I remember that game!
Less QQ, more Pew-Pew!
Here’s a real throwback. I still can’t believe this of all things was added to the PS-Plus library. I’m not mad though. In fact, I didn’t even realize this game was originally on the PS1 at all. It was one of the first video games I ever remember playing, but I had it on the Nintendo-64 which I thought it was exclusive to. The year that Santa decided to gift my sister and I an N64 in the late 1990s, he was gracious enough to also include 2 games with it; there was ‘A Bug’s Life’ game, and then there was this! Both developed by Traveller’s Tales before they decided to commit exclusively to making Lego games.
I always liked this game more. The Bug’s Life game was very clunky and way too difficult for kids- definitely ‘squished’ my confidence as a young gamer (hahaha COMEDY!) Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue wasn’t infinity and beyond in terms of quality by retrospect, but as a literal 4-year-old I loved it. I guess you could say it was my very first third-person-shooter. I mean, Buzz’s main attack is to eliminate enemies by shooting them with his laser. The move-set is pretty simple- Aside from firing laser shots you jump, double-jump, slam-down, and have your spin attack, which you can charge up and perform an ultra spinning ballerina tornado thing that wears you out for a second. It’s much more of a Collect-a-Thon platformer in the shadow of Banjo-Kazooie or Super Mario 64. Every level contains 5 Pizza Planet tokens that Buzz can collect in order to proceed and save his best pal, Woody. This was also the first game I remember playing where, if you want to 100% the game, you must proceed to a later level – gain a new skill – and then backtrack to a previous level to obtain the token you were locked out of by not having said skill. There’s 5 special abilities scattered throughout the game to access or complete certain objectives that can only be done with that ability; like getting to an unreachable high area with hover boots.
I feel like this is one of those games where people close to the age of 30 now will go, “Whoa I remember this!” When you begin the game you step into the space ranger suit of Buzz, who retains that same stupid Max Payne grin on his face for the entire game. You start off in Andy’s room and, just like Danny Devito, just start blasting. You pew-pew your way through Andy’s house and quickly come to the harrowing realization that Andy’s mother is living in what can only be described as an highly contaminated hazard zone – there’s villainous toys scattered throughout the house that fire ACTUAL explosives at you, including an evil robot in the attic that serves as the first boss fight (the bosses can be genuinely creepy in this game) There’s green sludge covering the basement floors that looks like it could start its own parasitic ecosystem. I have no idea what Andy’s mom could’ve said to convince Child Protective Services but she must be a damn good actress. Need I remind you there’s a baby somewhere in this house.
After you complete the first level you then proceed outside where there’s an unmanned lawn mower frantically driving itself around (this is funnier the more I think about it). Come to think of it, where are all the humans?… Later levels take you through a construction yard, some rainy gullies – all of which are unique as they’re never shown in the movie- through Al’s Toy Barn and a Space Arcade level – all in pursuit to rescue your loyal friend. After every couple of levels you’ll run into boss-fight stages which are never all that challenging but some are pretty out there in terms of randomness… One of them isn’t even a toy, he’s more like a giant radioactive trashcan blob-monster that keeps growing after every phase and you deal damage by shooting to death with your enhanced laser (surprisingly intense for a kids game- I like this one). This game taught me more than just Andy’s Mom being a total lunatic- The construction level has this little section where you have to match paint colors in order to create the 3 primary colors- How educational! There’s also a big scary jackhammer boss on top of the scaffolding that, to this day, scares the ever living shit out of me.
You do almost all the heavy lifting. The side characters like Potato Head, Hamm and Slinky mostly just exist for you to do chores for in order to gain a token. They’re with you to try to aid in some way along your journey and you’ll always know they’re present because Rex will shout “HEY BUZZ OVER HERE!” every 5 fucking seconds. The levels are colorful and imaginative backed with catchy tunes and the whimsical charm of the Toy Story world. Certain levels like the airport and terminals later on always evoked a strange otherworldly fever-dream vibe that I always really liked. The game gives a good sense of progression and you can pretty easily 100% it. There’s a few areas of the game that aren’t the most polished and well-designed in terms of platforming, but honestly, if you played this game as a kid, I still think it holds up decently. It doesn’t come close to the games it’s inspired by but I enjoyed my time replaying it as an adult. It’s not bad. Take a spaceship trip down Toy Story lane. Suit up, blast off, and remember, ANDY’S COMING!
Not a flying toy,
Mikhail
Verdict: 7/10