I had heard this game talked up as a hidden gem for a very long time, and I finally decided to play through it alongside a few other Halloween-vibed games last October. Turns out, Muppet Monster Adventure is a bit of a mixed bag.
Bunsen Honeydew's uncle has passed away, and his friends have come with him to said uncle's mansion to support Bunsen while the will is read. However, when the door is answered by a shadowy monstrous figure, Robin the Frog instantly faints. When he awakes some time later, Bunsen tells him that nearly all of their friends have been turned into Monsters, with only the two of them plus Beaker and Pepé the Prawn escaping. Robin must use gadgets from Bunsen to capture the "evil energy" in enemies and in their friends to make things right again.
It's clear from the beginning that this is a Spyro clone, you could have told me it was a Muppet-themed Spyro spinoff and I would have believed you. Unfortunately, that means that Muppet Monster Adventure copies Spyro's "L2 and R2 control the camera" mechanics and does NOT have Dualshock support. The lack of analog controls is the absolute worst thing about the game, resulting in a Platformer in which movement is more frustrating than fun.
If you're able to get a handle on the controls, what awaits you is mostly good! We've got:
- Full voice acting by the original Muppets cast (Pepé takes on the role that Bottles played in Banjo-Kazooie, so you'll hear from him a LOT, which is an absolute delight)
- Clever and often funny dialogue
- A contender for the greatest OST on the PS1 (seriously, the music is the best aspect of the game)
- Way more levels and bosses than I anticipated
However, not unlike Spyro 1, the gameplay is ultimately very samey and repetitive, and after five levels of collecting 100% of all items, things started to feel pretty stale, and I decided not to force myself to slog through the rest.
If you love Muppets and the OG Spyro game, this is worth checking out! But if you're just a regular ol' 3D Platformer fan like me, it might not be enough to hold your attention.
The soundtrack really IS incredible though.
Bunsen Honeydew's uncle has passed away, and his friends have come with him to said uncle's mansion to support Bunsen while the will is read. However, when the door is answered by a shadowy monstrous figure, Robin the Frog instantly faints. When he awakes some time later, Bunsen tells him that nearly all of their friends have been turned into Monsters, with only the two of them plus Beaker and Pepé the Prawn escaping. Robin must use gadgets from Bunsen to capture the "evil energy" in enemies and in their friends to make things right again.
It's clear from the beginning that this is a Spyro clone, you could have told me it was a Muppet-themed Spyro spinoff and I would have believed you. Unfortunately, that means that Muppet Monster Adventure copies Spyro's "L2 and R2 control the camera" mechanics and does NOT have Dualshock support. The lack of analog controls is the absolute worst thing about the game, resulting in a Platformer in which movement is more frustrating than fun.
If you're able to get a handle on the controls, what awaits you is mostly good! We've got:
- Full voice acting by the original Muppets cast (Pepé takes on the role that Bottles played in Banjo-Kazooie, so you'll hear from him a LOT, which is an absolute delight)
- Clever and often funny dialogue
- A contender for the greatest OST on the PS1 (seriously, the music is the best aspect of the game)
- Way more levels and bosses than I anticipated
However, not unlike Spyro 1, the gameplay is ultimately very samey and repetitive, and after five levels of collecting 100% of all items, things started to feel pretty stale, and I decided not to force myself to slog through the rest.
If you love Muppets and the OG Spyro game, this is worth checking out! But if you're just a regular ol' 3D Platformer fan like me, it might not be enough to hold your attention.
The soundtrack really IS incredible though.