🎮 Looney Tunes (Game Boy) Review – Wacky, Retro Fun or Cartoon Chaos? 🐰
In this episode, I dive into the zany world of Looney Tunes for the Nintendo Game Boy – a handheld classic featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and more! Released in the early '90s, this platformer brought Saturday morning cartoons to our tiny monochrome screens… but does it hold up today?
Whether you're a retro gaming fanatic, a nostalgic cartoon fan, or just curious about how the Looney Tunes crew handled pixelated action, this review has you covered!
👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the 🔔 for more retro game reviews!
00:03Sunsoft's Looney Tunes for the Game Boy is a platforming trip through slapstick chaos,
00:09Saturday morning cartoon charm, and more than a few surprises.
00:14Released during the golden age of handheld experimentation,
00:18Looney Tunes dares to shake things up by offering players control of a different iconic character in each of its seven levels.
00:26It's a concept as bold as Taz at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
00:31And for the most part, it works.
00:34Each level features a new Looney Tunes star, and thankfully, these aren't just palette swaps.
00:40Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny stand out as the best of the bunch, thanks to their boomerang-like frisbee attacks.
00:47Time it right, and you can get multiple hits by bouncing it off enemies.
00:52It's satisfying and keeps the action flowing smoothly.
00:55On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Tweety.
00:59Adorable, vulnerable, and tragically unarmed.
01:03His stage trades offense for evasion, requiring you to stay airborne and out of Sylvester's clutches.
01:11While you can't fight back, luring Sylvester into manholes offers a deviously fun form of revenge.
01:18It's a clever change of pace, even if it leaves you wishing for just one Acme-brand mallet.
01:25Then there's Porky Pig, who soars into Super Mario Land territory with a side-scrolling shoot-em-up segment.
01:32Call it imitation or inspiration, either way, it's a blast.
01:37Dodging UFOs and Acme bombs gives Porky an unexpected hero moment, and we're here for it.
01:44Taz gets to do what he does best, spin, smash, and devour.
01:49His tornado rampage is pure cartoon catharsis.
01:53Though there's virtually no challenge, it's more of a palate-cleansing bonus stage than a real test skill.
02:00So, it's a fun diversion.
02:04Speedy Gonzales.
02:06Arguably the most disappointing character in the game.
02:11He moves fast, but is hampered by a laughably bad special attack.
02:17His arc-shaped star toss leaves him exposed and is only useful in most specific circumstances.
02:24You're better off just bouncing on enemies like Super Mario.
02:29Honestly, I was kind of expecting him to play like Sonic the Hedgehog.
02:34But then again, it was a time when Sega and Nintendo were at war, so.
02:40Roadrunner's auto-scrolling level is more rewarding.
02:43Pitting him against a rocket-riding Wild Yee Coyote in a chaotic boss battle full of anvils, boomerangs, bullet bill knockoffs, and what appears to be watermelon cluster bobs.
02:56Don't ask.
02:58It's frantic, funny, and easily one of the best designed encounters in the game.
03:03The boss roster is surprisingly creative.
03:06Daffy's underwater duel with a toy anglerfish, complete with a rotating wind-up key and googly-eye bulge animations, wins points for sheer weirdness.
03:18Porky's air battle against Witch Hazel throws in a twist.
03:22She's not the real boss.
03:24That honor goes to her evil star, who attacks with bombs, kitchenware such as spoons, and homing forks.
03:32It's part Gradius, part Looney Tunes, all fun.
03:37Speedy squares off with Dracula in a boss fight straight out of Castlevania, with cape flaps, bat transformations, and all.
03:46While most of the fight is traditional platforming, there's a brief, glorious moment when Speedy's otherwise useless star attack actually works.
03:55It's oddly satisfying, like finding out a vending machine accepting your crumpled dollar on the first try.
04:01And finally, Bugs Bunny faces off with Elmer Fudd, who goes full contra with Spreadshot Blast before losing his temper and bouncing around like a Mexican jumping bean.
04:14It's not the most difficult boss battle, but it's a fun capstone, and a decent challenge if you mix up attacks instead of spamming the bounce.
04:24Looney Tunes isn't just about character variety.
04:27The level design is impressively diverse too.
04:29The early jungle stage is visually bland, but picks up underwater, where bubbling coral reefs and curious fish breathe life into the environment.
04:40The city stage is chaotic and fun, complete with rogue pedestrians and flying projectiles.
04:47Big urban energy in an 8-bit package.
04:49The cloud city level is the standout, with parallax scrolling and a sunset transition that adds a surprising amount of depth and atmosphere.
05:00It feels almost poetic for a game with exploding pumpkins and homing cutlery.
05:05Later levels include a deathtrap riddle pyramid that seems unsure if it's Egyptian or Mesoamerican.
05:13A gorgeously scrolling desert chase that captures the spirit of Roadrunner.
05:18And a spooky castle with eye-tracking skulls and spike-filled surprises straight out of Castlevania.
05:26The design is varied, creative, and just unhinged enough to feel authentically loony.
05:33Sprite work ranges from impressive to what happened here.
05:37Bugs, Daffy, Taz, and Roadrunner look fantastic.
05:41Others, like Witch Hazel, lose points for looking like a bootleg Halloween emoji.
05:48Still, Sunsoft makes up for it with bizarre original enemies like morbidly obese singing mummies,
05:55tiny kung fu mummies with Bruce Lee flykicks,
05:59giant frogs on steroids,
06:02an armless gator who looks like he was drawn in MS paints, and more.
06:06It's all so off the wall that it somehow fits.
06:12Audio-wise, the game hits the right notes.
06:16The music is cheerful and energetic,
06:18capturing the cartoon vibe without being annoying.
06:21A rare feat on Game Boy hardware.
06:24Sound effects are solid, even if it's nothing groundbreaking.
06:29Sunsoft's Looney Tunes is a surprisingly rich platformer
06:31that plays like a greatest hits reel of Game Boy gameplay mechanics.
06:37With each stage offering something new,
06:39it's hard to get bored even when things aren't perfectly polished.
06:44A few odd design choices and floaty jump physics
06:47keep it from reaching an all-time classic status.
06:50But its variety, humor, and charm carry it very far.
06:55Looney Tunes is an animated anthology of creative gameplay
06:58that's equal parts goofy and great.
07:00Whether you're platforming, flying, or outwitting
07:04kitchenware-wielding bosses,
07:07this Game Boy gym delivers more than a few laughs
