View source for Crazy Castle

{{Short description|Video game series}}
{{about|the video game series|the film also known as Crazy Castle|Crazy Rook}}
{{Refimprove|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox VG series
|title=Crazy Castle
|image=The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle cover.jpg
|caption=North American NES cover for the first game
|developer=[[Kemco]]<br>[[Tantalus Interactive]] <small>(''Woody Woodpecker in Crazy Castle 5'')</small>
|publisher=Kemco<br>[[Activision]] <small>(''The Real Ghostbusters'')</small><br>[[Nintendo]] <small>(''Crazy Castle 3'' non-Japan release and ''Crazy Castle'' and ''Crazy Castle 2'' Players Choice U.S. release)</small>
|platforms=[[Famicom Disk System]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]], [[Game Boy]], [[Game Boy Color]], [[Game Boy Advance]]
|genre=[[Platform game|Platform]]
|spinoffs=
}}
The '''''Crazy Castle'' series''' is a [[platform game]] series created by [[Kemco]] and released on the [[Famicom Disk System]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Game Boy]], [[Game Boy Color]], and [[Game Boy Advance]]. It stars different popular [[cartoon]] characters, most notably the [[Warner Bros.]] cartoon character [[Bugs Bunny]], the [[The Walt Disney Company|Walt Disney]] cartoon character [[Mickey Mouse]] and the [[Universal Pictures|Universal]] cartoon character [[Woody Woodpecker]].

==History==
Kemco started the franchise after they licensed the rights to produce a [[Famicom Disk System]] game based on the film ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]''. When Kemco was planning to release it outside Japan, there was already an [[Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Nintendo Entertainment System)|NES game based on the same film]] developed by [[Rare (company)|Rare]] and published by [[LJN]]. Licensing issues occurring in Western markets, as [[Capcom]] owned rights to release Disney-based video games outside Japan at the time, had also been cited as a factor. In order to release the game outside Japan, Kemco bought the rights to [[Warner Bros.]]' ''[[Looney Tunes]]'' franchise to produce ''Looney Tunes''-based video games.

When the promotion of the film ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' in Japan ended, Kemco lost the rights to produce video games based on the film there, but gained the rights to produce [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]-based ones, due to the ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' film being produced by [[Touchstone Pictures]], a studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Kemco later produced their ''Mickey Mouse'' versions in the ''Crazy Castle'' series and released most of these versions exclusively in Japan, while continuing their ''Looney Tunes'' versions outside Japan; however, some were based on other licenses such as [[Interactive Television Entertainment|ITE]]'s ''[[Hugo (franchise)|Hugo]]'' [[media franchise]], [[Jim Davis (cartoonist)|Jim Davis]]'s ''[[Garfield]]'' [[comic strip]] and ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' [[animated television series]].

Prior to the release of ''Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 3'' worldwide, Kemco released the compilation ''Bugs Bunny Collection'' exclusively in Japan, which was a re-release of ''Mickey Mouse I'' and ''II'', but with the Bugs Bunny sprite set and other minor updates (such as the [[Super Game Boy]] support). The rest of the games in the ''Crazy Castle'' series were released as original titles throughout all territories from this point forward.

The fifth entry of the ''Crazy Castle'' series starred [[Walter Lantz]]'s [[Woody Woodpecker]] in the role, rather than Bugs Bunny, due to Kemco losing their license to release Warner Bros. properties, while switching to the exclusive rights for releasing [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] properties, because of their release of the [[GameCube|Nintendo GameCube]] title, ''[[Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure]]'', in which Woody was also one of the main characters.

==Gameplay==
While presented in a side-scrolling platform game format, most of the ''Crazy Castle'' games do not have a jump function. By taking different planned routes (for example by stairs, ladders and teleporters) can the character avoid enemies and collect certain items. Some of the levels have weapons or invincibility items that can be used against the enemies in the game. There are also objects that the player must collect in order to complete a level, like keys. Passwords can be used to start at a certain level.

==Games in the series==
{|class="wikitable"
|- style="white-space:nowrap; background:#ccf;"
! colspan="2" style="width:10%;" |'''Japanese title'''
!'''North American title'''
! colspan="2" |'''PAL region title'''
!'''System'''
!'''Year'''
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
| colspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" |ロジャーラビット<br>''Roger Rabbit''
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|'''''[[The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle]]'''''
| colspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" |
|[[Famicom Disk System|FDS]]/[[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|[[1989 in video gaming|1989]]
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|ミッキーマウス<br>''Mickey Mouse''
| rowspan="2" |バックス・バニーコレクション
''Bugs Bunny Collection''
| colspan="3" style="white-space: nowrap;" |{{center|'''''The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle'''''}}
|[[Game Boy]]
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|[[1989 in video gaming|1989]] & [[1990 in video gaming|1990]]
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|ミッキーマウスII<br>''Mickey Mouse II''
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|'''''[[The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2]]'''''
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|'''''Mickey Mouse'''''
|'''''[[List of Hugo video games|Hugo]]'''''
|[[Game Boy]]
|style="width:10%;"|[[1991 in video gaming|1991]]-[[1996 in video gaming|1996]]
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
| colspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" |ミッキーマウスIII 夢ふうせん<br>''Mickey Mouse III: Yume Fūsen''<br>(lit. "Mickey Mouse III: Balloon Dreams")
|style="width:20%;"|'''''[[Kid Klown in Night Mayor World]]'''''
| colspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" |
|[[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]]
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|[[1992 in video gaming|1992]] & [[1993 in video gaming|1993]]
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
| colspan="2" style="width:20%;" |ミッキーマウスIV 魔法のラビリンス<br>''Mickey Mouse IV: Mahō no Labyrinth''<br>(lit. "Mickey Mouse IV: The Magical Labyrinth")
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|'''''[[The Real Ghostbusters (1993 video game)|The Real Ghostbusters]]'''''
| colspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" |'''''Garfield Labyrinth'''''
|[[Game Boy]]
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|[[1993 in video gaming|1993]]
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
| colspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" |ミッキーマウスV 魔法のステッキ<br>''Mickey Mouse V: Mahō no Stick''<br>(lit. "Mickey Mouse V: The Magical Stick")
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|'''''[[Mickey Mouse: Magic Wands!]]'''''
| colspan="2" style="white-space: nowrap;" |'''''Mickey Mouse V: Zauberstäbe!'''''
|[[Game Boy]]
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|[[1993 in video gaming|1993]] & [[1998 in video gaming|1998]]
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
|style="width:20%;"|それゆけ！！ キッド Go! Go! Kid!<br>''Soreyuke!! Kid: Go! Go! Kid''<br>(lit. "Let's Go!! Kid: Go! Go! Kid")
|バックス・バニー クレイジーキャッスル3<br>''Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 3''
| colspan="3" style="white-space: nowrap;" |{{center|'''''[[Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 3]]'''''}}
|[[Game Boy]]/[[Game Boy Color]]
|style="white-space: nowrap;"|[[1997 in video gaming|1997]] & [[1999 in video gaming|1999]]
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
| colspan="2" style="width:20%;" |バックス・バニー クレイジーキャッスル4<br>''Bugs Bunny in Crazy Castle 4''
| colspan="3" style="white-space: nowrap;" |{{center|'''''[[Bugs Bunny in Crazy Castle 4]]'''''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bugs-Bunny-In-Crazy-Castle-4-Passwords-GameBoy-Color-74894.shtml |title=Bugs Bunny in Crazy Castle 4 Passwords (GameBoy Color) - Softpedia |accessdate=2011-04-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018045832/http://news.softpedia.com/news/Bugs-Bunny-In-Crazy-Castle-4-Passwords-GameBoy-Color-74894.shtml |archivedate=2012-10-18 }}</ref>}}
|[[Game Boy Color]]
|style="white-space: nowrap;" |[[2000 in video gaming|2000]]
|-style="vertical-align: middle;"
| colspan="2" style="width:20%;" |ウッディー・ウッドペッカー クレイジーキャッスル5<br>''Woody Woodpecker: Crazy Castle 5''
| colspan="3" style="white-space: nowrap;" |{{center|'''''[[Woody Woodpecker in Crazy Castle 5]]'''''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://beta.gamespot.com/gba/action/woodywoodpeckercrazycastle5/index.html |title=New Games, Newest Games - GameSpot |accessdate=2011-04-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20131113015943/http://beta.gamespot.com/gba/action/woodywoodpeckercrazycastle5/index.html |archivedate=2013-11-13 }}</ref>}}
|[[Game Boy Advance]]
|style="width:20%;"|[[2002 in video gaming|2002]] & [[2003 in video gaming|2003]]
|}

==Reception==
''[[GamePro]]'' gave ''Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2'' a fairly positive review, opining that "with smooth animation, good fun, and lively action, ''Bugs Bunny'' on the Game Boy is actually better than the NES version."<ref>''GamePro'' issue 23 (June 1991), page 52.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Navboxes
|title=Franchises featured in ''Crazy Castle''
|list1=
{{Garfield}}
{{Ghostbusters}}
{{Hugo franchise}}
{{Kid Klown}}
{{Looney Tunes video games}}
{{Mickey Mouse games}}
{{Roger Rabbit}}
{{Woody Woodpecker}}
}}

[[Category:Kemco games]]
[[Category:Activision games]]
[[Category:Famicom Disk System games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Game Boy games]]
[[Category:Game Boy Color games]]
[[Category:Game Boy Advance games]]
[[Category:Video games based on Woody Woodpecker]]
[[Category:Video games based on Garfield]]
[[Category:Video games based on animated television series]]
[[Category:Video games about witchcraft]]
[[Category:Ghostbusters video games]]
[[Category:Side-scrolling platformers]]
[[Category:Bugs Bunny video games]]
[[Category:Mickey Mouse video games]]
[[Category:Video game franchises]]
[[Category:Video game franchises introduced in 1989]]
[[Category:Video games set in castles]]
[[Category:Who Framed Roger Rabbit video games]]