Software:Rugrats: Search for Reptar

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Short description: 1998 video game
Rugrats: Search for Reptar
The box art depicts the characters Tommy Pickles, Angelica Pickles, Chuckie Finster, and Reptar.
North American box art
Developer(s)n-Space
Publisher(s)THQ
Director(s)
  • Seth Jacobson
  • Donn Nauert
Producer(s)
  • Syma Sambar
  • Leland Mah
  • Jym Killy
Composer(s)
  • Gene M. Rozenberg
  • Mark Mothersbaugh
SeriesRugrats
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: October or November 1998
  • PAL: November 1998
Genre(s)Action-adventure, platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Rugrats: Search for Reptar is a 1998 platform video game developed by n-Space and published by THQ. It was released in North America in October or November 1998 and in Europe in November 1998, exclusively for PlayStation. Based on the television show Rugrats, the game follows the show's main character, Tommy Pickles, who has lost his Reptar puzzle. It features stages based on episodes from the television show and minigames. Its sequel was Software:Rugrats: Studio Tour.

The game was developed with the intent of appealing to children. A marketing campaign, the second-biggest of 1998, was formed in conjunction between Sony Computer Entertainment America and THQ for its North American release to bolster the children's market on the PlayStation. The game received mixed reviews from critics, though it has regularly been noted that children will enjoy it. It was criticized for its camera and control mechanics and praised for its graphics. It was well-received commercially and was the third-best-selling game in the first two weeks of its release. The game was incorporated into the Greatest Hits brand and sold nearly 1.5 million copies in the US, becoming one of the best-selling games on the PlayStation.

Gameplay and premise

In-game screenshot. Tommy Pickles and Chuckie Finster stand by a bench near hedges in front of a goose, while a bottle of milk depicts Tommy's health.

The game follows the main character of the cartoon Rugrats, Tommy Pickles, who has lost pieces of a jigsaw puzzle featuring the cartoon dinosaur Reptar. It is a single-player 3D platform game in which the player controls several of the main characters from the television show to accomplish various goals.[1][2] The game has fourteen levels that are accessed when players pick up certain objects. The levels can be played in any order, but some more difficult ones must be unlocked first by completing tasks in earlier stages.[3]

The levels that players explore are mostly based on episodes from the television show. The levels contain pieces of the Reptar puzzle that players collect. Upon completing the main storyline, a golf minigame can be accessed; it can be played with up to four players.[4] The game features several voice actors from the cartoon that reprise their roles including E. G. Daily, Kath Soucie, Christine Cavanaugh, and Cheryl Chase.[5][6]

Development and release

In 1997, THQ signed an agreement with Nickelodeon to develop and publish video games using the Rugrats license through December 2002. The deal gave THQ exclusive rights to Rugrats for all current and future game systems from Nintendo, Sony, and Sega.[7] Among the first projects announced from this deal was a PlayStation game to be developed by n-Space and released in 1998.[8]

Rugrats: Search for Reptar was developed to appeal to children ages seven to twelve.[9][10] THQ created a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign for Search for Reptar, the second-biggest campaign of 1998 for a video game after Software:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's campaign. Marketing included television and print advertisements, promotional tie-ins (including images of the game on Rugrats Fruit Snacks' boxes) and online advertisements.[11] A trailer for the game was included in PlayStation Interactive Sampler Vol. 8[12] and demos were distributed among kiosks, hardware pack-ins, and on PlayStation: The Official Magazine demo discs. The campaign took about a year to formulate, and was a collaboration between Sony Computer Entertainment America and THQ to expand the younger children's market on the PlayStation. It was one of two THQ games to have television advertisements at the time, the other being WCW/nWo Thunder.[11]

The game was released in North America in October or November 1998[lower-alpha 1] and received an "E" rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board.[13] It was released in PAL regions in November.[14][16]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings68.75%[17]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStar[3]
GameSpot6.5/10[4]
IGN6.5/10[19]
Electric Playground8/10[17]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[18]

Rugrats: Search for Reptar received generally mixed to positive reviews. It held an aggregate score of 68.75% at GameRankings, based on four reviews.[17] Reviewers stated that the game had an easy difficulty rating geared towards a younger audience. They stated that older players might enjoy playing the game, especially those who were fans of the television show or casual gamers.[4][3][19][20] They also noted that the short duration of the levels and minigames would prevent younger audiences from becoming bored[3] and the golf minigame was highlighted as a positive experience.[4][3]

Reviewers highlighted poor camera mechanics: the camera's movement was nauseating,[4][19] the button to reorient the camera was not always effective[3] and sometimes the camera angle, when entering a room, would cause the controls to reverse.[19] Some reviewers highlighted positive experiences with the controls,[19] while others critiqued poor reaction times to initiate actions or stop movement.[3] Doug Perry, writing for IGN, stated that the game's use of simple Gouraud shading techniques, similar to those used in the television show, was visually appealing. He also complemented the looping, circus music soundtrack.[19] Scott Alan Marriott, writing for AllGame, stated that fans of the television show would be attracted to the game's use of the same voice actors.[3]

Search for Reptar was the third best-selling game in the first two weeks of its release in North America.[21] As of June 2003, the game had sold 1.5 million copies[22] and as of 2021 it ranked the 66th best-selling game on the Playstation.[10]

Sequel

Search for Reptar was re-released as a Greatest Hits title and was followed by a sequel titled Software:Rugrats: Studio Tour.[21][23]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sources give differing dates for the game's release, including October 31,[13][14] November 23,[15] and November 30.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Rugrats: The Search for Reptar". November 30, 1998. http://psx.ign.com/objects/010/010340.html. 
  2. ↑ THQ (1998). Rugrats: Search for Reptar Manual. PlayStation. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Marriott, Scott Alan. "Rugrats: Search for Reptar - Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14589&tab=review. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Fielder, Joe (January 5, 1999). "Rugrats: Search for Reptar Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/rugrats-search-for-reptar-review/1900-2549179/. 
  5. ↑ "Rugrats: Search for Reptar". http://www.giantbomb.com/rugrats-search-for-reptar/61-18043/credits/. 
  6. ↑ IGN Staff (November 23, 1998). "Rugrats Ships". http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/11/24/rugrats-ships. 
  7. ↑ IGN Staff (February 16, 1999). "THQ Inks Rugrats Agreement". https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/02/17/thq-inks-rugrats-agreement. 
  8. ↑ "Rugrats Crawl to Console". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (102): 22. January 1998. https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20102%20%28January%201998%29/page/n25/mode/2up. 
  9. ↑ International Directory of Company Histories. 39. St. James Press. 2001. p. 396. ISBN 9781558624443. https://books.google.com/books?id=sAm7AAAAIAAJ. Retrieved 2010-10-17. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Coulson, Josh (March 1, 2021). "Finally, The Perfect Time To Remake Rugrats: Search For Reptar Is Upon Us". TheGamer (Valnet Inc). https://www.thegamer.com/rugrats-search-for-reptar-remaster/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 IGN Staff (December 3, 1998). "THQ, Sony Team in Rugrats Marketing Bonanza". http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/04/thq-sony-team-in-rugrats-marketing-bonanza. 
  12. ↑ Prahl, Kyle (August 10, 2014). "MediEvil’s Sir Dan appears in Skyrim mod". https://www.psu.com/news/medievils-sir-dan-appears-in-skyrim-mod/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Rugrats: Search for Reptar". Evolve Media (Australia) PTY LTD. https://www.gamerevolution.com/game/rugrats-search-for-reptar. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Rugrats: Search for Reptar". Gamer Network Limited. https://www.pushsquare.com/games/ps1/rugrats_search_for_reptar. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "THQ and Nickelodeon Release PlayStation Game, 'Rugrats: Search for Reptar' Based on America's #1 Kids TV Show". THQ.com (Press release). Calabasas, California: THQ. November 23, 1998. Archived from the original on 2004-04-16. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  16. ↑ "Rugrats: Search for Reptar Release Information for PlayStation". October 31, 1998. http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps/198522-rugrats-search-for-reptar/data. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Rugrats: Search for Reptar for PlayStation". October 31, 1998. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198522-rugrats-search-for-reptar/index.html. 
  18. ↑ Walk, Gary Eng (January 8, 1999). "What to Play". Entertainment Weekly (466). ISSN 10490434. https://ew.com/article/1999/01/08/what-play-2/. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 Perry, Doug (December 2, 1998). "Rugrats: The Search for Reptar". http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/03/rugrats-the-search-for-reptar. 
  20. ↑ Perry, Doug (October 13, 1998). "Rugrats: The Search for Reptar (Preview)". http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/14/rugrats-the-search-for-reptar-2. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 IGN Staff (February 16, 1999). "Rugrats Sequel in the Works". http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/02/17/rugrats-sequel-in-the-works. 
  22. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (June 7, 2003). "The Catch? 'Nemo' Is Pure Family Fun". Chicago Tribune: p. 29. https://www.chicagotribune.com/2003/06/07/the-catch-nemo-is-pure-family-fun/. 
  23. ↑ IGN Staff (November 22, 1999). "Rugrats: Search for Reptar Now a Greatest Hit". http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/11/23/rugrats-search-for-reptar-now-a-greatest-hit. 

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