Platform: Sega Genesis

Developer: Konami

Publisher: Konami

Release date: February 7, 1993

Genre: Platformer

Nerd Rating: 8 out of 10

My friend (Giant Metal Zorio) and I used to play this game non-stop back when it first came out.  He had the Genesis long before I did, so his house was the place to be.  We would wake up early on a Saturday or Sunday morning and play this (and probably some Sonic the Hedgehog 2) in his room with the volume almost non-existent (as to not wake up his parents who were in the adjacent room).  We loved it then and I still love it now.  This game, in my overly critical and often offputting opinion, stands the test of time VERY well!

Developed and published by Konami, this game was destined to be successful.  Konami built a great reputation developing games like the Castlevania series, Contra series, Metal Gear series, Gradius, nearly every TMNT game, and more.  Some might think it’s strange to see a Tiny Toons game developed by Konami, and it is.  But it’s just smart business.  Looney Toons have been big for who-knows-how-long.  And Tiny Toons were really taking off in popularity around this time.  Not to mention that platforming games were wildly popular and successful thanks to the Mario and Sonic franchises.  So why not capitalize on a great opportunity? Learning from its predecessor on the NES, Tiny Toon Adventures, Konami found a way!

And capitalize they did.  This game is simply brilliant.  Similar to Super Mario World on the SNES in the sense that you have a map (see picture below) and you travel from each stage to the next on the map.  The map layout shows the kind of level you’ll be playing in, for example on green turf, in the water, on a pirate ship, in a volcano, and so on.

Busters Hidden Treasure offers a great variety of stages to hold your attention.  One of the downsides of platform games is the tedious, monotonous, and repetitive levels.  It always seems like the same level but with different textures.  This game can start to feel that way slightly, but not as bad as you would think or as bad as other games I’ve played.  The levels vary greatly, the music is fun, and the game can be downright funny (getting a full head of steam and then tripping over a can in the ground for no reason?!).  It’s not Sonic the Hedgehog though, and you really can’t just hold down the right direction on the D-Pad and fly through a level.  If you do that, you will certainly die.  The levels are meticulously built and can be extremely challenging.  Jumping from one platform to another can be difficult, especially when you can’t see what’s below you.  Each time you beat a level and see yourself progressing on the map, you feel very satisfied.

Graphics: The graphics are great for a 2D game and the color is marvelous.  Nothing about the graphics makes your jaw drop nor does it make you cringe.  It’s a cartoon style in the vein of the Tiny Toons cartoon show, so it’s only fitting for it to be drawn that way (unlike when South Park came out with South Park on the Nintendo 64 in awful looking 3D).  It’s very pleasing.

Sound: I would say the sound is near flawless.  It’s just perfect.  The music in the levels make you feel like you’re right in the cartoon, and controlling Buster really engulfs your imagination.  It reminds me of the show.  The sound effects are also spot on. When you trip over a can in the ground, it sounds like a can.  When you die, you hear Loony Toon-esque birds flying, simulating that classic scene when someone gets hit in the head and sees those birds.  The music and sound effects are very great.

Playability (How fun is it now?): Buster’s Hidden Treasure plays very well.  Not every game made is exactly “playable” per se, due to poor game design, bad graphics, terrible control-scheme, etc. This game isn’t any of those.  It plays very well, feels fluid, and Buster is very controllable and easy to use.  It can be tough to time your jumps sometimes and figure out where the hell you’re supposed to go, and sometimes the game can be downright frustratingly difficult.  But overcoming the challenges is where you find the most reward!

Replayability: I would say that it has a moderate to high replayability.  A game like this isn’t exactly one that you just pick up and play whenever.  As you advance and master the early levels, the last thing you want to do is play the early/easy levels again.  And you have to lose all of your lives to get the passwords.  Having the passwords helps a great deal with the ability to play for a half hour and put it down until tomorrow.  Once you beat the game, you feel pretty accomplished.  You’ll probably want some time away from the game for a year or so.  It’s a great game though.

The control scheme is simple and the animation is beautiful and complex for a 16-bit system.  With great sound and music, you can’t beat Tiny Toon Adventures, Busters Hidden Treasure.  It’s refreshing to play this game now and still be challenged like when I was a kid.  This game is worth putting in your collection.

Nerd Rating: 8 out of 10

Submitted by NerdBerry