Game Boy Works giveth, and Game Boy Works taketh away. Some weeks I have to slog through terrible, shoddily programmed platformers or mundane puzzle games. Every once in a while, though, something fun comes along. Something like Astro Rabby.
Astro Rabby isn't totally unknown in or outside of Japan — I managed to find some English-language commentaries on the game, at least, which is a whole lot more than I can say about something like Card Game or Pachinko Time. Alas, though, this game never made it to the U.S., even though it's well-made and pretty entertaining, most likely because its publisher (I.G.S.) didn't have the capacity to bring a little niche release like this into the wider world beynod Japan. Our loss!
Astro Rabby plays a lot like Bounder for Commodore 64, and with its "cosmic bunny leaping through space" theme would seem to hint at Jumping Flash! for PlayStation. As a Game Boy release, however, it's a singular creation. Definitely worth tracking down — it's pretty inexpensive, and it's worth playing. Note that it gets really hard later in the game… even with infinite lives cheats, I found I hit a wall toward the end due to the insanely harsh level design and enemy placement. I wouldn't say it feels unfair, exactly, but for such an adorable little platformer it sure does have fangs.
Which, I suppose, is the running theme for this phase of Game Boy Works. There are more cute-but-deadly games on the way…