Okay, so, you know those moments when you stumble upon something and it sends you spiraling back to the late ’90s? Well, here’s a trip for ya. First off, Wayforward—what a name, right? If you’ve ever dabbled in 2D games, you’ve probably stumbled across their masterpieces, like River City Girls or Shantae. But wait, there’s more! Before they got all big with those hits, they were knee-deep in licensed games. And ya gotta talk about Sabrina: The Animated Series – Zapped! It’s one of those underrated gems on the Game Boy Color. This game isn’t just a walk down memory lane—it’s like, the building block for Shantae. Crazy, right?
So here’s the gist. You play as Sabrina, that teenage witch we all kinda wished we knew (or maybe that was just me?). Anyway, she goes and accidentally turns her pals into animals. Yeah, wild, I know. So now she’s gotta hop on their heads and zap them back to normal. As you go along, you snag new spells—because why not? Double jump, check. Play as Salem, her sassy cat, squeezing through tight spots? Oh, absolutely. Even get a bubble thing to float around. Anyone else think bubbles are totally underrated in games?
And let me tell you, the levels? Pretty tight. They mix things up just enough to keep you guessing. There’s this one vertical level where you gotta use the bubble—picture yourself floating up like some kind of witchy balloon, pretty neat. Then there’s a bit where you’re playing as Salem, pushing blocks around like you own the place. It’s not mind-blowing stuff, but hey, for a Game Boy Color title, it holds its own. Big, colorful sprites and all. Password systems were like a godsend back then. Who has time to start from scratch, anyway?
Now, here’s the kicker. The Game Boy Color, bless it, didn’t exactly have a ton of buttons. So, they mapped run and spellcast to the same button—B, of course. Not gonna lie, sometimes I’d try to cast a spell and just end up face-planting into danger. Go figure. Still, for a licensed game from an animated spin-off? It’s surprising how well it plays. Maybe it’s not gonna revolutionize gaming or anything, and sure, it’s not as polished as Shantae. But, hey, that game stood on the shoulders of this one. It’s kinda like a curiosity shop find—worth a look, even if it’s just a one-time deal. Once the magic fades, you’ll probably move on, but it’s a fun ride while it lasts.
