Addams Family for Gameboy
Between the years 1989 to 1994, six games were released based on the "Addams Family" movie. The Addams Family is the most popular sitcom to be turned into a video game. It turns out they are the only '60s' sitcom to be made into a video game, twenty-three years after the series went off the air.
The Game Boy classic features Uncle Fester brainwashed and suffering from amnesia with the help of Abigail Craven and the crooked lawyer Tully Alford to evict the rest of the family from the family home and steal the family fortune. The family, except Gomez, goes back to the mansion to try to reason with the crooks only to be kidnapped. So it is up to the man of the house, Gomez, to rescue the family and get back the mansion and fortune. The family is scattered over the mansion and the grounds.
This game has a side-scrolling platform. Gomez has to run and jump through the strange environment, all the while battling the weird creatures of the Addams world. You as Gomez have to find the entrances that lead to the boss battles, leading up to the finale battle with Uncle Fester, and the lawyer.
Two of these versions were produced by Ocean; the first one..."Fester's Quest" was developed for several gaming systems including the Game Boy. This game featured Uncle Fester in an upside scooter saving the world from alien invasion. This game was based on the movie that was released in 1991.
The good features were the power-up potions that turn Uncle Fester into a great monster. Even the retro music was a hit. On the downside, its level of difficulty made fighting off the aliens less fun then it should have been. There were no saves so no way to continue where you leave off. The graphics leave something to be desired. The level design was so boring that it took away from the feeling and fun of being in the world of the "Addams Family". There were a few "bugs" that needed to be fixed, such as the game once in a while allowing enemies to hurt you just by being close or when you try to hit the bad guys, you get injured by going right through them. It also made it impossible to hit back until you recovered from being hit.
The key to the boss battles is to get them in the right order. Take for instance, swords will not be enough to defeat the "Toy Box Boss"; you will need to have the "Hot Coals" from the "Boiler Room Boss". There are no clues to the order to hit the Bosses so that leaves you not knowing which weapon to equip yourself with to defeat that room's boss. It is recommended that you find the monster potions to succeed at this game. The Dracula potion turns you into a flying vampire. The Frankenstein potion gives ten extra hits. The Wolf Man potion allows you to run faster. The Creature from the Black Lagoon potion allows you to swim better. There are six levels that have "boss battles" that lead up to a final battle with Uncle Fester.
Then in 1993, the first game's sequel was released titled "Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt." This game was based on the animated series from ABC. "The adventure game has a side scrolling platform. There was one major flaw...it didn't have a password feature and on top of that, the game was very difficult. Now with the revised version, there is a password feature. The basic plot of the game was simple. Pugsley took up the challenge of his sister to win a scavenger hunt. The hunt was for him to find an item from each of the family members' bedrooms.
The basic game cheats to this game are as follows:
To enter the toy chest... you need to move to the far left and jump while holding left button. That should allow your character to enter an invisible cavity located in the wall. Press up to find the family vault and the money it contains.
To warp to the last level...You need to get to the second basement. Then walk to the last barrel on the right side and jump on it.
To get full energy quickly...Hold the down + A + B + select and start immediately after losing a life.
The best password cheat..."6R2KK" this will begin the game with Uncle Fester, Gomez, Wednesday, and Granny rescued.
To get Infinite lives...right after starting the game, you need to put in the following password in the title screen...A, B, B, A, left, right, left, right then start up the game.
To find the Secret Rooms...For these you need to have the Umbrella.
When you go through the front door, turn right then go through the first door, go to the right to get the bucket by climbing up the pipes on the wall. Then go to the bathroom and pull the rope on the upper left corner, which turns the shower on, filling the bucket. Then go back to the room where the umbrella was and the fireplace should be out, in which case press "B".
When on the roof, go to the where the chimney is on the left to climb the ladder and then press "B" on the fireplace.
1994 saw the return to the game's styling being like "Uncle Fester's Quest." This was done because of the first movie's sequel "Addams Family Values" release.
In the early 1990s, a color version of the game came out as a promotion of "The New Addams Family." This game was titled simply "The New Addams Family Series". This game featured "Funnyday", a fictional company had bought the mansion to tear it down along with the grounds to make an amusement park. In this game, you play as the head of the household, Gomez. This game also features power-up potions that transform Gomez in various monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, a Sea monster, and the Wolf Man.