Game Evaluation by Adam Woitulewicz

Action-Adventure game Based on Disney's Goof Troop TV series

The game was developed by Capcom for the Super Nintendo, released on July 11th, 1993

Retail price was $20.00, but copies can now be found on Amazon/Ebay/etc for less than $10.

Requirements

Minimum stated hardware requirements: 1 Super Nintendo console, and 1 Super Nintendo controller.

Actual hardware requirements: 1 Super Nintendo console, and 1 Super Nintendo controller.

Recommended to be used with 2 controllers.

Story

One day, Goofy and Max are out on a fishing trip along with their

pals Pete and PJ.

Suddenly, Pete and PJ's boat is approached by a pirate ship!

Goofy and Max watch helplessly as the pirates kidnap Pete and PJ and head back towards their pirate island.

Story

Goofy and Max follow the ship but can't catch it before it reaches the

island, so they set out to search the island for their friends.

Quick Overview

There are 5 levels in the game. The Beach, The Village, The Castle, The Caves,

and The Pirate Ship The player's role is to control Goofy or Max

while using items and throwing objects to solve puzzles and defeat enemies.

The goal is to locate Pete & PJ to save them from the pirates.

The player has a choice between playing as either Goofy, or Max. If playing with a friend, you each play as a separate Goof.

Quick Overview

Gameplay The gameplay consists of exploring the world in

search of items, which are used to pass by obstacles.

It uses top-down movement, the characters can walk in eight directions.

Goofy walks slower than Max, but kills enemies in one hit instead of two.

Items The Grappling Hook can be used to stun

enemies, pick up barrels or fruits from afar, or create a bridge across gaps.

The Bell is used to get the attention of enemies, and make them run towards you.

The shovel is used to dig fruits and extra lives out of the ground.

Other items include a candle, wooden plank, and keys.

Items The Grappling Hook can be used to stun

enemies, pick up barrels or fruits from afar, or create a bridge across gaps.

The Bell is used to get the attention of enemies, and make them run towards you.

The shovel is used to dig fruits and extra lives out of the ground.

Other items include a candle, wooden plank, and keys.

Combat The main combat element revolves around

picking up, catching, and throwing barrels or other objects.

Non-boss enemies have either 1 or 2 HP. Goofy deals 2 damage from throwing objects,

and walks at normal speed while holding an object.

Max deals 1 damage from throwing objects, but walks at a reduced speed while holding an object.

Throwing/Catching Mechanics

User InterfaceThe game features a very simple UI at the top of

the screen: One icon of each character's head The number of lives that character has A box which shows the item currently held by

that character Number of hearts earned from picking up fruit

Scoring

There is no score in the game. The player has lives and hearts. When a fruit is picked up, you gain either one or two hearts. When you get 6 hearts, you gain an extra life.

Getting hit by an enemy removes all of your saved up hearts, and if you get hit while you have zero hearts, you lose a life.

If you get a game over, you can continue from the start of the level using a password which is given after beating the previous boss.

Designer/Artwork/Music

The game was designed by Shinji Mikami, who later went on to create the Resident Evil series.

The artwork was done by Capcom, using Disney characters.

The music was composed by Yuki Iwai, who also worked on Mega Man X, Aladdin, Street Fighter games, and more.

Review (The Good Stuff)

The game is fun because it promotes interactivity between the two players and makes them think to solve puzzles.

– They can throw objects to or at eachother, solve puzzles together, split up to clear different parts of the same room of enemies, or race to see who can grab the grappling hook item first!

There are puzzles which involve kicking blocks around to make them land on certain spots. You can work together to solve them quicker, or get in eachothers' way if you decide to do that!

Review (The Bad Stuff)

The most not-fun part of the game is the single player mode. Sure you can still solve all of the puzzles and save Pete & PJ on your own, but the player will always be missing out on the potential interaction between the players.

Another problem is the game length. It can be finished in less than two hours if the players aren't even rushing.

Compared to Similar Games

Examples of similar action-adventure SNES games include The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Jurassic Park.

What can set Goof Troop apart from similar games is the cooperative element. Most other games are either single player, or have a multiplayer mode with a second character who isn't as powerful as the first.

After playing through Goof Troop with a good friend, similar games seem like they are missing something.

Intended Audience

The game is appropriate for an audience of all ages. It uses only cartoon violence, such as what would be seen on the Disney channel where the TV show is from.

It is great for a younger audience because the puzzles promote thinking and problem-solving.

It is great for an older audience because the players can choose to have fun along with completing the objectives by doing things such as throwing barrels at eachother once the screen is cleared of enemies.

Design Mistakes

The biggest design mistake would be limiting the single-player mode to the player only controlling one character. Sometimes the player wishes to have the strength of Goofy, and sometimes the player wants the speed of Max. Perhaps a way to switch between Goofy and Max could have been implemented.

The game could have benefited from some more levels with increasingly difficult puzzles. But as it was intended for all ages, that might not have been practical.

Summary

Strengths: Interesting puzzle elements The multi-player mode Fluid interactivity between the players and

objects, and between enemies and objects Fun graphics and sound

Summary

Weaknesses: The difficulty is fairly low The single-player mode leaves the player

feeling like they are missing out at times The story isn't very realistic

Summary

The game is definitely worth purchasing if you have a friend to enjoy the game with. But if you have no friends to play with, I do not recommend this game.

The game could be improved by increasing the difficulty by adding more levels.