For personal reference more than anything else.

No idea what number playthrough this is but I have played it a lot since I was a kid (not always finishing it or doing all of the levels though). Played through every level. Played with PS1 copy on the PS3.

This is one of those games that gets quite a hefty pass from me purely because I played it so much growing up. I mean, the controls are just awkward, the camera is awful and I really don't think that I could call any level in this game 'good'. The thing is though, its an incredibly charming game that feels like it had quite a bit of effort put into it or did things that weren't necessary but kind of cool. The pyramid in the golf level, the fact that there's a level which is just the Pickle's house but upside down with you on the ceiling and even just the fact that you can explore the Pickle's house in the hub world. While it repeats some level types (collect so many of one thing, get the babies to eat/drink whatever and pass whatever it is around so Angelica can't get to it) it really does try and have a variety, I don't think much if any work particularly well but its still impressive and worth admiring in my opinion.

Most levels are about the same level of quality but there are a couple that are noticeably worse, Circus Angelicus is just so awkward and if you fail at the last section (sometimes) you have to redo the entire level again, Mirrorland as cool as it is, is where the game gets the most tedious as by the end you've collected over 100 balloons, The Mysterious Mr Friend and the last part of Incident of Aisle 7 makes you use this game's crap combat system that just feels so bad. But the absolute worst one is 7 Voyages of Cynthia because Spike controls terribly, he's too big to not fall into the water half of the time and his jump is dreadful, yet the game expects you to do this platforming and avoid the water as it slowly drains his health (all this in a maze-like area where you have to figure out where to go), when I played it I just usually ended up in the water and bypassed the platforming sections as it was less annoying and the level is quite generous with the healing items.

I think my favourite levels were probably the outer space and shadow monster ones as they have a different combat system from the aforementioned levels which is a lot easier to do and just feels better (also that the outer space one is just really cool to me as its so different from everything else in the game and the shadow monster one is amusing to me as it genuinely scared me a lot when I was younger). Chuckie's Glasses is admittedly the level where the camera is at its worst but its the level I always think of when I think of this game, I just really like it. Also levels like Egg Hunt and Gold Rush as while Mirrorland is one of my least favourites despite being the same level type its only negative to me because of how long it is, Egg Hunt and Gold Rush are a much better length and are quite fun as I do like the concept.

Now even with all the problems I had, I was still having a really good time. Its one of the earliest games I played I think and its one I really enjoy coming back to every once in a while, there's just something about it. So even though its probably due to a very heavy bias, I really did enjoy coming back to this game and I know for a fact that I'll still continue to come back to it.

I feel like I would've gotten more out of this game had I watched Rugrats in the childhood, but I never did so I was left with a confused impression. Playing this game I could see the valiant attempt at making something the fans of the show could enjoy. There's tons of what I can assume are references and callbacks to the show itself, so clearly the dev team had some idea what they were doing designing a good tie-in. Unfortunately the technical side fall a little short.

The game greatly suffers from similar issues some other 3D-games were suffering at the time, with controls and camera placement still being figured out. However, this game had more problems than just the industry standard, hitboxes especially feeling like a hot mess and controls being especially janky. The camera jumps all over the place, making any sort of consistent and fluid movement impossible. Also, whenever there's any enemies you need to beat, aiming is way harder than probably intended with the character's movement and lack of any good perspective. Most of the times I lost health just while trying to pick up ammunition and turning towards enemies to launch it at them.

The saving grace for this game is the nonexistent difficulty and short length. Most of the challenge for me was fighting against the janky controller scheme and character trying to get stuck in every corner and piece of furniture around the house.

Can I recommend this? Not really, unless you're a big fan of the show. I can see the love the makers of this game poured in, but the execution was left severely lacking.

Tenth GOTW finished for 2024. A clunky, bumpy, sloppy-camera riddled mess that I absolutely loved. This is objectively not a great game, but it feels like it's more indicative of the state of early 3D platformers and less because of a lack of effort on the part of the developers. There's a ton of love behind this game, packed with references and nods to the show, the actual voice actors playing a part, and lots of fun ideas that were poorly executed. To be honest, due to the poor camera control, the house often felt like the greatest adversary in this game. Most of the levels I enjoyed were played outside/away from the house, while the ones I didn't involved navigating this enormous space full of crevices, obstacles, and multiple doorways that made actually completing them a nightmare. Still, I can feel the care that went into this game, despite all its flaws, and for that I still had a good time. Gotta love that wave of nostalgia!

Is it a good game? No, not really. The controls are clunky, the camera even more so. The entire affair is emblematic of the shift to 3D and the effect it would have on quality licensed games, the skillset needed to make them becoming more specialized and the rough edges far more easily seen.

But quality is the word here, because there's clearly effort in play. Though fumbling, the game is certainly creative, packed with references and clever ideas that the execution simply cannot keep pace with. The victory lap at the end, playing as a triumphant Reptar destroying the city with colorful news commentary in the background, is evidence enough that someone working on this genuinely cared.