Review: Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
At a Glance
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How to Save and Pause:There's no way to save in this game, as like most NES games from the era, you were expected to complete it in one go. Modern re-releases may support save states, however. To pause the game, press START on your controller. Time needed per session:This game can be completed in roughly an hour - and that's if you don't skip stages.
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Does this game pose issues for Christian players?
 | No - this is a great game for Christians Things are kept very family-friendly, and there's actually less violence than you'd see in the TV show. |
Screenshots
Screenshots taken from the Disney Afternoon Collection
Game Overview
I'll admit to some bias here: Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers was one of my favorites of the Disney Afternoon lineup, and it's no surprise that I loved the games based on it growing up. The show itself is still available on Disney+, and if you've taken the time to watch it, you've seen how it used simple stories about solving crimes to deal with serious topics. Capcom adapted the series into a game by turning it into an action adventure, but that definitely did the games a favor - the NES didn't led itself to mysteries very well!
The game begins with the Rescue Rangers going a mission straight out of the TV show: a kitten has been kidnapped by robot dogs, and the Rescue Rangers need to track her down. Eventually the heroes discover Professor Nimnul's static electricity generator, right out of "Catteries Not Included", and face it down as the game's first boss battle.
But retreading the stories from a show rarely makes a game worth playing, so things take a sharp turn after the generator is destroyed: it's revealed that the Rescue Ranger's archnemesis, Fat Cat, used Professor Nimnul's contraption as a distraction: while they dealt with the generator, he slipped in and kidnapped Gadget! Now he's forcing her to build machines for him!
From here on out, the Rescue Rangers must travel through several different locations in an attempt to reach Fat Cat’s casino and save the team’s resident genius. Fortunately, she’s resourceful enough to have cobbled together a radio so she can send helpful messages to the Rangers between levels.
Gameplay wise, this is a pretty well made platformer: players can jump up and down easily as well as duck to avoid traps or enemies. However, it handles combat differently than you might expect. Instead of being armed with a weapon, Chip and Dale lift crates, apples, or other objects, and then throw them at whatever they're fighting. Hitting an enemy with a thrown object usually does enough damage to defeat an enemy in one hit.
Alternatively, Chip and Dale can hide inside a crate. This prevents them from moving, but it also allows you to set up a trap for an oncoming enemy: the enemy will take damage, the crate will be knocked away, and the Ranger will be free to continue on like nothing happened.
All in all, this game makes for a great low-stakes adventure for an afternoon. It's one of my favorite games for the NES, and I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.
The game begins with the Rescue Rangers going a mission straight out of the TV show: a kitten has been kidnapped by robot dogs, and the Rescue Rangers need to track her down. Eventually the heroes discover Professor Nimnul's static electricity generator, right out of "Catteries Not Included", and face it down as the game's first boss battle.
But retreading the stories from a show rarely makes a game worth playing, so things take a sharp turn after the generator is destroyed: it's revealed that the Rescue Ranger's archnemesis, Fat Cat, used Professor Nimnul's contraption as a distraction: while they dealt with the generator, he slipped in and kidnapped Gadget! Now he's forcing her to build machines for him!
From here on out, the Rescue Rangers must travel through several different locations in an attempt to reach Fat Cat’s casino and save the team’s resident genius. Fortunately, she’s resourceful enough to have cobbled together a radio so she can send helpful messages to the Rangers between levels.
Gameplay wise, this is a pretty well made platformer: players can jump up and down easily as well as duck to avoid traps or enemies. However, it handles combat differently than you might expect. Instead of being armed with a weapon, Chip and Dale lift crates, apples, or other objects, and then throw them at whatever they're fighting. Hitting an enemy with a thrown object usually does enough damage to defeat an enemy in one hit.
Alternatively, Chip and Dale can hide inside a crate. This prevents them from moving, but it also allows you to set up a trap for an oncoming enemy: the enemy will take damage, the crate will be knocked away, and the Ranger will be free to continue on like nothing happened.
All in all, this game makes for a great low-stakes adventure for an afternoon. It's one of my favorite games for the NES, and I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.
Points of Interest
10 levels
There's a total of ten unique levels to explore, but you don't actually need to play through them all. After the first level, you can choose with path to take on your journey to Fat Cat's casino. Nothing changes if you don't complete each level, so feel free to skip any Zone you're not interested in.
Amazing music
I know a lot of people gush over the Moon theme from Ducktales, but in my opinion, the Disney tie-in game with the best music is this one. I’m particularly fond of the music from the final level (Zone J), which is perfect for the dramatic storming of the villain’s base.
Two player co-op
In the single player mode, players can choose to play as either Chip or Dale, and since both characters handle exactly alike, fans can simply pick their favorite Rescue Ranger.
But there's also a two player co-op mode where player one controls Chip and player two controls Dale. Unlike a lot of NES game, both players are on screen at the same time, so you'll need to work together to move through the stages.
Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t work out of the box for the Disney Afternoon Collection release of the game, which is disappointing. You’ll either need two controllers or a third party tool that allows someone to use the keyboard as a fake controller.
But there's also a two player co-op mode where player one controls Chip and player two controls Dale. Unlike a lot of NES game, both players are on screen at the same time, so you'll need to work together to move through the stages.
Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t work out of the box for the Disney Afternoon Collection release of the game, which is disappointing. You’ll either need two controllers or a third party tool that allows someone to use the keyboard as a fake controller.
Cameos
The robot dogs and Professor Nimnul's machine aren't the only side characters from the TV show who make an appearance. One of the particularly noteworthy cameos is Dtz, a shape shifter from the planet Fleeblebrox. He and his other crewmates appear as enemies in this game, which feels odd since they weren't bad guys in the episode he appeared in.
Very short
Being a game from the 1980s, this game's story only lasts for about forty five minutes to an hour. That's nothing compared to the average game today, but since players were expected to complete the game in one sitting, this was a reasonable length for the time.
Concerns and Issues
Mild violence
Chip and Dale can be hurt if they touch an enemy or projectile, but nothing in this game is actually violent. It’s just a matter of knocking someone off the screen - and that can include your friend!
Friendly fire is a thing during co-op games: Players can throw their pal like anything else, and they can hit each other with other thrown objects. However, this will only stun the victim rather than hurt them, so players can squabble like Chip and Dale often do in their cartoons without much trouble.
Friendly fire is a thing during co-op games: Players can throw their pal like anything else, and they can hit each other with other thrown objects. However, this will only stun the victim rather than hurt them, so players can squabble like Chip and Dale often do in their cartoons without much trouble.