Rugrats: Search for Reptar

Credit: Limited Run Games

Limited Run is gathering six retro Nickelodeon titles for modern release on Nintendo Switch and PS5 in the form of Rugrats: Retro Rewind. And, in my opinion, there’s a single game here that makes this worth my millennial time.

That game is Rugrats: Search for Reptar, released on the original PlayStation back in the late 1900s. And did you know, in those days, when you connected to the internet, it screamed at you, like a wraith. Plus, video games arrived at physical stores inside magic plastic discs, and we bought those magic discs with our allowance money, and we put them in our PlayStations, and we worshipped at the alter of media you could hold in your hand, and we ate enough processed food and Red 40 to bring down entire herds of elephants. Take me back, man. Take me back.

That said, here’s the full list of what’s included with Retro Rewind:

• Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PS1, 1998)
• The Rugrats Movie (Game Boy, 1998, Game Boy Color, 1999)
• Rugrats: Time Travelers (Game Boy Color, 1999)
• Rugrats: Studio Tour (PS1, 1999)
• Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (Game Boy Color, PS1, N64, 2000)
• Rugrats: Castle Capers (Game Boy Advance, 2001)

To be fair, the only game in this upcoming compendium I’ve actually played is the aforementioned Search for Reptar, and even in 1998 when I rented it at Blockbuster for my brother and me (Nickelodeon reference absolutely intended, of course), my Rugrats enthusiasm was admittedly starting to wane. I was in middle school at the time and I couldn’t exactly tell anyone that I still thoroughly enjoyed a cartoon about talking babies. I actually rented Twisted Metal III alongside Rugrats that fated day, so I probably talked about car combat during passing period instead. So edgy.

Still, I remember our autumn Blockbuster weekend with Search for Reptar fondly. It’s a pretty basic early-3D adventure game that represents the IP well, and ultimately, it did sell almost 1.5 million copies. I recall thinking it was cool seeing all the characters and interstitial cinematics rendered in chunky PlayStation polygons, and the developers were even able to include a faithful recreation of the iconic Rugrats show intro, complete with Mark Mothersbaugh’s classic theme. I do believe all the voice-acting was authentic, too.

I’m sure the controls and camera probably won’t hold up, but Limited Run is including the usual gamut of quality-of-life updates to mitigate the sheer old-ness of these titles, including save states, CRT filters and the ability to rewind gameplay on the fly. Bog standard emulation stuff, really, and do note that you could always play these aging games via less official means, if you’re so inclined.

These aren’t remasters, mind you. Just the games you remember, packaged together for current platforms. But in Retro Rewind, you’ll likely also get access to PS5 trophies, and easy portability with the Switch version, and you won’t have to deal with the hassle of setting up an emulator.

I’ll be checking out this collection just to relive a little bit of the rather glorious year 1998, but I might also dip into some of the other offerings, especially anything sporting those beautiful, texture-warped PS1 visuals. My nostalgia remains reserved for the very first game, though, because it represents growing up while watching early to mid-90s Nickelodeon. The only real Nickelodeon, in my humble opinion. The golden era.

Pre-orders for the physical editions of Rugrats: Retro Rewind go live on May 1, and that includes the option to buy an edition which comes with nifty trinkets like a PS1-style jewel case and a Reptar keychain. The digital versions will go live May 15 on their respective platform, so we don’t have long to wait.