Atomic Betty (video game)
A puzzle action game based on the animated series Atomic Betty.
Atomic Betty, a 2005 puzzle-action game for the Game Boy Advance, was built by Big Blue Bubble and Breakthrough New Media, with Namco Hometek publishing. Based on the Canadian cartoon, its levels span Earth and space. Players control five characters from the series to stop the villain Maximus IQ.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Big Blue Bubble, Breakthrough New Media
- Publisher
- Namco Hometek (NA); Atari Europe (EU)
- Director
- Mike Kasprzak (technical), Mark Maia (creative)
- Programmer
- Claudette Critchley (lead), Vedran Klanac
- Artist
- Jeff Edwards
- Composer
- Tomislav Slogar
- Released
- October 25, 2005 (NA); Summer 2006 (EU)
- Genre
- Puzzle, Action
Facts from the source article.
Development and release
Development was handled by Big Blue Bubble, a team of former DICE Canada employees, with help from Breakthrough New Media, a division of the show's production company Breakthrough Films & Television. Mike Kasprzak and Mark Maia served as technical and creative directors respectively. Claudette Critchley and Vedran Klanac programmed the game, Jeff Edwards created the artwork, and Tomislav Slogar composed the music. The team included fan-favorite characters and aimed to use their special skills in unique ways, focusing on teamwork to overcome obstacles and opponents. In April 2005, Namco Hometek announced they would publish Atomic Betty in November of that year. The game was showcased at E3 2005 in May, with representatives promoting it at the preshow event and a single-level demonstration available to play. Namco released screenshots on August 8, 2005, ahead of the scheduled release. Atomic Betty went gold on October 11, 2005. Although originally scheduled for November, it was published a month earlier in October, coinciding with the animated show receiving two nominations for the 20th Gemini Awards. After release, Namco announced a sweepstakes with Nintendo, with prizes including a week-long Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, copies of the game, and prize packs containing a Game Boy Micro and the game. The sweepstakes website also included an online challenge game. In May 2006, Atari Europe announced a publishing deal with Namco Bandai to release several Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS titles in Europe, including Atomic Betty, which was released in Europe on August 25, 2006.
Reception
Atomic Betty landed with mixed or average reviews, according to Metacritic. Critics consistently praised the graphics and animation, while the audio drew complaints. GameZone's Michael Lafferty called the visuals "solid" and liked the animation, but found the music "minimal and repetitious." Nintendo World Report's Ben Kosmina agreed the graphics were "fairly basic" yet matched the cartoon's style, though he described the music as "tepid" and the opening theme as "grainy" and "digitized." GameDaily's Robert Workman also praised the visuals but called the audio "somewhat limited." Gameplay reception was split: the simple, easy play was a plus, but reviewers noted a lack of replay value. Lafferty felt the game entertained its target audience despite being a "short-lived experience," concluding it "does nothing to advance the genre" but fits well as a 2-D platformer. Kosmina compared the gameplay to The Lost Vikings without the frustrating deaths, but criticized the outdated password save system. Workman rated the game "mediocre," saying the genre blend might please some players, and that fans of the show would enjoy it while others "may grow slightly bored."
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