Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-bit Land (3DS)
Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-bit Land (3DS) | Pic source: Amazon.com
Here's my review of Regular Show: Mordecai & Rigby in 8-bit Land (M&RI8BL, as it's shown in the 3DS home menu). I'd like to mention that my copy was generously provided by the producer, Aaron Blean. I had the opportunity to discuss some game development and what it was like working with D3Publisher. Thanks again, Aaron!
Paris: How long did it take to make the game? Aaron: Roughly 8-9 months. We started Fall 2012 and finished around Summer 2013. The game was officially released October 2013 and is an exclusive for the Nintendo 3DS. Paris: That makes sense. I heard about it in Spring, got to play a demo and met JG Quintel (creator of Regular Show) at San Diego ComicCon the following summer.
Pic source: Amazon.com If you've never seen the cartoon, Regular Show revolves around twenty-something year olds, Mordecai and Rigby, who are notorious slackers at their home and workspace, the park. Their lives may seem mundane, but they often slip dimensions and cause chaos before returning to the norm. Their boss, Benson, moderates their laziness by yelling at them (lol no, seriously.), but boys-will-be-boys as long as they live. Regular Show is currently on its 5th season and airs on
Cartoon Network.
Paris: What was it like working with JG Quintel? Aaron: He is Mordecai in the flesh - personality, voice and stature. The series reflects his life experiences throughout college and young adult years. I had fun collaborating with him and the rest of the team, making sure all of the right decisions were made for this project.
The game's story is as straight forward as the show, told in a visual novel style. Typical day: Benson tells Mordecai and Rigby to mow the lawn, or else they're fired! Outside of their house, Mordecai and Rigby find a sealed package. They open it and discover a new game console with a cartridge titled, "The Best Game Ever!". As they get comfortable on the couch and turn on the game, the TV sucks them into the screen and they enter 8-bit land.
Paris: Do you have any advice before playing the game? Aaron: There are 3 modes that you switch simultaneously throughout sections. You start by playing a 2D side-scrolling mode to explore the levels. Later on, you get to play "shmup" style (think Gradius or R-Type) and top-down mode (like Smash TV, run-and-gun games). We designed the game so that it would imitate the kinds of video games JG Quintel played.
Pic source: Amazon.com
The characters Mordecai and Rigby are modeled differently, so levels are designed for players to switch between them. Mordecai is the taller of the two, so he's given a double jump to leap across gaps. Rigby being smaller, he can crawl through tight spaces and run on all fours. Switching characters and modes gets tricky later on, but that's all part of the fun and challenge.
Paris: Does the game reference things other than the cartoon? Aaron: Sure! The console they play is modeled after the Sega Master System, which is what JG had growing up. We designed the instruction booklet to mimic that grid-graphic as well. There's some references to the 80's & 90's; you'll see Fanny Packs, All-American Mullets and golden VHS tapes all over the place. (These are all helpful items you find along the way.)
Excluding the Boss Battles, three golden VHS tapes are scattered high and low in every level; collecting these items will help you unlock neat little extras. You can access the video game music box, a small gallery of concept drawings and (dare I say it,) Cheat Codes. Who remembers Game-Genie? Raise your hand! Paris: Can anyone who's never watched Regular Show play this game? Has it been advertised? Aaron: Most of the people who have played and reviewed it are fans of the series. The enemies and bosses reflect characters seen in the cartoon, so that might be an advantage fans have. There has been no advertisement for this title, it's primarily a word-of-mouth game.
It took a few days for me to get through the game, mind you I went at it non-stop, because I have that kind of free time on my hands. I enjoyed it, especially the hunt for some of the VHS tapes. I also fancy the music player and art gallery, but I wonder if they programmed anymore cheats? ... heheh. Would I ever replay the boss battles? I could do it, but not happily, as those were some of my most aggravating moments. [Spoiler: The final stage reminded me of the never-ending battle seen in Game Center CX run through of Ninja Gaiden. You might end up screaming like me, "Why won't you die?!"]
Call me guilty: I am a fan of the cartoon and wanted to see what their video game would be like. My friend recommended this to me because it's still fairly recent and we actually know someone who worked on it. I feel our discussions gave some good insight though. Regular Show: Mordecai & Rigby in 8-bit Land is retro down to the core! So it's worth checking out if you're into that and wrapping your knuckles around a Nintendo 3DS. I'm gonna refrain from replaying the last levels, those really cramped my fingers and hands. Either way, enjoy it and have fun!
Pic source: Amazon.com
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Paris Matic is a mixed bag of talent and trivia that requires sorting. A former living-room DJ turned into vinyl enthusiast, music motivates her. Casual gamer & spectator; standard arcade junkie. Paris is a published writer and illustrator, available for discussion and collaboration. She enjoys blogging and would like to share her words with you. Paris wears her Cap on ReviewHat with pride.