Widget (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Atlus's 1992 license-based platformer for the NES, Widget.

Widget was one of the many cartoons from the early nineties dedicated to teaching children about the dangers of pollution, and given society's fixation on environmentalism at the time, it's hardly a surprise that the show ended up getting a video game adaptation of its very own.

You play as Widget, a purple bipedal alien with a head that looks a bit like someone has taped a squid beak to a lumpy eggplant. He is a "planet watcher" who can morph into a variety of creatures with abilities that aid him in his fight to save the environment.

In Widget for the NES, our alien hero finds himself fighting a motley assortment of villains attempting to exploit Earth's natural resources, and he is joined by Mega Brain, a disembodied head with screwy eyes that provides useful hints.

There are five themed stages that you can tackle in whichever order you like. Each holds one of Widget's unlockable transformations that allow him to access otherwise unreachable areas, and since these areas contain a variety of permanent upgrades for your HP, MP, and firepower, you'll want to revisit the stages as you gain more forms in order to collect them all. These forms include:

-Cannon Widget, who can jump and shoot cannonballs to destroy walls but otherwise cannot move

-Mouse widget, who is fast and small but lacks any means of attack

-Rockman Widget, who is a slow, hulking beast with a dynamite punch

-Birdman Widget, who can fly over stuff and spit fireballs, and

-Dolphin Widget, who swims and also spits balls.

Each of these forms require MP to make use of, so they're geared more toward use in specific situations than they are regular play. Nobody is going to confuse it with a Mega Man game, but these forms do a nice job of mixing up the otherwise standard platforming action.

The game is nice late-gen platformer that rises well above the quality of the "other" NES games based on environmentally conscious cartoons (Captain Planet and Toxic Crusaders). It is overall pretty decent - though it lacks the balance and polish of the NES's A-listers, it also lacks the jankiness of the C-listers. The level designs and boss fights are a bit uninspired, but the controls are fairly tight and the graphics and music are fun and cheery.

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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

[NintendoComplete]

If you were to play just one NES game based on a pro-environment kids' cartoon, Widget would be the way to go. It's so much better than the Captain Planet and Toxic Crusaders games.

[fortunatebystander]

It's midnight and I have to work in the morning but my brain suddenly remembered renting this game when I was very little and I needed to see it again

[therealseanw.stewart]

Widget the World Watcher, a rather obscure cartoon. Definitely a product of its time, with its environmental theme, in the vein of Captain Planet, but when I checked the show out, I dug it, and I also dig this game. It's a pretty decent little platformer, transforming into stuff is usually pretty fun to me, Mega Man ZX-style.

[LPetal]

I know of this character but never remember watching the show, I was always more of a _Captain Planet_ kid I guess. Always fun to see bits of gaming history even if they're side-notes.

[googelle]

Nostalgia overload, I can't even ... 😭😭😭💕💕💕

[pixelgoat]

I grew up on Widget and all the pro-environment cartoons! Very catchy intro song. Also, Widget's hilariously oblivious facial expression and happy innocent vibin' walk cycle is the most wholesome thing I've seen today 😄

[thecunninlynguist]

This was a great show. I'm surprised we never got a Denver the last dino game (to my knowledge)

[совёнка]

The name remind me of Widget from "Wow Wow Wubzy"

[Omarencarnacion]

i love the cartoon didn't know bout this game

[miroslavzima]

I remember watching it a lot, but now I can´t remember ANYTHING :D

[mariusamber]

This one's alright, it's a solid game for what it is. I barely remember the cartoon to be honest, guess everyone just thinks of Captain Planet when it comes to environmentalism at the time.

[VahanNisanian]

Can't say I remember the cartoon.

[rjcupid]

This game reminds me of Wacky Races and Rockin’ Kats (Atlus). I never saw this game once in person, it’s very rare.

[ToTheDaysThatWere]

Damn- how Widget just annihliates all those poor creatures with his balls :D

[dermilestailsprowerbeutel]

i had as child a puzzle from this cartoon :D

[tronrider]

That cartoon of Widget was very famous in its time until the company Nintendo with the Nes modality released its video game

[TysonBegford]

The music in this game is so lazily done, it’s the same short ass tune on repeat EVERY LEVEL.

[pookieizzy]

The 90s was that time when just about anything was about the environment and it went two ways, E/I or just cringe. I know this that sound tail end 80s shows worked out like this and go the point across which is all well and good, but the moment you try to make it 'hip' or 'cool', you lost many a watcher or customer. Cartoons were a bit like this, anime though...well let's say some got a taste of the ugly stick of cringe.

[Quaide-qfyk]

Yes definitely remember this game played it on the weekends this was a good one it's a bit like Tiny Toons Adventure...😀🤏🏾👍🏽