Ever feel like you’ve stumbled into a time machine and boom, you’re in the late 90s? Yeah, me too. And guess what? Wayforward, you know, the folks behind those epic 2D games – think River City Girls and definitely Shantae – have been dishing out stuff way before those hits. They did a bunch of licensed games, like, loads. Random thought: why does everyone forget about that? Anyway, Sabrina: The Animated Series – Zapped! on the Game Boy Color is one of those deep cuts. It’s like hopping back into a nice, cozy platformer, the kind that sets the stage for Shantae. Mind blown yet?
So here’s the deal: You dive in as Sabrina, our teenage witch in over her head, like quite literally turning her friends into zoo escapees. Yikes. Sabrina’s gotta hop around, stun them, and work some magic to fix her spell slip-ups. Oh, and you get this hilarious black cat, Salem, to help out. Gives me major nostalgia vibes. You keep leveling up with cool spells – double jump anyone? And Salem gets all crawlspace-y. So relatable.
Some levels are just super tight, like, they feel neat and, well, “put together.” You get a high vertical one where bubbles are your new best friend, or sections where your furry sidekick, Salem, needs to unlock stuff. Nothing groundbreaking but still, kinda charming? The Game Boy Color really wasn’t huge on processing power or anything, but the colors and sprites pop, and it’s easy to just pick up and play. Oh man, remember passwords? Simpler times.
But here’s the kicker – limited buttons on the Game Boy Color, guys. Sometimes you’re smashing that B-button to cast spells and those pesky enemies sneak up on you. Who needed that frustration, right? For what’s essentially a spin-off of an animated series of a TV show (yeah, it’s a mouthful), it plays surprisingly well. It’s no Shantae, let’s be real, but you can see the roots here. Sure, it’s not gonna revolutionize your world or anything, but it’s a nice nostalgic dive. Play it once, enjoy the ride, and then poof, back to reality.
