🎒 Received: August 15th, 2020 🎒
🎒 Written: August 21st-September 9th, 2024 🎒
(As played on Super Game Boy)
Year: 1996 | Developed and Published by: Kemco | [ ⬤ ]Hello, gamers and readers alike, welcome to my blog and thank you for taking the time to tune in today, I really appreciate it!
Originally created as "Death Ball" starring a blob character and planned to localized outside of Japan as Heart Attack, this game was changed to a Peanuts license very late in development
In 1990, the year that the late Charles M. Schulz's highly celebrated and reverentially important United Feature Syndicate comic strip Peanuts celebrated its forty years of existence, the Game Boy saw the release of Snoopy's foray to Nintendo's handheld system with the release of Kemco's Snoopy no Magic Show in Japan which would see a Western release that same year as Snoopy's Magic Show. The game saw the beagle try to help Woodstock and his three clones after a magic act had gone awry under an allotted time frame as he also had to avoid being touched by bouncing ricocheting balls and during the latter half by Snoopy's older desert-dwelling brother Spike.
Image from GameFAQs
Six years after the iconic beagle's grand debut on the Game Boy, Snoopy would make another appearance on Nintendo's highly successful handheld system with the latest outing by Kemco, Snoopy no Hajimete no Otsukai*, on December 21st, 1996 in Japan. Unlike Snoopy no Magic Show which also saw a Western release at the time, this game does not share that distinction sadly as it was rendered a Japenese exclusive.* The title of which is a pun exclusively based on Japanese wordplay that gets a bit lost when translated to another language, but for those curious the title more or less means "Snoopy's First Errand"
Left: Starting off simple by only needing to get a loaf of bread 🥖 | Right: As such, a simple northeast arrow in front of the shop will do
In the isometric game Snoopy no Hajimete no Otsukai the objective is to guide Snoopy around the grid for you cannot control him directly. At the bottom of the screen is a menu where you can highlight and select the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast arrows with the A button* and place in any spot that is within his trajectory, and if you wish to make him stop moving (if only for a brief moment) select the paws to make Snoopy come to a stop once he reaches that designated spot, but if you've changed your mind after selecting an option you can simply access the menu again by pressing the B button*. Before you act,* When played on the Super Game Boy you can alternate to the Type A controls where the respective controls are relegated to the B and Y buttons
Left: Thanks for having what I need, Lucy, but I'll still have to give you a 1 star Yelp review on account of that time you threw an important game by pulling the football from Charlie Brown (out of habitual purposes) just as he was about to make the winning kick and then later gaslighting him into believing it was his fault that their team lost--a very distasteful moment in Peanuts history (I don't care if it was '70s or the 2020's, a bad look is a bad look) | Right: Once you got the item list completed just walk towards the goalpost to clear the area
however, you must pay attention to the layout of the present area and especially where Snoopy is currently facing for you will have to strategize where to place your arrows, especially when corners are involved. You can place up to four or five arrows at a time, but no more than that otherwise it will undo an earlier placed arrow or two, so if you wish to place any more you will have wait until Snoopy steps into place and moves in the direction based on where the arrow was facing. At the beginning of each stage you'll be given a list of
Left: Ignore that block at the tip of the grid, you can't do anything to it here | Right: Nice to be greeted by the friendly face that is Peppermint Patty
items that need to be bought inside a variety of shops set up by Lucy and Linus van Pelt, Charlie Brown's sister Sally, and Peppermint Patty which you must guide Snoopy to (provided you've got the requisite amount of money at your disposal, which you usually start out with), where you're given the choice of one of three available items to buy which you can select with the A button though if you wish to leave the shop a simple B button press will do.
Left: Once you pick up the hammer use it on a nearby block to demolish it and clear a path for Snoopy | Right: Shopping for the third stage completed
Depending on the stage you'll be asked to buy anywhere between one to four items, once you've got everything you needed all that's left to do is to safely navigate and guide Snoopy to the goalpost where reaching it will grant you access to the next stage and where you'll be given a simple four-character password in the form of playing card suits. But, being a video game, each stage will present you with obstacles that need to be overcome, especially since Snoopy walks at a moderate pace. For the majority of the game the screen will slowly scroll
Left: Now you're tasked with getting two items within the same stage | Right: ...and Charlie Brown's little sister Sally has the first item you need
itself in a random diagonal direction so it is of utmost imperativeness that you keep the eponymous beagle onscreen at all times for should he walk completely outside of your visible parameters you will lose a life and be forced to start the stage over. You will also lose a life should you step outside of the grid or reach the goalpost without successfully getting all the items on the shopping list beforehand. There are also obstacles that must be overcome with either stage-specific items you pick up along the way and proper planning of when to use
Left: Be sure before you arrive at the edge that you placed a spring in the spot to successfully clear the gap to gain access to the next shop | Right: Say, did you do something different with your hair?
them otherwise if Snoopy has been come into contact by a cat or a rodent or should he fall inside a manhole, for a couple examples, he won't die but he'll not only be incapacitated for a couple seconds but he'll lose a tiny fraction of the money in your possession (meaning you are better off to have that happen after you got the items you needed than before that). Once
Left: Shopping for a fancy hat 🎩 | Right: Celebrating completing the shopping of this stage
you've reached the stage with all the items checked off on your list you'll be tallied for your points based on how much money was remaining in your wallet, and for every 600 total points received you'll gain a new life each time. If you choose to use up a continue after having lost your last life, your total points will revert back to zero.
Left: Introducing warps, take it to access this stage's shop | Right: It only took close to 17% of the game in, but we finally visit a shop run by Charlie Brown's good friend Linus
On a visual level the game is very solid yet simple in design, perfectly capturing the look and charm of the iconic Peanuts characters through and through. In the opening and ending cutscenes Snoopy, Woodstock, and Charlie Brown look very good animating quite well with a nicely detailed cloudy sky and background. The grid-like design is simple with the
Left: Stage 9 presents the first three-item lister | Right: Once the cat devoured the fish you placed between it and Snoopy it retreats back to its spot and goes to sleep
backgrounds filled with trees and buildings in the town area stages, rocks and mushrooms in the mountain area stages, and the dream area stages are filled to the brim with a beautiful cluster of stars. Snoopy is designed in a decent manner as he walks, jumps, rides a
Left: Ahead of you is a car driving back and forth, if you don't want to get run over by it pick up the roadblock, be sure to select it on the menu, then place it just as it reaches one of the ends to not risk losing some money and be momentarily incapacitated | Right: Sadly, unlike the other shopkeepers you meet, Linus is the outlier of the four in that he does not also come with an alternate color palette (when played on the Super Game Boy) 😞
skateboard, gets sprung across, and celebrates any time he reaches a goalpost. The items and obstacles are well-drawn considering how small their sprites are, and the shopkeepers Lucy, Linus, Sally, and Peppermint Patty all have that recognizable Schulz design to them when entering the shop. Any time you reach the start of a new set of areas you're greeted to an
Left: Stages 13 to 30 take place in the mountains, and introduces the skateboard 🛹 | Right: Place the skateboard in the path Snoopy is walking and he'll ride it along over pesky manholes
enhanced visually with a simple yet appealing frame border, adding color to the title, area title card, and ending screens, giving Woodstock his yellow color palette at any point that you see him, giving the three different sets of areas its own preset color with the town area's aqua blue, the mountain area's rouge, and the dream area's periwinkle (which fits perfectly with
Left: When riding the skateboard the wide gaps can also be cleared, but only those that have a bold outline in the end | Right: So Lucy gets an alternate color palette but Linus doesn't? That's just wrong
the bright yellow stars) colors, and sometimes when entering a shop the characters and shop might appear in an alternate palette (Peppermint Patty, for example, who'll appear with bright hair should her shop be red yet have darker colored hair should her shop be orange). In all, this game makes perfect use of the Super Game Boy and then some.
Left: Jumping over a manhole to reach the next shop | Right: I love the Super Mario jump Snoopy does whenever you receive a new life, also Stage 15 is the first time you're required to buy four items
Snoopy no Hajimete no Otsukai's music is very pleasant to listen to and, while the soundtrack might lack the familiar Peanuts cues and themes introduced by the late Vince Guaraldi and is not that big, is quite good in its own right for it suitably complements each area. The title theme sounds jovial and upbeat, the intro theme is slow but engaging, the password theme for when you access it from the title has got an emotionally pensive quality
Left: Ride the skateboard to get away from the rodent chasing you | Right: Walk toward the Charlie Brown head from the start
to it, and the ending theme is a fun number to wrap the game up once Snoopy has finally finished running errands for Charlie Brown. The town area theme sounds invitingly tranquil and is a good way for the game to start proper, the mountain area theme is atmospherically catchy, and finally the dream area theme sounds beautifully wondrous as you find yourself navigating Snoopy across the stars and cosmos and is my favorite theme from the game. 😊
Ah... yes, my... "favorite" Beethoven composition...
And while brief, Snoopy walks up to Schroeder at the end of each stage and appears to be conducting him to play a little something on his grand piano. The sound effects are used sparingly, but what is present in the game serves the proceedings while the highly encouraging sound cue for when you bought the correct item in a shop or the slightly discouraging sound cue for when Snoopy becomes incapacitated.
Left: Snoopy's activated his shield for one stage only, because this turned into a science fiction affair all of a sudden | Right: Fell down a manhole
I caught up with both Snoopy no Magic Show and Snoopy no Hajimete no Otsukai in the Summer of 2020, I'm sure I was aware of the former when I was younger but I guess I wasn't that interested back then despite liking the Peanuts brand and Snoopy while the latter I had no idea existed until I was a lot older (and given its exclusivity to the Japanese region, that's no surprise). I hadn't played that many Snoopy games, one of the two I did play before catching up with the Game Boy games was Pax Softnica and Nintendo's point-and-click
Even though this game supports the mouse controller, it is perfectly playable with the regular controller
title Snoopy Concert on the Super Famicom the year prior, a wholesomely endearing love letter to Peanuts with its innocent flavor, brightly colored visual aesthetic, and faithful recreations of the late Vince Guaraldi's iconic themes by Hip Tanaka that is largely facile to play (the two aggravating tile slide puzzles notwithstanding, I could've done without those) but nonetheless enjoyable. 😃 Real pity that game didn't officially get localized outside of Japan either. In July 2020, I decided to check out Kemco's Snoopy no Magic Show since I
Left: Starting position | Right: Amidst the automatic arrows, place the northeast arrow on the blank spot to have Snoopy move in that direction
became genuinely curious and wanted to add more to my count of Snoopy games I've played, and when I got it I ended up finding it equal parts fun and equal parts frustrating. Basically, it was simple but good and at the time I thought it was the best of the games featuring the beagle that I've played. Then the following month I've decided to check out Snoopy no Hajimete no Otsukai, which Kemco also made, especially after learning that it was enhanced through the Super Game Boy. When I got to play it, I found it fun and couldn't put it down.
Left: Back-to-back spring action | Right: Jumping over the warp to get to the shop
Things start off simple as you have to get one item off of the list in a simple playing field from one shop, but it doesn't take very long for things to get challenging little by little. Before long the grid-based areas becoming bigger and longer with a myriad of obstacles to overcome, and once you get further along you'll be tasked to get one, two, three, or four items from the
Left: Place the net in the spot behind Snoopy to scare off the rodent from chasing after you | Right: Across from you is a slingshot, and to your right a crow which will shortly swoop toward the net and drop it off in a random spot
shopping list. Some of the later stages might attempt to throw you a curveball by placing that odd shop that do not have the item you need from the list (which is a good sign as any to leave immediately). Learning where and when to place the direction arrows in the grid is key, especially when considering Snoopy's walking pace and the gradually scrolling screen (you want to always keep him within the parameters of the screen as best as you can manage, if
Left: Careful walking past that snake | Right: You can't tell it's seemingly innocuous, but the spot next to the warp point will force Snoopy to turn to the northeast where the stag beetle is situated if you attempt to walk to the warp, so in lieu of that place the spring and the southeast arrow to have him jump toward the warp point
he's 100% obscured by the edge of the screen then that's a life lost). You want to get a firm grasp of the layout as you progress but you don't want to overshoot the mark so it's a good idea to formulate a strategy for the arrow and (depending on the stage) helpful item placement, no matter how meticulous the proceedings may seem at points.
Left: Walk on top of a spot with a crack and it will take a few seconds after the fact for the hole to be formed in its wake | Right: Stage 31 has been cleared! Yyyyyyeah, do the looping two-frame animation dance!
I also found this game to be an ideal candidate for a memory game to see if you can remember all the items on the list (be it a variety of delicacies and beverages, paper goods, hats, flowers, and fish food) that you're required to buy should you decide to not take notes (because the beginning and ending of the stage is the only time you'll see it), which is how I went about it when I first played this game in 2020, especially if it takes a long time to reach the shops in question with the long winding paths and deeply involved layout design. Want to test the longevity of your memory? Try that, if you wish. There is also a sense of logic to it, if you're partway through your shopping list and still need to get an item or two, look at the choice of items and their price tags and refer to how much money is left to be spent on the wallet (is it within your spending range? Is it above it? Things to think about). The myriad of obstacles in your path have got good solutions behind them once you've fully come to grips with the layout and gameplay after picking up the helpful items. Want to cross a wide gap or
Left: Sprung across | Right: Cleared the gap with a simply placed spring by the edge
reach a higher level? Place a spring and the required direction arrow in the same spot to get the job done. Want to gain a little more traction? Place a skateboard in the designated spot in order to do so, which you can ride across heavily outlined gaps also (just know that you cannot stop until you ride inside a shop and exit out of it). Is there a block impeding your path? Simply select the hammer in the menu and place the pointer above the block to demolish it, no matter where you are in relation to it. There a pesky cat following you around or a large rodent? Wait until you cross their path, walk a little ahead, have them start following you, and then once Snoopy has completely crossed a tile place a fish or a net respectively in that vacant spot to have the two animals backtrack to whence they came from. Want to get across but the conveyor belt won't let you? Just walk toward the switch to push it to reverse it from the angle it was originally set at (might require a bit of coordinative arrow placement at points). On occasion there might be warps that you'll have to step (or jump) on
Left: Walk toward the switch to reverse the direction the conveyor revolves to | Right: Warping time
to teleport to a different part of the area, sometimes more than once. There are also certain tiles that already have arrows on top of them which means you'll be automatically moved toward the direction it was facing to begin with. Being contacted by animals such as cats or rodents or snakes or having Snoopy fall down a manhole will only momentarily incapacitate him at the expense of losing a tiny amount of money in the wallet, so you'll want to avoid that as much as possible if you can manage. There is also a clown that will drag Snoopy back and forth for a little bit should you be unfortunate enough to get in its path. Sometimes there's a Charlie Brown icon for you to collect which is there to help mitigate inconveniences. In the dream area stages are also cracked tiles where upon walking over those will take a few seconds for a hole to form up in that spot, and once in awhile you have to slowly walk on top of a moving platform as it glides across the wide gap. The challenges can get thrilling.
* Of course, Snoopy's initial annoyed expression whilst turning his back on Charlie Brown may be due to the fact that he wasn't given anything to eat before shopping on his behalf, but I still found his not wanting to eat after he got all the shopping done very unclear and nonsensical because, as far as we have seen, he has not had one bite at any point during this game; would it not make more sense for him to eat, then when he's properly digested his food go play ball with Charlie Brown? I feel he'd be too much of a famished Hamish to be able to play properly on an empty tummy
Left: Gonna take a brief shopping detour | Right: Time your movement on the moving platforms accordingly, you don't want to fall out of the playing field
If I had to be stuck with a game where its themes are short and are prone to looping over and over, I'd rather it be for a game where its music is pleasant on the ears, fortunately this game falls under that category, and not gratingly repetitious. Of the '90s Snoopy video games I've played, I honestly consider this one to be the best of the bunch.
Left: Dropping down | Right: Follow the arrows, Snoopy
Even though it's not in English, it's very easy to follow and import-friendly for the kanji is only limited to the items you see (on the list and inside shops), and even then there is a visual accompaniment beside their identifier which helps a great deal and adds a universal touch to the proceedings. The frustration factor is kept to a minimum, thankfully, though things can get a tad time-consuming due to Snoopy's walking pace you shouldn't rush things for you have to know the layout well before placing the item that will help (if need be) and the direction arrows to steer him right plus staying within the confines of the screen at all times
Left: Along the way is a clown, be sure to have a Charlie Brown icon on you if you wish to not be dragged back and forth by it for a few seconds | Right: Final spring
is a must! The trial and error elements can be fun to experiment with if you're exploring the twelve town area, eighteen mountain area, and fifteen dream area stages for the first time but by the same token I can see why that might be a turn-off for those who simply want to play something simple. But if that's not bothersome to you it can be very fun to play, and between this game and Snoopy no Magic Show it is the most fun I've had playing a licensed game with Kemco's name attached. 😃 It also makes for an excellent memory test should you wish to go about it by looking at the list at the beginning of the stage once and then seeing how long your memory lasts in all the time that you're navigating the area (if you opt to not take notes, that is, it's pleasantly breezy entertainment either way). Snoopy no Hajimete no Otsukai is a worthwhile Peanuts license, I recommend checking it out if you own a Game Boy and are a fan and/or enthusiast of the comic strips and characters, and should you own a Super Game Boy cartridge and a Nintendo 16-bit console to play it on, even better! 👍 Hours of fun!
My Personal Score: 8.0/10
● "Whap"? 🤨 "Whap"?? That's such an odd method of ascribing the sound of a high five if I've ever seen one, in any given piece of fictional media.
● For this game alone I managed to take over 500 screenshots (all in one sitting, which took four or five hours to play through), so I had to go through a process of elimination in order to determine which ones I would use for this review.
● Irrelevant, but recently (on August 18th) I watched Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus in theatres (in a Dolby room, so my experience was enhanced), which is the first time I've attended a screening of a new movie on its opening weekend since way back in 2019. All I knew before watching it was that it took place sometime after the events of Ridley Scott's Alien and before James Cameron's Aliens. For the most part, I found it quite satisfying and felt it was the best movie in the franchise in a very long time. I love Alien, it's one of my favorite movies (I was lucky to catch a 45th anniversary screening of it back in April) and one that visually ages like fine wine even to this day (it impresses every time cinematography-, lighting-, and set design-wise). With Romulus there is a clear affinity for the earlier film in terms of look and feel (the interiors of the eponymous ship and the technology in it felt in line with the interior of the Nostromo in the 1979 film, which I appreciated), and I felt invested in most of the characters (Cailee Spaeny's Rain and David Jonsson's Andy the android especially... haaah, I see what they did there) whom I felt gave good performances and did not want them to die. I'll admit I was a little weary because I knew the level of violence in the director's other movies was high and there is that one chestburster sequence that was teased in the trailer (in the film when it happens, it's still horrible to watch but not quite as horrible as I envisioned it to be... maybe because I was mentally preparing for the inevitable so hard up to the moment I watched the film). I liked Galo Olivares' cinematography and Benjamin Wallfisch's soundtrack (the nods to the late Jerry Goldsmith's soundtrack of the first film is always appreciated, and this movie revived Elliot Goldenthal's ominous 20th Century Fox fanfare variant from David Fincher's Alien³, amazing!! Hearing it on the big screen was a treat). There were points when it got intense and genuinely creepy (the sequence where they had to get past the facehuggers undetected, for instance), the third act was such an expectation subversion (even for the franchise) that there were a couple effective scares from it and was quite disturbing. There were references and callbacks to not just Alien but Aliens as well, some were more subtle than others though there are a couple notable callbacks and/or quotes that might cause some consternation among fans if it hasn't already (if you know, you know). Overall, I liked Alien: Romulus, I'd gladly watch it again.
● Also irrelevant to this game, but September 11th is coming soon, so be sure to remember and honor the fallen. Them, and the thirteen service members who lost their lives in the failure that was the Afghanistan withdrawal three years ago.
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Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW is allowed); hope you have a great day, be a nice human, and take care! 😃
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Methinks Kemco had Kid Klown on the mind regarding the playing card suit motif, as they are utilized in this game as password characters.
