I see that I'm the first person on grouvee to review this game, and that's a damn shame.

PPG: Him and Seek is a super cute RPG beat-'em-up with a lot of surprising touches for an IP game of its time and intended audience!

Branded games back in the GBA days were so hit and miss, and often relied more on the character recognition than any amount of fun gameplay. I won't say that PPG breaks this rule, but it absolutely plays as a game where real fans of the series tried to bring the show to life in the most authentic way they could, while keeping in mind their target demo and making sure it was accessible to them.

It's a super short, one-session playthrough and you can beat it in under an hour, if you're smarter than me(*).

GAMEPLAY: 5/5

• You can play as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup as a group of 3 or individually, as girls take on their own missions or are knocked out of the fight. Each girl has the same basic skills and controls (eyebeams, punches, flight) but also has their own special powers taken straight from the show!

  Blossom can use Ice Breath and Electric Blast

  Bubbles wields Sonic Scream and Thunder Clap

  Buttercup's actual "special power" in the show is that she can make her tongue do the burrito thing, and the other girls can't. For the sake of the game, though, she whips out a Fireball and Tornado. Which are almost as cool.

  Together, the girls can perform a Starburst attack where they all shoot their eyebeams at once.

• The goal of the game is to collect 25 items to complete Mrs. Keane's scavenger hunt. It's extremely easy to understand and a great way to introduce kids to how RPG menu and quest systems work, on a basic level!

• As far as hang-ups go, the only thing that might slip you up are the slightly unintuitive hitboxes. To land a strike, your target has to be right at the end of your PPG girl's fist. Any farther and you miss (even if you are in the enemy's range); any closer and you punch through the without dealing damage.

• After each area, you fight a boss. The bosses are fan-favorites from the show, including Fuzzy Lumpkins, Mojo Jojo, the Gangrene Gang, the Bogeyman, and HIM.

• Confronting certain bosses requires you to play fun mini-games! There's a DDR-style beat game with the Boogeyman, some super fun PPG Pinball with the Gangrene Gang, and Mojo Jojo Frogger that is honestly a delight, mainly due to the perfect Mojo dialogue he shares between levels.

ART & SOUND: 5/5

The music is SO nostalgic and fun to listen to! The game also sprung for a few actual voice clips for the girls to use during battle, which is totally charming.

The art is as close to the style of the show as possible, which is * chef's kiss *

It would be hard to make a single complaint about the aesthetic or music of PPG: H&S, especially if you're a big PPG fan.

OVERALL: 4/5.

Why not a perfect score?

The game is too short! As a kid, I would draw a bath, put my gameboy advance into a ziplock bag, and then get to HIM's lair by the time the water was getting cool. Even for children, it's a bit on the short side and definitely leaves fans wanting more.

The ONE exception to this is HIM's LAIR

I've probably lost a solid 15+ hours on this game from lovingly replaying it over and over as an 8-10 year old, but I didn't complete the game until just yesterday. At age 26. I am AN ADULT. I PAY BILLS.

HIM's LAIR is an infinitely looping, auto-scrolling cave where a specific pattern of travel is needed before you can reach HIM. Thing is, the game gives no indication that there is a pattern at all, or what it may be. So, as a kid, you just fly. Forever. And that's what I did. For like 15 years, y'all.

Finally I had an epiphany while remembering this game: the internet exists.

So I sat down, whipped out my old SP, charged it for 3 hours because that's how gameboys worked back in ye olden times, and thoroughly kicked HIM's ass with the help of a 10 year old walkthrough, probably also coincidentally written by a 10 year old.

Overall, a really fun and light game that is designed purely to give you happy vibes and remind you how great The Powerpuff Girls series is. If you're looking for a fun palate cleanser between other games, want to get kids connected to the series or introduced to games, or you just frickin love the Powerpuff Girls, don't hesitate to pick up or download this title!

(*) fuzzy lumpkins is smarter than me