Buster busts loose alright, but I kind of wish he didn't.
With the 20 year anniversary of the SNES, I've written a lot lately about my history with the system and how I acquired it near the end of its lifecycle. For this reason, I pretty much only owned the finest games available for the platform, games I had my eye on for years. When I look at my collection today, there is one glaring exception present among the cavalcade of gray plastic: Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose. I can't recall the origin of this game, though I'd assume some relative gave it to me for one holiday or another. There is one thing I do remember about this game, however, and that's that I kind of didn't like it. Playing the game now, I can say that, unlike my feelings about mushrooms or Jar Jar Binks, this opinion hasn't changed since being a kid.
Upon first glance, Buster Busts Loose seems like a surefire success. The entire game is bright and detailed, with levels and characters pulled directly from episodes of the show. The music, too, is leisurely cheerful and emulates familiar tunes. The levels each play along a different movie trope; westerns, horror films, and even Star Wars are represented and spoofed as the game rolls along. There's even a Back to the Future reference! By and large, the game captures the light and satirical spirit of the show while also being a pop culture bonanza.
Unfortunately, I don't think the gameplay holds up quite as well as the aesthetics. Buster moves around just fine, but there are some weird and downright awful control issues. First of all, and perhaps I'm nitpicking here, Buster's main attack is his drop kick, which, when the button is pressed, results in Buster doing a back flip and kicking his legs out, damaging any enemy he comes in contact with. Yet, this attack is almost useless without jumping into the air first and then coming down on enemies. However, when Buster simply jumps on enemies, he takes damage. What this means is that rather than being able to simply press one button to hurt enemies, you must instead jump then press the drop kick button to inflict damage. It's just sort of odd and cumbersome, and it goes against a basic truth of most platformers, that jumping on enemies kills them.
I can adjust and let that complaint go, but I can't forgive the awful dash mechanic. Infusing a bit of Sonic-like speed into Buster, players can press the dash button (which, by default, is one of the shoulder buttons!) to see the blue bunny barrel forward with enough force to even run straight up walls. The first level uses the ability to middling success, as Buster must use the dash to simulate wall jumping, running up two walls and jumping between them to avoid enemies. However, it is the second level that really starts to illicit some frustration, as Buster must run along a mountain top while the train he was riding continues on below in a tunnel. Buster must dash and jump over chasms, typically leaping blindly and hoping to hit the next platform. I found that sometimes Buster would continue to dash upon landing, and yet other times he would stop, waiting for me to press the shoulder button again. That wouldn't matter, though, as even the briefest pause from dashing insured instant death. Worse yet, Buster has a meter which drains as he dashes, meaning if you happen to miss the item that restores your dash meter, you are dead. I can't tell you how many times, as an adult now, I had to attempt this stupid level before beating it. It's one of the most infuriating sections of a game I've ever played.
Also, Buster Busts Loose follows this odd 90's ideology of shortening the game when played on easy. Certain parts of levels (like the aforementioned train section) are simply cut out of the game when playing on easy, making for this weird, dis-jointed experience as, for example, Buster jumps out of a window chasing Max and then winds up at a haunted house with Max completely forgotten about. Then again, letting kids skip the dash portions of the game may be an act in mercy.
Buster Busts Loose is a game that could have been great. All the style and humor of the series is there, but some odd design choices hamper the experience. Who knows, though, I could be crazy. NWR's own Pedro Hernandez loves this game, and I look forward to seeing him defend it in the comments. IGN even recently compiled a list of the 100 best SNES games, and there's Buster Busts Loose, resting comfortably at #99. Either way, this nebulous game may be worth a look today, though only if you have some serious patience. Or a Game Genie.
