Brat
| Developer: Foursfield | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Image Works | Sound: |
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| Year: 1991 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Miscarriage | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
4/10 | |
Roger Rabbit made you laugh when he babysat Baby Herman? Now it’s your turn! This time, you’re not chasing a baby around the kitchen dodging knives, but watching over one … in a dream. Don’t assume the task will be any easier! The dreamworld little Nathan roams each night is anything but a walk in the park.
Set in a world of toys, the game takes place on a series of narrow paths suspended over the void, which baby toddles along like a lemming, marching straight ahead, blissfully unaware of countless dangers. Your job is to guide him to the exit as quickly as possible, intervening indirectly by placing arrows to make him turn or using the right tools to deal with hazards.
The game is chock-full of bonuses, and experimenting with new items to see what they do can be genuinely fun. Sometimes, there are multiple routes or different ways to bypass a trap. That said, by the 92nd attempt, the novelty does start to wear a little thin…
What really sinks the game is how fast the little tyke moves, leaving barely any time to react. Even hitting “P” to pause the game every other second doesn’t help much, as the endless mouse movements to click icons and place them precisely take far too long. The isometric perspective’s lack of accuracy only adds to the frustration.
Then there’s the constant screen scrolling, which forces you to keep moving at a nerve-wracking pace, with split-second timing required. The only way to succeed is through sheer repetition: memorising levels, playing at lightning speed, and hoping you don’t crack under the pressure.
It’s a pity, because with a little more flexibility, Brat could have been enjoyable. Yet another title that’s crying out for a 3D remake, free of forced scrolling, supporting keyboard shortcuts, 360-degree route planning, a two-player mode, and why not, randomly generated worlds. I can dream, can’t I?
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