: Practice
while Hamano previously composed music for Nintendo's Zelda no Densetsu: Yume o Miru Shima/The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and Intelligent Systems' Super Metroid, but would go on to provide music for the subsequent Metroid and Donkey Kong Country entries. One of the most revered aspects of the Peanuts specials was the music composed by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (who sadly passed away in 1976) who essentially gave the characters their identity, especially the "Linus and Lucy" theme, and generally speaking the music post-Guaraldi could not match in terms of impact and quality.
Left: "Howdy~ I'm Flowey! Flowey the Fl-- Hey, where are you going? Don't you want to try to catch my friendliness pellets?" | Right: Championship boxing match
What Tanaka and Hamano do, rather than make a completely new soundtrack, is convert the musical styling of Guaraldi and create different variations for his beloved themes, and for what they've done they did a very amiable job as it fully complements the Peanuts aesthetic. 😃 To list some of the standout themes: the Summer camp theme has got a breezy quality about it, Schroeder's theme sounds very nice in Nintendo 16-bit format, I love this game's take on the Joe Cool theme, the daylight forest theme is catchy, I love the Rocky vibe with the final boxing match theme and the victory theme that follows upon emerging victorious, the flower sister dance and evening forest themes sound very pleasant,
Left: The Flower Sisters presenting their dance to you | Right: Sneaking around wearing a bush
one of my favorite themes from this game is when Snoopy sets foot on the moon as there is a warmly inviting and atmospheric quality to it, this theme is well-composed (despite backing my most dreaded puzzle solution of all time) and the jet pack theme is soothing, I love the way Lucy's theme has been converted, and finally the staff roll music is an excellent rendition of the Peanuts theme that's composed masterfully. Special mention goes towards the sound effects, in particular the late Bill Melendez-like sounds for Snoopy and the varied Woodstock sounds.
Left: Inside the cannon | Right: Getting the watering can unstuck from that palm tree
I liked Peanuts ever since I was a kid; I read the comics (especially in compilation books), saw a couple of the movies when I was younger on TV--Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown and Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don't Come Back!!) before getting the latter on VHS for Christmas 2002--and I've seen a good chunk of their specials (not all, there are plenty I have still not seen) on TV and on DVD which I've overall enjoyed but there was really only one that didn't sit well with me. Regardless, my experience has been more positive than negative which is a good thing, and Blue Sky Studios' The Peanuts Movie was one of the most feel-good movies from 2015 next to my personal favorite movie that year, Ridley Scott's adaptation of Andy Weir's The Martian. 😃The only Peanuts video game adaptation I played long before playing this one was WildWorks' Snoopy vs. the Red Baron for the PlayStation Portable way back in 2006, and it wasn't until several years later that I first learned of Snoopy Concert and decided to watch some gameplay footage on YouTube which looked interesting. It wasn't until April 2019 that I decided to finally order my own copy of it on eBay, and the reason I took so long to get to this game was because for the longest time I had been under the impression that it only required a mouse controller to play it,
Left: 🌧 | Right: (Hmmm, you don't suppose one of these leaves could be concealing something, do you?)
But whereas in that game it was a mandatory requirement to have a mouse controller in order to play it, in the case of Snoopy Concert that particular controller is optional as it can be played with a regular game controller; I learned it quite recently upon reading the description of NintendoComplete's full gameplay video on YouTube and I'm glad I did, because playing with either controller truly put things into perspective. With the mouse controller only the left clicker works (with one click entailing the soft call while double clicking will entail the loud call), but with the game controller there are buttons designated towards soft calls and loud calls plus Woodstock feels more responsive with the direction buttons than by controlling the mouse.
Left: Setting up a campfire | Right: ... which lasts until nightfall
The idea of a point-and-click title featuring the Peanuts characters is a very endearing one, and Woodstock acting as a cursor for the majority of the package is an ingenious choice on Pax Softnica and Nintendo's part. 😃 I liked how in Linus' portions it required moments of precise platforming by carefully guiding Snoopy along, how in Charlie Brown's segments it is a nonlinear quest that requires lots of exchanging for items in order to progress, and Schroeder's mini-game is more of a linear affair featuring areas of reasonable length plus you could take as long as you want in the latter two characters' segments.
Left: Log rolling away | Right: BOOM!
It was very pleasant to play because combined with the faithful aesthetic and ode to Vince Guaraldi's classic music Snoopy Concert felt like an interactive version of Peanuts, with the character trademarks and traits left intact. It was fun to see Snoopy play detective, sneak around, box against flowers, and fly off into space. That you could choose to play the Rerun, Linus, Schroeder, and Charlie Brown segments in any order your heart desires really lends this game a big sense of replay value.
Left: Peering outside the rocket window | Right: What an effectively shaded dialogue profile
It's also very easy to follow, even if you don't understand Japanese, and the overall lack of difficulty gives the proceedings a pick up and play quality about it (the Rerun segments notwithstanding, you pretty much have an unlimited amount of tries if you fall in the water and there is no HP required). That said, though, there is one element in the game that I would've been perfectly happy without:
Left: Climbing up with the stairs on the moon | Right: Looking through a telescope 🔭
Of the Pax Softnica games I played it is a pleasantly good game in its own right, though I consider their Game Boy venues Donkey Kong and Mogurānya to be among their best. It might not reach the heights of or have a challenge level like Game Freak's Mario & Wario in terms of point-and-click Nintendo 16-bit entertainment, but it is leaps and bounds better than, say, Namco's Hello! Pac-Man/Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures because unlike the ghost muncher in that game Snoopy actually listens to you pretty much 100% of the time and he does not go through a disconcerting amount of bipolar mood swings.
Left: Floor switches | Right: Oops, sorry, Woodstock! 😓
It captures the heart and charm of Peanuts so perfectly that it's a really feel-good experience, which is why it's so endearingly pleasant. If you have a way to access and play Super Famicom games I recommend you check it out whether you like and/or appreciate the Charles M. Schulz brand, and do not worry if you don't own the mouse controller because it is totally and completely optional in this case to have one. Overall I consider Snoopy Concert to be a good experience with a perfectly innocent flavor about it, enough to feel like a kid again. To put it simply: it is music to my ears. 😄
My Personal Score: 7.5/10
d(^-^)bTO EACH THEIR OWNd(^-^)b
● One bit of warning for those who are interested but are prone to epilepsy: there is a moment in space when Snoopy peers through a telescope to spy on a code through a laser barrier which flashes constantly in binocular vision that might potentially cause a seizure for those whose eyes are too sensitive.
Happy 25th Anniversary, Snoopy Concert!!! 🥳
Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW allowed); hope you have a great day, keep yourself safe and protected during this pandemic, and take care! 🙂
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