The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley

The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley turns a simple platforming goal—open a cage, grab the puzzle piece before it shuts—into a surprisingly busy three-character puzzle. Early stages teach the hook cleanly: Ashley handles switches, Mary-Kate reaches the high ground, and Clue squeezes through gaps or swims where the others cannot.

The ideas are stronger than the license might suggest, especially once you are juggling hazards, enemies, timing, and each character’s position. Fifty levels across five cases is a solid amount of compact puzzle-platforming, though its trial-and-error platforming can make a missed jump or mistimed gate feel more irritating than clever.

Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first few rooms make their point fast: this is not a game about picking a favorite twin and running right. You need all three characters. Ashley is the only one who can operate switches, Mary-Kate has the higher jump, and Clue can handle tight spaces and water. That division gives even the basic task of opening a cage and snatching its puzzle piece a little structure. You are constantly asking who needs to stand where, and whether the path needs to be prepared before Ashley starts the timer.

What starts to click is the way the characters can help one another reach places none could access alone. Mary-Kate can become a stepping stone for the others, while Ashley can pick up and throw Clue, whether that is for moving him or dealing with an enemy. Clue’s ability to act as a platform adds another wrinkle. It is a straightforward set of tools, but it creates proper spatial puzzles rather than just assigning each character a separate colored door.

The rough edge is that this is still a platformer built around hazards and a closing gate. Spikes, crumbling platforms, monkeys, bats, and rats can turn an otherwise sensible plan into a retry. The clue system is a welcome concession: collect three clues in a level and the game explains how to reach the puzzle piece. That makes it friendlier when the solution is the problem, although it will not remove the frustration of execution if your timing is off.

Fifty levels spread across five cases gives the central idea room to develop without requiring a huge time commitment. Passwords after each case are practical on Game Boy Color, letting you return without replaying the entire game. If you enjoy compact rooms that ask you to set up a route, swap characters, and then carry out a plan under pressure, there is more here than the celebrity license suggests.

The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley — screenshot 1

Graphics

This is a side-view, 2D-scrolling Game Boy Color platformer, built around small obstacle-filled stages rather than wide-open spaces. Mary-Kate, Ashley, and Clue need to remain visually distinct because you switch among them constantly, while the cages, switches, ledges, enemies, spikes, and crumbling platforms all have to communicate their role at a glance.

The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley — screenshot 2

Story

The game frames its level progression as five cases, with Mary-Kate, Ashley, and their dog Clue at the center. That structure fits the puzzle format neatly: each stage is a contained problem, and every case groups another set of challenges before handing over a password.

Do not come to it expecting a heavily developed adventure narrative. The story function is largely to move the trio from one puzzle-filled case to the next, with the immediate drama living in the cage, the switch, and the race to claim the piece.

That light touch is not necessarily a flaw for this kind of handheld game. It keeps attention on the cooperative puzzle setup, and the three leads have clearly defined practical roles. The character distinction matters here less through dialogue than through what each member of the team can actually do in a level.

Overall Experience

The New Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley is a modest but legitimate puzzle-platformer, not merely a recognizable name pasted onto generic jumping. Its strongest decision is forcing you to think in terms of a three-person team. The required character swaps and shared traversal tricks give the stages a satisfying little rhythm once you understand the roles.

It is also a game that can test your patience. A solution can be clear and still demand a clean sequence through enemies or unstable footing before the gate closes. The built-in clues soften that problem, but the experience will land best if you can tolerate a few fussy attempts in exchange for figuring out a route.

Give it a chance if you want a Game Boy Color puzzle-platformer with short, focused challenges and a cooperative twist played solo. Skip it if you want a story-led Mary-Kate and Ashley game or a relaxed platformer with little pressure. For its era and format, it earns respect by making its three protagonists mechanically necessary rather than interchangeable.