Back in 1992 when
cartoon duo
Ren and
Stimpy were hot properties,
T*HQ bought the rights to produce video games based on the
animated cat and dog team. The first release from this license was the
Game Boy title
Ren and Stimpy Space Cadet Adventures, an entire game allowing players to take control of
Commander Hoek and
Cadet Stimpy in the amazing year 400 billion. Sounds like fun, right? Guess again, you
eeeediot.
Ren and Stimpy Space Cadet Adventures turns out to be just another crappy game based on a decent license. Part of the problem is that the series' trademark humor did not make the transition to the game. Sure, you'll find cameos from Powdered Toast, Log, and Muddy Mudskipper, but it takes more than just an appearance to make something humorous. The game is a platformer that take the bold step of making it a pain to jump from platform to platform and equiping our heros with ineffective weapons.
Level 1 put the player in control of Stimpy as he tries to make it to the rocketship's hatch so that he can rescue Ren. His sole weapon is the ability to cough up a hairball, a projectile weapon that damages a scant 10% or so of the hazards in his way. Enemies uneffected include dozens of flying lightbulbs, lamps, logs, and waterspouts. Enemies that are effected include two giant floating eyes and two robots. Worse yet, Stimpy's poor jump is unable to leap above hazards, meaning that even the best jump will still knock a piece of toast off of his life meter. Level 2 puts the player in control of Ren on an alien planet. His weapon: a fierce karate chop that has absolutely no range. Ren must be physically on top of an enemy to chop them, and even then the chop will not work or the enemy will damage Ren in the process of the attack. The game returns to Stimpy's character in Level 3 and concludes with Ren in Level 4, more levels that are frustratingly difficult. Each level is absurdly long and, should (when) the character dies, he must restart the level from the very beginning. Proficiency at this game requires learning the timing behind series after series of intricate jumps.
T*HQ released several addition Ren and Stimpy games over the years, some of which rent to the rental only market because they were so bad. Unfortunately, Ren and Stimpy Space Cadet Adventures is about as good as it gets in the series. The game is probably available at the usual used game stores, but you're more likely to find it on the Internet as a ROM. If you're deadset on finishing this game I suggest you grab a Game Genie code for invincibility and have a lot of patience.