When IGN wasn’t hogging the whole booth, I was able to check out what Limited Run Games brought with them to Boston for PAX East. There were two games there that I really wanted to check out. Those were Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland and Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore. There’s a lot to cover so lets get right into it.
Before I went to PAX East, I was able to check out the Steam demo of Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland. It was a jungle like level with the boss being Thorg the giant gorilla who has a lasting grudge with Reptar. That being said, I grew up with the Rugrats and knew I wanted to check out this game. The Steam demo had Game Boy Color graphics and I found out that the full game has a setting that you can set to have it have classic graphics or a more modern look to it. I have only seen bits and pieces of this game but it feels so much like a love letter to Rugrats that fans of the series will love it.
You can play as Tommy, Chuckie, Phil or Lil and each baby has different abilities. Think Super Mario Brother 2 in that each baby brings something different to the table. For example, Lil can hover like Princess Toadstool and Chuckie can jump higher. You can change during gameplay so try out the different abilities to get through each stage. There are Reptar coins in each level to find and you will have to try all kinds of moves to get everything. From ground pounding to finding your trusty screwdriver, there will be all kinds of cool things to do.
I mentioned that Thorg the gorilla was the boss of the Steam demo level and the devs really did their homework to find Rugrats characters that felt like time had passed them by. The PAX East demo level was in the desert and reminded me so much of the desert levels of Super Mario. There were sections where you had to dig up the sand similarly to digging through the pyramids in Mario 2. The boss of the level was Big Baby, the baby who terrorized Angelica when she wanted a baby brother. This boss fight was right our of Mario 3 where you have to lure Big Baby onto a sandy brick and then have him ground pound through it. I love the fact that it really shows that a lot of time went into Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland and I can’t wait to play the full game.
The other game I really wanted to check out at the Limited Run booth was Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore. The game may look familiar because it is paying homage to the classic Legend of Zelda CD-I games. Those games are seen as some of the worst games ever created but Arzette is trying to show those games some love. I asked the devs why they decided to make this game and they felt like it was the perfect time. The CD-I styled games have been lying dormant for so long so why not try and bring them to a new audience. Arzette does a great job bringing classic CD-I Zelda references as well as keep the new story fresh and interesting.
I think my favorite part is seeing all the over the top cut scenes that are doing their best impression of a Legend of Zelda CD-I cut scene. For example, I was able to get my hands on a potion from the fairy and I like when the cut scene zooms in on the fairy and she has a crazy face. I have seen the Zelda cut scene with the fairy enough times to be able to tell that that scene is a tribute to the classic.
I also really like the fact that Arzette’s sword doesn’t hurt anyone unless they’re evil. You will use the sword to interact with townsfolk as well as attack enemies. The item and menu system feel easy to use as well. You will need to explore all kinds of locations and find everything. You might need a key to open a tower or a lantern to see in a cave. Being a person who plays a ton of Zelda games, having to explore every spot is something I’m used to. You should collect a lot of gems so you can buy everything you need because you never know when you might need bombs or lantern oil. You will have to check everything in Arzette if you plan to find everything. I found a red sword beam in the demo but that was just the tip of the secrets iceberg.
To recap, I played two games at the Limited Run booth at PAX East this year. Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland and Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore. Arzette could be one of my games of the year and the same could be said for Rugrats if it sticks to the 2024 release window.