The Three Stooges (NES) Playthrough [4K]

Playthrough of Activision's The Three Stooges for the NES, showing the best ending.
The Three Stooges for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), released in 1989 by Activision, is a comedy-themed game based on the antics of the famous slapstick trio, The Three Stooges. The game follows the characters Larry, Moe, and Curly as they attempt to save Ma's orphanage from being shut down by the villainous banker, I. Fleecem. The Stooges have 30 in-game days to raise enough money to keep the orphanage open, with each day represented by a mini-game that players must complete to earn cash. These mini-games, inspired by iconic Stooges sketches, capture the zany spirit of the original television and film shorts.
The game features a variety of mini-games, all reflecting classic Stooges slapstick. In the Pie-Throwing mini-game, players control one of the Stooges as they throw pies at enemies while dodging incoming pies. In another game, Curly navigates through a hospital filled with obstacles like nurses and doctors, reminiscent of the trio's medical gags. The Cracker Eating Contest involves Curly eating crackers while avoiding mousetraps hidden in his bowl. There's also a boxing mini-game, where Curly is in a boxing match with Moe and Larry coaching from the sidelines, guiding him to victory through timing and strategic moves.
The gameplay is framed by a "hand-slapping" mechanic where a moving hand selects each day’s activity. Players must stop the hand at the right time to land on a desired event, avoiding bad outcomes like losing money or wasting a day. Each mini-game rewards the player with different amounts of money depending on performance, and the ultimate goal is to collect enough cash by the end of 30 days to save the orphanage.
Graphically, the game uses colorful, cartoonish sprites to represent Larry, Moe, and Curly, with simplistic but recognizable caricatures of the characters. The sound design includes 8-bit versions of The Three Stooges' theme song, "Three Blind Mice," and slapstick sound effects that mirror the chaos of their comedy, like smacks and pie splats. While the graphics and sound may seem basic by today’s standards, they effectively capture the humor and energy of the Stooges.
The Three Stooges attempts to bring slapstick humor to the gaming world, but the repetitive gameplay, clunky controls and the random nature of many of the gameplay elements will bore players quickly.