Vimm's Lair: NES Reviews - Flintstones, The: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak!

Nintendo
Flintstones, The: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak!

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Overall:
6.80
6.95
7.25
7.55
Votes: 20
Reviews: 1


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Reviewer: Seth Koopa Date: Jun 13, 2005
Now, don't let the score fool you - there is a great deal to this game. Enough to inspire me to write a review on it, at any rate.

Now, who doesn't know the Flintstones? Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma, his best friend Barney and his wife Betty, and Pebbles and Bam-bam? Well, the story here evolves around Pebbles and Bam-bam being separated from their fathers by a volcanic eruption. So Fred and Barney must cut all the way around the volcano and find a way to stop the eruption.

Graphics: 8
The graphics really do their job well, and they capture the Flintstones air well. There are some colour restrictions in character sprites, like with Barney, but on the whole, the graphics convey the many levels very well.

Sound: 8
The tunes are quite catchy indeed. They all grasp the atmosphere nicely and not once does the music feel out of place.

Gameplay: 8
I have a feeling that not many who rated this game tried to get into it. I did, and I found this game to really be surprisingly fun to play. You play as Fred and Barney, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, Barney can climb along poles and Fred cannot, while Fred can bash enemies with his club, which is much more powerful an attack than Barney's slingshot. A great thing is that you're able to switch between the two characters whenever you wish at the press of the 'select' button. This is very handy and eventually becomes downright essential, in the closing moments of the game.

This game is packed with levels, and all are very versatile and hold different challenges, so it's hard to get tired. The two sports events are great fun to tackle, especially as you don't need to tackle them, but beating both gives you a bonus.

And you challenge-hungry gamers have come to the right place. The final level's final obstacle is without a doubt one of the most blood-pumpingly challenging parts I have ever played in a video game (and passed). You won't believe how proud I was when I finally passed it.

Overall: 8
Not once do you feel that the producers of this game were just relying on the Flintstones name to sell it. This is back when trademark games were made with heart. A nice job indeed.

For you Wilma and Betty fans, they only make one appearance in this game, so don't hold your breath for them here.