The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle (NES) Playthrough - NintendoComplete

A playthrough of Kemco's 1989 licensed-based action-puzzle game for the NES, The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle.

The Crazy Castle series is a long-running line of Kemco games with a history of sporting high-profile cartoon character licenses. The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle is the first game of the series, and the NES version is a reskinned version of what appeared on the Famicom Disk System as Roger Rabbit.

If you're at all familiar with the NES game Kid Klown in Night Mayor World (or Mickey Mouse 3: Yume Fuusen in Japan), you might also be surprised to learn that it was the third game in Crazy Castle line.

Perhaps even more confusing is that Kemco released a second Bugs Bunny NES game in 1990 (The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout) but aside from being badged with the same licensed IP, it is not related to the Crazy Castle games in any way. The history of this series nearly rivals that of Wonder Boy/Adventure Island when it comes to being both convoluted and sprawling.

But all of that interesting yet ultimately inconsequential hogwash aside, The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle is an action-puzzler that takes places across sixty stages. The goal of each board, which typically spans 3-4 screens (horizontally and vertically), is to collect all eight carrots. Sounds simple, right?

And in reality, it totally is that simple.

But of course there's a bit more to it than it sounds. I mean, duh. It's called a "crazy" castle for a reason.

Each carrot-harboring den of malfeasance (or "stage," if you want to be boring about it) features a ridiculous number of staircases and doors. Who would build or live in a place like this?! These, in addition to pipes later on, allow Bugs to reach the nooks and crannies of the area that he wouldn't otherwise have access to. The layouts are, for the most part, simple "mazes" that are virtually impossible to get lost in.

The other "crazy" feature of this castle is that it has apparently been overrun by a army of Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, and Sylvester clones. They mill about as you collect carrots, and contact with any of them instantly results in a lost life and a stage reset. Your adversaries are not bright, but they are quite capable of trapping you if you aren't focusing on what's going on. You can pick up a few favorite weapons from the ACME product line (anvils, spring-loaded boxing gloves, etc.) to fend them off, but for the most part, you'll have to plan around them.

Each bad guy type has its own specific pathfinding behavior, and it pays to learn their patterns early on. Many of the later stages fully expect you to exploit the behavior patterns in order to clear the path forward.

Though the game is way too easy, once you've gotten used to the stiff controls, it's easy to find yourself addicted. It feels a lot like an early 80s arcade game like Popeye or Mario Bros. in that regard - it's a good pick-up-and-play game that's a blast to squander some time with, and it makes itself very accessible to people of any skill level. If you're new to the NES, this would make for a fairly gentle introduction to a library that's not known for being gentle.

The graphics and music don't impress, but they don't offend either. They get the job done - nothing more, nothing less. That title screen makes me laugh a lot, though. Does anyone else think Bugs looks like he's cos-playing as the half-naked princess from Phelios?

The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle is one of those classic, endlessly playable staples of the NES library, and once it gets its hooks in you, you'll find yourself coming back to it time and time again.

If you're curious about the other games I mentioned, here are a few links:
Kid Klown in Night Mayor World:    • Kid Klown in Night Mayor World (NES) Playt...  

A side-by-side comparison of Kid Klown and Mickey Mouse 3 (w/English subtitles):    • Kid Klown / Mickey Mouse III Comparative P...  

The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout:    • The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout (NES) Play...  
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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