Is Pinocchio [SNES] Worth Playing Today? - SNESdrunk

The definition of a middle-of-the-road game...
New SNES-related video every Tuesday, and something else (Genesis, Game Boy, whatever) on Thursdays
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[@MyMelodyOfTheHeart]

This is definitely one of those movie based games that not only follows the plot of the movie closely, but they also leave a margin for creativity as well. Such as giving Pinocchio a spinning kick attack and making Jiminy Cricket a playable character in one level.

[@ProjectRedfoot]

[I THINK] That spinning kick shows up in the film (during a dance?) I think maybe the cat dodges the kick... idk though It has been a while

[@Julayla]

@@ProjectRedfoot The spin kick does show, but in the film, it was mostly as a dance in the Russian part of Stromboli's puppet show.

[@vikingzeppelin]

Ive never seen this before. Mandala effect? Did it only just enter our timeline? This would have been far more popular.

[@JSchaffer214]

@@vikingzeppelin Are talking about the movie? Pinocchio was still a big movie when I was growing up in the late 80's and early 90's. I just assumed most people knew Pinocchio. At least in America anyway.

[@Sly88Frye]

The spinning jump kick is likely based on when he spins on stage.

[@arielconstante212]

This game is still beautiful even after all these years!

[@heisensaul5538]

This game looks fine and actually looks like it could be fun. The problem with game reviews at the time was that if something wasnt in 3D it was already bad and looked at as you said like "yesterday's news." The most famous example of this is an ad in Gameinformer where it was saying that Castlevania 3D looked so much better and was more mature than Symphony of the night b/c it had 2D graphics. and guess what? No one gives a crap about Castlevania 3D now and SOTF went on to be one of the most beloved games ever. See b/c of when Pinocchio came out, I didnt even know there was a video game adaptation of the movie.

[@mugsofmirth8101]

It also didn't help that the Disney movie this game is based on was made decades before the game's release (and before most of us were even born for that matter) so it's not like there was any media hype about Pinnochio to boost sales around the time of this game's release. I for one (as a kid who grew up watching Pinnochio the movie since I before I knew how to tie my shoes) never even knew this game existed until I watched this video, and man does it look sweet.

[@heisensaul5538]

@@mugsofmirth8101 yes, I think thats another problem is when a game is made from a property that is decades old (in Pinnochio's case the Disney movie was 56 years old already) and doesn't have any new media around it. I also think that the problem with this is that if you played Lion King, it might have turned you off from playing this b/c of how hard that game could be in certain areas. So I think this game was kind of doomed for a few reasons when it came out. No fault of it's own though.

[@kolphuir9971]

That 3d thing is so true. Ordinary people dont have enough brain capacity to understand visual arts

[@bsslayer4771]

You nailed it! Almost all the games that were released towards the end of the SNES lifespan were crapped on because they weren’t “3d” I remember gemepro magazine especially doing this.

[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

History definitely got the last laugh and I think these games are getting and have been getting the proper attention they deserved thanks to the retro revival. It is a shame that they were so maligned and screwed over at the time though. But those were the days when if it wasn't 3D it was garbage. An attitude that has completely reversed in last 20 years.

[@lifeonleo1074]

This game has amazing graphics, the sprites and background are crazy good and it's running on 16bit hardware. I guess by 1996 the systems had been out for so long that developers knew how to push it to its absolute limits.

[@Erekai]

Even before you mentioned it in the video, I was thinking "wow, that sprite work and animation is really impressive!" and as the video went on, it just got better and better. Not to mention, if you've seen the Disney Pinocchio more than a few times (which I have), you also will notice that the animations are very faithful to the movie. Many of his movements are taken directly from the movie animation, and that's just really impressive. It's clear a lot of care went into making this game look the way it does, and it kind of blew me away.

[@Hektols]

Had this game appeared 3 or 4 years earlier it would have been considered a classic of both SNES and Genesis. How ironic that this game is now considered a hidden gem and receiving new appreciation by new gamers while most of those 3D games praised by the press are ignored and/or considered ugly.

[@JanetStarChild]

First gen 3D games are mostly trash. They look ugly with their janky polygons, bland textures and flat lighting. Most of them play awful as well. 3D gaming didn't really take off until its second generation with consoles like PS2. People back then didn't know any better; and anyone who got a first gen console was a sucker.

[@Hektols]

@@JanetStarChild But it was thanks to those who got a first console that they made a next generation.

[@JanetStarChild]

@@Hektols Frankly, I would have preferred more development in classic 2D gaming throughout the entire '90s. The developers barely did anything with 32 bit pixel graphics gaming before jumping head-first into polygon graphics. I think the Sega Dreamcast was the only dedicated 32 bit gaming console, and we all know how that went. It's like we skipped a generation. We could have had an epic era of 32 bit pixel gaming; but it wound up being nothing more than a footnote.

[@Hektols]

@@JanetStarChild Ironically Sega conceived the Saturn as a 2D but in the middle of development they found out that Sony and Nintendo would focus their new consoles in 3D graphics and they had to alter the project to incorporate 3D capabilities. It led to a hard to program system inferior in 3D to PSX if you didn't know how to take advantage of it's qualities (most the cases) but surpassing bot N64 and PSX in 2D graphics with games like Astal, Guardian Heroes, Dragon Force...

[@samholdsworth420]

You can't use the word hidden gem unless you're heavy metal Satan

[@chaospoet]

Pinocchio: "You demons look pretty!" *Pinocchio's nose kills 1,000 demons as his nose extends at the speed of light*

[@icaromiranda9981]

I LOVED this game as a kid. The different gameplay elements like the dancing minigame really caught my attention back then, and being an easy game was a good diversion from the other games I used to play. Also I think it's a great game to introduce a kid to the 16-bit gaming.

[@fidelsolis6070]

Cool buddy this game looks great

[@enerc2333]

the children, what children, the children go to hell.

[@Julayla]

I adore Pinocchio as a child and wish I played it when I was a kid. If I had played it as a kid, then my mind would've been blown, especially on learning you can beat the Coachman and give him karma in the game.

[@YoshMaster]

Holy cow this looks amazing!! I’ll always take this over any realistic 3D graphics

[@crunksnotdead]

I don't think I've ever seen a SNES game have such a detailed picture of its controller outside of a settings menu. Weird.

[@samholdsworth420]

Game looks amazing lol

[@retiredtidepodeater3339]

I get serious nostalgia whenever I watch your videos. Brings me back to the early 90's when I would get out of school on a Friday and go to blockbuster and rent a game - I always wanted to rent 'Megaman Soccer' but it was never in stock ... Came to find out someone rented it but never brought it back but Blockbuster didn't remove the case from the shelf lol. Good times!!

[@MegaDeox]

It's a cute game. I spent an hour and a half messing around, using save states when faced with bullshit like the minecart or inside monstro, and beat it. It was definitely worth that.

[@ursulakersh262]

Save states?

[@zachtwilightwindwaker596]

I played it legit.

[@MrGamer07100]

👀 I just randomly watched a full playthrough of this very game a day so ago! I didn’t grew with this one, but I’m glad you giving it attention. Looks like a supremely solid game. The animation look really great, and follows the film well.

[@spagethhiman64]

I did not know the game exists

[@jpmartin7853]

Just popping to say thanks for covering so many SNES games and not stopping. I'm almost to 200 carts and love to watch the reviews any time I find something I don't know about

[@fylosofyk5220]

I never knew there was a Pinocchio game

[@mattb6522]

Wow! Great review! This game flew under my radar! That seriously is a gorgeous-looking SNES game! A lot of games in the later period of the SNES really show what the system can do! I might have to check this one out. It looks pretty fun! I vaguely remember hearing that there was also a scrapped 32X version of this game as well!

[@Hektols]

Yes, unfortunately many of those games were ignored due to the 3D graphics trend and SNES users waiting for the N64.

[@mattb6522]

@@Hektols Yeah, I think people were looking for the next new thing in gaming with the release of the PS1 and N64 at the time. However, it is great that now a lot of SNES games that originally got lost in the shuffle back then finally are getting some recognition!

[@alfrenvillagracastro9010]

I love the retro videogames reviews and your channel is a very good one, thank you very much for your time and keep it up with your reviews

[@RedAuxPDX]

Wow this game looks beautiful, so incredible! I have never heard of this one either. I'm now very interested in checking this one out and seeing how the platforming feels.

[@nimaiiikun]

wow this game looks awesome. i thought the only "pinocchio" game on the SNES was Wonderboy J.

[@scapegoat8171]

His jump animation is very similar to Cool Spot.

[@carn9507]

Another Virgin Interactive Entertainment game so yep. :P

[@themightymesprit7325]

I never seen Pinocchio (1940) and sadly don’t have Nostalgia for it but I know that’s it’s one of the best not only Disney Movies ever made but one of the best films ever made. So I’ll definitely check this out if I can find it CiB. Also The dancing Minigame is in line with The Puppet Dancing Scene “I got No Strings” in the Movie.

[@IAmElectrospecter]

It's interesting to hear this perspective. I watched it as a child and there were some bizarre scenes that were really uncomfortable (the way some of the adults yelled and the absolute nightmare of the children turning into donkeys). I'm not sure I'd ever care to watch it again

[@chaospoet]

I saw in as a kid back in the 80s but it's been so long I barely remember it aside from the "Got no strings" song and the Donkey scene and the ending. So I don't know if even I can really say I have nostalgia for it, but this game does look pretty sweet.

[@BassForever]

Mid/late 90's magazine reviews were wild. Games sometimes got reviewed for what they weren't instead of what they were.

[@astralmass]

I look forward to running through your history of decent/good/great games and checking them out for their own sake.

[@whispersignal1]

This looks phenomenal! I definitely want this in my collection; based on the visuals alone.💥

[@iuri4086]

I was waiting for this video since i started following the channel

[@hungrygoriya]

I can't get over how beautiful this game looks! I don't remember really liking the movie much, but I haven't seen it since I was a kid. Maybe the game's a good way to experience that again. Great work as usual!

[@supergeoff]

Hey Hungry I really enjoy the heck out of it ,It's not really a bad game at all it's takes time to get used of gameplay plus the movie is a timeless classic

[@DSan-kl2yc]

I used to like the movie as a kid. It looked great even though it was so old. I didn't even know how old it was.

[@supergeoff]

@@DSan-kl2yc Yep same for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

[@hungrygoriya]

@@DSan-kl2yc It did look great, you're right. There were parts of it that made me feel uncomfortable or uneasy, and I couldn't really put my finger on it now since it's been so long since I saw it. Same with Dumbo.

[@fusionspace175]

If you haven't watched 1940's Pinocchio, you're missing out on a Disney classic that they like to pretend doesn't exist. Problematic depictions aside, it's a beautiful piece of animation, and it should be more core to the brand. That movie is where Jiminy Cricket and "When You Wish Upon A Star" are from, and I watched it a million times as a kid. Disney pulled no punches in the 40's, too, there's some really dark and disturbing stuff in there, like the bad kids who get turned into donkeys and sold to mines as slave labor, the ones who still have human voices are kept caged until they fully transform, and our hero saves exactly zero of them, those kids are just screwed. It was a cautionary tale like the old Grimm stories. Check it out. I have to play this game whether it's good or not, I had no idea they made it.

[@mightyfilm]

I'd say Pinocchio is my favorite of the classic era Disney movies. While I can't say I outright dislike them, I've never been much of a fan of the early Princess type fairy tale type films. I'm more drawn to something like Peter Pan or Alice in Wonderland than Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty.

[@ghkillah1995]

Awesome video!! Have a great day!

[@thecunninlynguist]

nice to coincide with the teaser release of Del Toro's Pinocchio. This Pinocchio game looks lovely, reminds me of mickey mania (and haha, you mention it's like Mickey Mania, gameplay wise)

[@chikish]

3:21 I love how Pinocchio's eyes get really big when he jumps up. It cracks me up 😂

[@astralmass]

Glad you're back buddy. I forget where you're creating from... But it's COLD here. I have a "legal" emulator box that is perhaps landing from China today.

[@mathprodigy]

Man great review, i was very unaware of what this game had to offer. I def grew up in SNES times but i was 7 when the 64 came out and got it. I began to endeavor for 64 titles lol. I'm prolly gonna have to give this a playthrough.

[@diegog1853]

Great work I love your channel, speaking of disney games, I don't think you have reviewed the japan exclusive magical adventure 3 which was my favorite growing up because of its amazing coop and graphics. Easily the best in the trilogy and best snes mickey game.

[@Maurino8917]

Hi! Im from Italy! 👋👋👋 Im glad i found u, im a HUGE SNES fan, one of my top 3 consoles ever! Very cool channel! 👍 See u around! 👋👋👋

[@Matt-Rat]

I remember renting this game when I was a kid. I couldn't get past the 1st mini game. Yeah, I was more into Mario, Sonic, Kirby or Donkey Kong. About a year or 2 ago, I bought a copy of Pinocchio and I wanted to beat it. And I did in 2020. What did I think? It's okay. Not the best platformer but I liked it fine. Plus, I like the movie. I admit the Stagecoach had that one scene which was scary.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

The background art looks lovely. I can't believe I never heard of this one.

[@MarioofSevenStars]

I love his little run.

[@stevenimeson902]

Great game! Ive always loved the story of pinnichio

[@no_torrs]

I had no idea this existed, the animation does look amazing.

[@DaveVoyles]

Dang, this sprite work is wild!

[@mightilyoats2729]

Whenever I see a modern 16-bit (ish) game, I always think of games like this, which still look as good as something that uses and expands on much older graphical techniques. The amount of frames in Pinocchio's animations is crazy

[@turntsnaco824]

That box art takes me back to seeing these games on the shelves of Blockbuster. This one always stood out to me for some reason.

[@animatrix1490]

I'm actually super impressed at how much they really tried to match the poses and animation of the actual Pinocchio movie. The skip, the twirling kick, the jumps, the frantic swimming, etc. It's not just the things you recognize from the movie, it seems like they genuinely went frame by frame through the film and copied as closely as they could. Maybe they even got to look at some of the Pinocchio drawings.

[@musashielmaldito6848]

Of course it is worth it just finished the game and it brought back lots of memories yeah

[@ianrangers]

Another excellent review 👌. Hope Clyde T Dog and Ulysses’s are well 👍🏻

[@d.howlett395]

I just learned this game existence, literally some weeks ago by KZbin showing a random longplay on my feed.

[@sweetpotatofreak]

This one was a common Blockbuster rental in our family. Not much of a challenge and definitely inferior to other platformers, but it's just so nice to look at.

[@kinganarkzie]

I cannot believe how good it looks considering the tech it's running on, also the fact that I have never heard of this game before.

[@acarbonbasedlifeform70]

I like to watch my SNES drunk videos with a cup of coffee. Last time I literally choked on it, so I've learned my lesson and am watching this right now with a glass of rum and cola.

[@travisguay7061]

I remember renting this and absolutely loving it

[@GazaAli]

Oh man this looks gorgeous. People had so much more imagination back then

[@KingXOreo]

System limitations made innovation a necessity

[@GazaAli]

@@KingXOreo 💯 agree. Having more often has the opposite effect

[@unoriginality5460]

When youre stuck in a pit and want to get out without any tools,you gotta be creative. But when youre stuck in a pit and have a personal helicopter:tm.: why the fuck should i find a different way out,its right there,just gotta get that started on and fly away.

[@lifeonleo1074]

@@unoriginality5460 very true

[@Konarcoffee]

Don't forsake the present to valorize the past

[@erika_fuzzbottom]

Looks like it'd be worth trying. Also surprised you hadn't done this game, already. I remember seeing it on shelves, so it seemed like a common game.

[@cardboardmoon]

that death and resurrection animation is both incredible and terrifying

[@HighPriestFuneral]

My thoughts exactly. I'm not even sure if they had a frame of reference for it, but they did a great job of a sentient puppet losing its consciousness back to just a puppet.

[@CiccioImberlicchio]

I remember seeing this game shown at a mall when i was very young this proofs how late it came out. And yeah, gaming magazine were dicks to almost every single 2d sprite looking game back when the PS1 came out, we love to be so nostalgic about those days but the truth is that magazines barely gave these kind of games any chances, only Symphony of the Night and a few others got a pass because that game is so damn good

[@ostiariusalpha]

And even CV:SotN got the "damned with faint praise" treatment for being a 2D game.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

I remember Reiner from Game Informer was the worst with that...raging gamer? More like raging douchebag.

[@duffman18]

How does the game being shown at a mall prove (not "proof") how late this game came out?

[@DSan-kl2yc]

I don't know. There were lots of game.mags that praises 2d I felt. Maybe it was just the ones that stuck out in my mind.

[@700pierwizard4]

3:20 whhoooaaaaaaa that’s like that flash game with the shark chasing you

[@dronescoVKE]

It does look gorgeous for sure!

[@porfiriodiaz4552]

Wow those graphics look awesome!

[@sojiro856]

Had fun with this game back when I was a kid. Think I got it as a birthday present. I remember not having much trouble with the roller coaster level, but the marionette mini-game and the final stage were hard.

[@Dacho_Shaki]

I actually have fond childhood memories of this game. The final level always gave me a sense of anxiety but felt like a great achievement when I beat it.

[@snozzlehead92]

Holy shit, that character animation, though! It's rare to see pixel art that good, even today.

[@seamusboucher383]

Will you do a SNES game tier list?

[@MellowFelloh]

My parents got this tor me back in the day and as a kid I really loved it. Had enough time to beat it a few times because it was during the times where you get one video games and stick with it for a while until your parents got you the next one lol. Fun times tho.

[@dtdimeflicks6708]

The background in some of the levels is something else. Wow.

[@AmariMarvelous]

The art style kinda reminds me of Cuphead as far as the backgrounds and having that 1940's cartoon aesthetics. Very impressive for a SNES game.

[@interghost]

Wow, thats crazy, yes I've never seen this game on the SNES before! strange! - Looks amazing!

[@VioletPrism]

I played this game as a child way back when really awesome combo with Aladdin

[@leocorrea5935]

beautiful graphics!

[@sammylane21]

The Monstro design is rather unsettling, like when your inside of his belly or when he's close to gulping you up in the chase segment of the finale. I was like "Too real! Too real! Nightmare fuel!".

[@Elfcheg]

0:29 Upside down water level? GENIUS!

[@jameskuhn432]

How have I never heard of this game? It looks amazing! Might have to track down a copy!

[@theebobbyb7400]

seeing the fish level uncovered some deep buried memory of being 5 or 6 playing this (am 28) it was fo sho genesis tho thanks for the video

[@HoundZvsxEa]

Can you do a video of every simulation game for the SNES? Games like Wing Commander, Starfleet Academy, Pilotwings... ? Would love to watch this :)

[@nallenthepuh]

Glad to see this game again! It's so charming! Underated!

[@seanbyrne5313]

Wow that REALLY looks like Micky Mania. I had no idea. It has to have animations in common

[@baustin1215]

Gorgeous game! I can’t believe I’ve never even heard of it.

[@trevorrandom]

Never seen this one before looks fantastic

[@petesmart1983]

Loved this game as a kid

[@IkesDaddelbox]

I had the Game Boy version when I was little. And it kind of was my first experience with the uncanny valley. The visuals only look like vague depictions of what they try to represent. I recognised all the characters but the resolution and limited shades of gray (all 4 of 'em) made them look warped and disfigured. combined with the unnaturally smooth animation and creepy music around the second half of the game it really gives off eerie vibes. Cursed game vibes.

[@supergeoff]

I really enjoy Pinocchio Since I've rented back in 1996 from Blockbuster Great Game to replay anytime

[@MentalLiberation]

I'm getting a Cool Spot - Lion King vibe from this game. Very cool. I may have to seek this out!

[@renewagain6956]

Given the Disney association to the IP and the animation and graphics quality alone, I can't believe I had never heard of this game before. Not even from KZbin retro channels. I don't even recall you ever casually name dropping this title in any of your previous videos. If you had told me this was a cancelled project that was recently rom dumped (a la Star Fox 2) I would have believed you.

[@peterbard1815]

It got a mention in this video, around the 9-minute mark: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXXZaqOordaWj5Y

[@oscarzxn4067]

It was an extremely late release on both the SNES and Genesis

[@ezequielgomez7083]

I play Pinocchio on SNES that I remember watching Pinocchio Disney Classic Flim when I was a kid 8 years old since 2009.

[@jimmytheradical]

Hey there snesdrunk how’s the chrono trigger series coming along, thanks

[@Sly88Frye]

I had no idea this game existed. When it comes to Disney games during the 16-bit era. The only 1 I played back then was Jungle Book, but I did more than a decade later finally play Aladdin.

[@vinigmoura]

I love this game, played it a lot at the time!!

[@TheConcertCruizer]

I remember beating this game on the Sega Channel

[@TheLakabanzaichrg]

This is one of those games i forget then remember it exist

[@yoteca]

One of my personal favorite games on the SNES, grew up with it and love it to this day. The minigames are nothing special on their own, but they perfectly translate to key moments from the story. So overall i think this is one of the best book/movie to game translations on the system.

[@Felix-Felix]

This game was part of my childhood so when i saw you making a video about it I came running. Great review but seriously tho, make up your mind. is it "easy peezy" or "minecart level too hard ew" lmao

[@dylan.t180]

AWWW the feels this was my gane as a kid

[@jamesmoss3424]

The graphics in pinocchio are fantastic. 😀👍🎮

[@AmariMarvelous]

It kinda reminds me of Cuphead in terms of aesthetics and art style and this is on the SNES!

[@jamesmoss3424]

@@AmariMarvelous I agree with you on that. 😀👍🎮

[@reinforcedpenisstem]

Imagine a 40 hour long AAA mine cart adventure.

[@ColdShadow7]

I love this game. I played it so much back then. Pinocchio is also my favourite Disney movie.

[@daynnethedrummer684]

I've never heard of this one. I can't get over the graphics; what a great looking game!

[@hteekay]

Wow, the animations are top notch

[@calchenontour5801]

Could it be possible that they used the engine also in lion king there are some sprites which look exactlly the same

[@askthecheesegaming3165]

Thank you again to the goat of 16bit reviews! I think I’ll give this one a look 👀

[@Andy_Robotsan]

I want to see a Pinocchio Doom crossover now

[@gmartines8511]

damn the sprite is just clean af