The Rube’s Review: A GREMLINS Video Game Retrospective [Part Three]

Even with all it’s problems, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is considered a fan favorite. I just wished I felt the same way about the video game…

After the unexpected success of the first film, Warner Brothers was ready to produce a sequel to Gremlins only… director Joe Dante didn’t want to do it. Not only was the previous film a grueling experience for the new director but as an artist, Dante didn’t want to make a sequel with the sole purpose of making a buck. For the next 6 years then, Gremlins 2 sat in production hell with script versions set in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and even the Moon. With every re-write, no director wanted to touch it until Dante was approached again under the sole condition that he would be allowed complete creative control. Gremlins 2: The New Batch was given the green light.

Now with a budget of $50,000,000 (roughly 5 times the cost of the original film) and Dante back at the helm, Gremlins 2: The New Batch was going to be 1990’s summer hit… unfortunately even as fun as it was, Gremlins 2 was just too all over the place. Chock full of Bugs Bunny cartoon antics, sequel satire, and random acts of violence the film had no clear image of what it wanted to be. In the end, the film did poorly at the box office, only bringing in only $41,000,000. However, that didn’t matter too much to Warner Brothers since there were other important issues at hand…

Even though Gremlins 2 didn’t hit it’s financial mark at the box office, Warner Brothers’ real motive was to make $$$ on the VHS re-release (at a new affordable price, which was a rarity at the time), a full line of merchandising for the new chain of Warner Brothers Studio Stores and – more importantly – for the film to be released the same day as the highly anticipated Dick Tracy from Touchstone (in fear that Warren Beatty’s technicolor crime drama would break opening box office numbers, knocking out WB’s Batman out of the highest grossing movie of all time).

Man, it’s weird how Hollywood works, huh? Even though Gremlins 2: The New Batch was a box office failure, it still did it’s job and reinvigorated Warner Brothers’ brand for the 90’s, resulting in billions of dollars in revenue. Mission accomplished!

Now for the game… you start as Gizmo, who is a P.O.W. at the Splice-o-Life research lab. After being freed by Billy Peltzer, and given an awkward thumbs up, you start to make your way though the lobby of the Clamp Plaza Building – battling rats, bats, and jumping tomatoes(?) with smaller tomatoes? I’m assuming that giving everyone’s favorite little furry asexual fella an AK-47 wasn’t going to sit well with parents. So, armed with veggies you battle hopping produce, jump over bottomless pits, avoid spiked floors, and battle other obstacles that are normally found in a New York office building.

As you defeat baddies, you gain orbs which can be used at what I’m assuming is the HAUNTED GHOST GIFT SHOPS OF MR. WING! Well what else would you call it? The film and instruction manual clearly states the old Chinese man has opened his last fortune cookie. Anyway… you can enter these floating doors to limbo and purchase various power-ups such as extra lives, flashbulb bombs, and balloons, which do come in handy when trying to pass various pits of doom.

The first level is a pain in the ass, which reminds me too much of playing Festers Quest. Your flinging tomato skills are just no a match for this level’s swarm of flying bats and roaming, shooting spiders. Just like Festers Quest, you’ll be mashing your fire button, hoping to get lucky to hit your target. Thank God this is a short level. At the end, you’ll reach your goal which is a matchstick…? Whooptish#t. With every level completed, you’ll up your arsenal with more random office supplies until you finally MacGyver yourself a Rambo-istic flaming bow and arrow.

After that, with each item found, your weapon continues to improve. This comes in handy while you continue from floor to floor to do battle with each level’s boss. Gremlins 2‘s bosses do require some skill, but after learning their patterns, they’re pretty easy to beat. I’m not a big fan that you only start with 3 hearts but luckily Sunsoft made a four-digit password so if you do die and/or want to take a break, it’s easy to continue… which is something of a godsend since each level just gets more monotonous as you dodge the same baddies and jump on numerous moving platforms. Even with the added challenges of swinging maces, fire/lava pits, and an unholy impossible shitstorm of Gremlins later in the game, you just wished for more of a variety in levels.

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Like this? Check out previous installments of The Rube’s GREMLINS Video Game Retrospective:

A GREMLINS Video Game Retrospective [Part One]
A GREMLINS Video Game Retrospective [Part Two]