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Goofy's Hysterical History Tour (Genesis)

Goofy's Hysterical History Tour review

Game: Goofy's Hysterical History Tour
Platform: Genesis
Genre: Action
Developer: Imagineering Inc.

Reader review by wishingtikal

August 13, 2003

It's odd how there are sometimes games that were obviously designed for kids, yet they are so difficult it's hard to believe they really are for kids. That's how I felt while playing Goofy's Hysterical History Tour, a game so hard I spent days on the first level, so I don't see a kid playing that, but perhaps that in fact, it's a game for adults hiding behind the Disney facade.

In the game, Goofy is a janitor working in a museum, but Goofy is a bit of an odd one, as he just invented a weird device to help him clean up the place. The device in question is a mechanical hand that can stretch, which Goofy intends to use to clean the room where the exhibition will take place tomorrow, as Professor Van Drake asked him to do. However, Pete, who also works in the museum as a janitor, is jealous of Goofy so he tries getting in his way and sabotages the exhibition. Somehow, Goofy gets into the exhibition because of Pete, so there starts his adventure.

The 'Historical' part of the title comes from the fact that you explore different time periods as Goofy, but it won't teach you anything. Then I'm not sure what the 'Hysterical' part represents, unless perhaps the fact that the game is so hard you could become hysterical while playing it. Indeed, straight from the first level, you'll see how difficult this game is. The enemies are extremely annoying, they all take around 5 hits before dying, and the only way to kill them is to jump on them or throw balls at them, which you'll find throughout the levels.

The worst thing with the gameplay though, are the controls, which are extremely confusing. You'll have to make use of the mechanical hand to get through the levels, by grabbing small blocks with the hand and swing over gaps, or lift yourself up to a higher platform. These moves are performed by remembering complicated button combinations, resulting in very frustrating controls. It's too bad though, as the game could have been fun otherwise, considering the levels are pretty well designed.

Another thing that could have been ameliorated is the insane number of sub-levels in each level (10 per levels), as it just feels too long for nothing, since you're constantly doing the same thing over and over in the same environment before switching to a new level. The game also seems to have been designed with the word "hard" in mind, as the levels are all extremely hard, not just because of the tricky controls and enemies, but just the way you never really know what you're doing and where exactly you're going, always wondering if you'll finally see the end of the level, which are all too long and get boring fast.

The game does have pretty neat graphics though, I can give it that. Whenever you're in a forest, in the far west, a pirate ship or a colonial village, everything is always nicely illustrated, especially the sprites, so it's a shame there are so few different backgrounds to see. The music is a bit ordinary, but it's a good thing that it sometimes changes during a same level. The sounds are great too, except for that annoying sound Goofy makes when jumping, but it's neat that when you stop moving Goofy, he starts speaking to himself.

So, if you're up for a little challenge, tedious controls and hours of play in the same levels, you may like Goofy's Hysterical History Tour, but if not, whatever you do, don't let it in the hands of your kids.

Gameplay 6/10
Graphics 8/10
Music 8/10
Overall 7/10

Rating: 7/10

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