"When guac is extra" - Illumination Entertainment's The Grinch

Before going into this I should explicitly mention that this review is actually for the GBC version of The Grinch and NOT the one on the PS1/Dreamcast which I assume is why this has so many 2 star ratings. It's kind of unfortunate that they get lumped together as the same game when they're totally different but I guess that's what happens when two games by the same developer with the same name come out the same year.

The Grinch (yes, just The Grinch) is a game that's a sort of retelling how How The Grinch Stole Christmas, but instead of the Grinch himself stealing presents in the middle of the night he has decided to sneak around in broad daylight with no disguise or anything. The gameplay is what several people have described as a mix between Metal Gear and Pac-Man, you move around the level collecting all the presents and trying to avoid the Whos who will cause you to lose a life if they catch you. If you lose all lives you start from the beginning of the stage with no presents collected.

The Grinch is actually a stealth expert in this game and has a variety of tools at his disposal. Not only can he crawl to hide underneath things but he can also use some kind of... smoke blower? That will stun a Who if he sneaks up on them. In most levels he can also make snowballs while crouching, then throw them while standing up to stun the Whos at a distance. When the Grinch is caught he'll move at extreme speeds, making him difficult to control but easier to outrun the Whos with until he reaches a different screen. The controls are simple but they work well and while it's not the hardest game in the world it's surprisingly fun to sneak around unsuspecting Whos and take their stuff. There are also two levels in the game where you play as the Grinch's dog Max, who must collect presents from dangerous watchdogs. He can jump over obstacles as well as a bark which stuns all enemies on screen, which makes his levels pretty easy as you can easily use bark over and over to get past anyone.

When it comes to graphics this game is one of my favourites on the GBC, everything is clearly defined despite looking very simple with bright colors that stand out. Between levels there are also small cutscenes in which the Grinch gets up to various shenanigans. The Grinch is also unbelievable horny looking in this game, I'm honestly convinced the artist had something for him, if you look at the mission completed screen for stage 1 you'll know what I mean. The music is also great, with the best and most ambitious sounding track on stage 1 so unfortunately you don't hear it for so long but it's SO GOOD!!!!

look at this, there is no way this dude doesn't fuck

Each level in the game brings something new to the table, such as new enemies or obstacles the Grinch must avoid. In one level he decides to be in a car for some reason. In another he's avoiding robots in the Who Dump, which is a thing I think they made up but there are presents scattered everywhere in this multi-layered labyrinth regardless. Ultimately the reason why I gave this game 4 stars and not 5 is because of one big flaw at the end, the final level. Not only does it have twice as many stages as all the other levels but each stage is awfully long too, being huge indoor areas with multiple rooms that need to be opened by collecting keys. The Grinch can no longer make snowballs here and instead has limited ammo by collecting... eggs? Which you use up pretty fast. Also I hope you like listening to a game boy version of jingle bells because that's all that plays here. It's a shame because this game surprisingly kicks a huge amount of ass but it just overstays its welcome near the end.

This game feels like it should be a mediocre tie-in but to me it felt like a hidden gem, something that feels exceptional despite being fairly flawed. If you like the Grinch or don't like the Grinch it doesn't really matter, as this is by far the most interesting video game adapation of a Dr. Seuss property to me. It's a shame he missed his chance of being in Super Smash Brothers because I think this game would have made a great moveset for him.