170: The Addams Family

Number 170
(15.2 points)
The Addams Family
1993: 63

Film licences gained a reputation in this time of mostly being awful, and many of them seemed to become platform games. Thankfully, the Addams Family was attached to a solid game engine that made this game stand out.

Gomez Addams is the only member of the family who hasn't been kidnapped by some evil forces, so it is up to him to go around the house and garden in search of them. There are several boss characters who must be defeated to free the other Addamses, and plenty of smaller baddies to get past on the way. Control is simple - just jump with the fire button - but Gomez controls very tightly, with the only variation being a higher jump off an enemy by holding the button. There are many hidden rooms and dollar signs to collect (the equivalent of coins in the Super Mario games), and it's a big game that will take some effort to complete. Thankfully, you gain a password upon saving one of your family members, so you don't have to complete it in one sitting.

In 1992, the Sega Mega Drive was well and truly popular in the UK, and the SNES was just arriving, so it was heartening to see the old Amiga getting such a great console-like experience. Smooth scrolling, music and sound effects simultaneously, bright graphics, and most important of all, solid gameplay. Nowadays you could just play it on the consoles, but it's still impressive to see.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Addams Family, The (1992)(Ocean)(M3)[cr FSN]