The Game Slush Pile

Mischief Makers N64 Retro Game Review

PlatformN64
Release Date10/1/1997
DeveloperTreasure
PublisherNintendo

Mischief Makers is a 1997 side scrolling game developed by Treasure and released internationally by Nintendo. At the time, it received middling reviews, criticizing its graphics, low difficulty and replay value. Heck if I beat it, must be easy. Still, as time went on, opinions on it increased, and is now considered a solid title for the N64. Personally, I thought it was great then, and great now!

How can you criticize a game where you fight an epic boss on the back of a cat?

You play as Marina, a robot maid of the genius professor Theo. He visits planet Clancer and gets kidnapped by the evil Emperor. It is your job to save him by grabbing, shaking, and throwing everything you can get your hands on.

Mischief Makers Marina
Our heroine!

Opposing you will be evil Clancer residents, and well as the emperor’s three goons, who provide the jaw-dropping boss battles:

Mischief Makers Bosses
Left to right: Lunar, Taurus and Merco

Mischief Makers’ Variety

What really makes Mischief Makers shine is the variety of stuff to do.

You go to an amusement park to learn how to use clanballs:

Bad robot maid bad!

You then ride a giant block man:

Nothing perverted here…

You climb a disorienting tower:

I get sick just remembering this level

And you take part in a sports competition:

No two levels in Mischief Makers are the same, which makes things interesting and engaging. It would be one thing if the levels got monotonous, but they never do. And everything you do works well. Even the five big boss battles are very different from each other. Which… not coincidentally, is today’s video! Its a compilation of me sucking at three of them. I haven’t played the game in years, give me a break(and they aren’t exactly easy)!

*Shake* *Shake*

Was Mischief Makers really that average? In hindsight, no. It’s a pretty good game that was trashed at the time for being 2D in an age where everything was going 3D. If you have an N64, it is worth your time to seek this out and play it! It roughly sells loose for $30, though complete will set you back well over a hundred. Go get it, and start shaking!

 
Add Comment