The Nintendo Entertainment System was known for two things: Licensed games and platformers. Gamers of today will probably wince when they hear of licensed games, the retro era, being a licensed game did not always mean poor quality. As a matter of fact, some of the best games of yesteryear were based off of popular TV shows and movies.

The game I look back on today was everything listed above: a quality, licensed platformer. Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers was one of my favorite childhood TV shows, and the game only my increased love for the two chipmunks. In the game, you got to choose between Chip and Dale, (But seriously, who didn’t pick Chip? Chip was such a badass.) and you work your way through an assortment of levels to accomplish objectives starting with saving kittens, and eventually stopping Fat Cat and rescuing Gadget. The rest of the review is after the jump.

As good of a game Chip ‘n Dale was, you didn’t have many ways to dispose of enemies. You could throw blocks, hide under blocks, and…throw some more blocks. And when I say blocks, I mean anything your furry little arms can pick up, including steel blocks, apples, and wooden crates. The only other way of dispatching foes is by finding Zipper in the level, who then gives you invincibility for a short amount of time. Another cool feature is the world map, which usually follows a linear path, but occasionally gives you a choice in which levels you want to traverse (i.e. one harder level or two easier ones).

There is a two player coop mode, but I would only recommend it if you want to hate your partner by the end of the game. If you happen to happen to hit your counterpart with a thrown object, they become momentarily stunned, which usually ends with their death. It quickly goes from a game of “help each other out to the end of the level” to “kill that s.o.b. for revenge”. Plus, one of the players is going to be forced to be Dale, and no one’s ever happy about that.

Though I am a bit biased, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers is easily one of the finest licensed games in the 8-bit era. It is a bit easier than the notoriously harder games of that generation, but that doesn’t stop it from being enjoyable. If I didn’t own the original cartridge, I would be rioting in the streets for Nintendo to bring this to the Virtual Console. If you were a fan of the kids show, classic platforming games, or just fun itself, you owe it to yourself to add this gem to your library.