mischief-maker

Dictionary: mis·chief-mak·er

(mĭs'chĭf-mā'kər)
n.
One who causes mischief, especially one who makes trouble by spreading gossip.

mischief-making mis'chief-mak'ing n.

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Games: Mischief Makers

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Release Date: 1997
Genre: Action
Style: Side-Scrolling Platform

Game Description

In Mischief Makers, you play the role of a robotic maid named Marina who is trying to rescue her kidnapped creator from an evil emperor. To do so, Marina must shake, smash, slide, throw, jump, dash, and ride her way through 60 side-scrolling stages in five different worlds. As you guide Marina through the game, you will need to collect gems to gain life and continues, utilize weapons, talk to various people, and destroy all enemies who get in your way. Unlike most 2-D platformers, Mischief Makers challenges players to use their heads to avoid obstacles and solve puzzles.

~ Dan Thompson, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

We now live in a time when 2D games are the exception and not the rule. With the onslaught of 3D games hitting the next generation systems, there's nothing more refreshing than playing a good 2D action game.

Enter Mischief Makers, Treasure's (the guys who made Castlevania IV, Contra III, Axelay, among others) surprising entry into Nintendo 64 development. Mischief Makers is not your usual action game. You take control of Marina, an Ultra-Intergalactic-Cybot-G, who is on a mission with Professor Theo. The two arrived on Planet Clancer to respond to an SOS signal. Planet Clancer is inhabited by a species known as "Clancers." The funny thing about the Clancer population is that they all look exactly the same, unlike, say, humans. But while Marina was out on a mission, Prof. Theo was kidnapped by a group of Clancers. This doesn't mean all Clancers are bad, however. Now Marina must rescue her professor!

Fortunately for you and Marina, she has an incredible repertoire of moves that depart from the norm. Rather than jumping on enemies, her main method is to attack using a "grab, shake, and throw" technique. Here's a summary of her moves: the A button jumps, the B button grabs and throws, the C group is her rocket boost (Left C and Right C are dash and Top C hovers), and L or R is used to talk to people. These various buttons can be used in conjunction with one another for advanced techniques. For example, pressing Bottom C twice (or down twice on the Control Pad) will shake your enemy. She can also slide, roll, hover, dash, and jump various lengths.

The gameplay in Mischief Makers is wonderful -- that is, once you get used to the control. The initial knock on the game is that the control is too stiff. I'm not sure if this is more of a fault of the game or the N64's Control Pad, though. But all it takes is some practice to get used to. Anyway, throughout each level, Marina will grab, shake, and throw her way to the end. By shaking enemies (or friends), gems might fall out. Red gems enable you to continue with a certain amount of energy, blue gems give you energy right on the spot, and green gems give you even more health. Finally, there is the elusive yellow gem on each level. By collecting these, you'll get to see more of the ending. Additionally, you get a letter grade on each level depending on how fast you complete it.

What makes the gameplay so great is the tremendous variety. One level has you finding kids and returning them to their parents. Another level might just be a race to the end. Yet another level could extend vertically rather than horizontally. Another level has you participating in a festival. This sheer variety keeps the game frantic, fun, and exciting. The game also has impressive mid- and end-bosses. For example, one mid-boss is a frog and one end-boss is a tank chasing you while you're riding a cat. And each boss requires an almost ingenious way to beat it. Some other facets of the gameplay include a special "Clanpot" to combine items to make a new item, a tricycle that must be ridden at times, and even a completely different character, Teran, who must be used on several stages.

Graphically, Mischief Makers is a mixed bag. The game uses a combination of pre-rendered graphics and polygons. Most of the levels contain either one style or the other, with pre-rendered 2D graphics obviously being the main attraction. While the pre-rendered graphics are pretty, there's not as much parallax scrolling, animation, or general action as one might expect from a 64-bit system. The 3D polygons, however, are pretty impressive for a 2D game.

Disappointingly, it should be noted that there is some minor slowdown.

The aural elements of Mischief Makers are quite impressive, in my opinion. Since music on the N64 has been lackluster even compared to a lot of music on the SNES, but the sound in Mischief Makers was thoroughly enjoyed. First of all, as seems to be the case with many N64 games, there is a lot of voice. Marina has Mario 64-like comments such as "Let's go!" and "Stoooop!" The professor has a great cry for help, too: "Help me, Marinnnnaaaaa!" And some of the opponents you'll face later on (Lunar, Tarus and Merco) have full sentences of speech. Second, the music is almost indescribable. Although some will be annoyed by it, it is quite enjoyable, as it's definitely a departure from the usual techno fare.

Of course, Mischief Makers is not without its flaws. First, the game has a very vibrant and noticeable Japanese flair to it. This is obviously not a negative for import fans, but it could be a problem for those who do not like games deep in Japanese culture. Second, the game is too short and easy. The game does have five worlds with 10 levels in each (50+ levels in all), but half of the levels are either boss levels or can be completed in several minutes. The addition of yellow gems and letter grades do help somewhat, but they don't provide as much replay value as the secrets in a Mario game. Third, Mischief Makers' control is just not as smooth as it should be. It can be frustrating for a beginning player to learn how to navigate the numerous "Clanballs" that are found early on in the game.

Nevertheless, Mischief Makers is one of the better 2D games developed recently. It's not quite up to par with Miyamoto's old-school 2D games, but it's an extremely fresh, rewarding, and enjoyable experience in this age of 3D games. In fact, most gamers will find it more entertaining than Yoshi's Story.