Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Name: Beetlejuice
Item: Beetlejuice
Author: Retro Replay

Beetlejuice delivers a classic side-scrolling experience that balances platforming, puzzle solving, and light combat. You guide our ghastly antihero through Lydia’s house room by room—kitchen, laundry, bedroom, bath, boiler, and living rooms—each with its own hazards and hidden collectibles. Simple, responsive controls make it easy to jump between platforms, duck under low-hanging pipes, and unleash Beetlejuice’s spectral abilities on baddies without delay.

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Level design steadily ramps up in complexity as you navigate the attic and slide down the roof into the graveyard. Early stages introduce you to breakable boxes, hazardous spills, and creeping rats, while later ones require precise timing to ride moving platforms and avoid trapdoors. The hunt for treasure chests sprinkled throughout every stage adds an extra layer of exploration—sometimes forcing you to backtrack or uncover secret passages concealed behind wallpaper or cobwebs.

The transition to the Neitherworld via a frantic mine cart ride is a standout moment. It fuses high-speed dodging with narrow tunnels and sudden drop-offs, pushing your reflexes to the limit. Once you crash into Level 5, the difficulty spikes dramatically. Challenging enemy patterns, shifting platforms, and Astoroth’s minions demand mastery of Beetlejuice’s limited arsenal—his ectoplasmic blast and short-range spin attack.

Combat feels satisfying but not overly deep: enemies take a few hits to dispatch, and boss encounters lean more on pattern recognition than button-mashing. Resource management is minimal—no health pickups or inventory screens—so the pace remains brisk. If you enjoy straightforward platformers with a dash of supernatural flair, Beetlejuice’s gameplay loop will keep you glued to the screen.

Graphics

Visually, Beetlejuice strikes a balance between vibrant cartoonish colors and spooky Gothic undertones. The domestic interiors are rendered in cheerful pastels—lavender walls, checkerboard floors—while the Neitherworld drips with twisted trees, phosphorescent fungi, and swirling mist. Sprites are crisp and well-animated, capturing Beetlejuice’s toothy grin and Lydia’s ghostly silhouette during cut-ins.

Background layers add depth to each stage. In the kitchen, you’ll spot animated cockroaches scuttling along baseboards. The attic teems with floating dust motes and creaky wooden beams that sway as you jump. Even the mine cart sequence benefits from parallax scrolling: cavern walls and stalactites slide by at different speeds, giving a genuine sense of hurtling through a dark tunnel.

Enemy designs are varied and memorable—from brooding skeleton hands rising out of floorboards to snarling vampires in top hats. Boss characters, especially Astoroth, showcase more detailed art, with pronounced horns, glowing eyes, and a menacing stance. The final showdown arena is framed by drifting specters and tormented spirits, creating a suitably eerie atmosphere.

Although it doesn’t push current-gen hardware, Beetlejuice’s art direction more than compensates with style and personality. Frame rates remain steady even when multiple enemies and projectiles populate the screen, which is essential for tight platforming. Fans of retro platformers will appreciate the nods to classic 16-bit visuals with modern polish.

Story

At its core, Beetlejuice follows the film’s irreverent spirit: Lydia has been kidnapped by the demonic Astoroth and spirited off to the Neitherworld, and only the “Ghost With the Most” can save her. The narrative unfolds simply—each new stage represents Beetlejuice’s determined march through Lydia’s own home and then into the supernatural realm. Story beats are delivered via brief cut-ins showing Lydia calling for help, Beetlejuice cracking one-liners, and Astoroth’s imposing silhouette growing larger as you near him.

While the dialogue is sparse, it captures the film’s playful banter. Beetlejuice taunts lesser foes with quips, while Lydia’s frightened voice echoes through hidden speakers in the house. This minimalist approach keeps the focus on action but still conveys urgency. The final encounter with Astoroth includes a few more frames of animation and text prompts, giving a proper sense of climax before the victorious reunion.

Pacing is generally strong: no single stage overstays its welcome, and the gradual shift from mundane home to hellish Neitherworld keeps you curious about what comes next. Although die-hard fans might crave more cutscenes or deeper lore, the game’s concise storytelling feels appropriate for a fast-paced platformer. It rewards players who pay attention to environmental clues—such as haunted portraits or ancient tomes—that hint at the Neitherworld’s dark mythology.

Overall, Beetlejuice’s narrative serves its platforming framework well. It provides enough motivation to rescue Lydia without bogging the experience down in exposition. For gamers seeking a lighthearted, spooky adventure with recognizable characters, the story hits the right notes.

Overall Experience

Beetlejuice offers a thoroughly entertaining romp for players who love classic platforming with supernatural flair. Its six distinct levels blend puzzle elements, precision jumping, and straightforward combat, culminating in a satisfying final battle against Astoroth. The progression curve is well-tuned—early stages feel accessible for newcomers, while the Neitherworld challenges veterans to hone their skills.

The audiovisual presentation stands out as one of the game’s strongest assets. Charming sprite work, dynamic backgrounds, and a playful soundtrack immerse you in a world that feels equal parts domestic oddity and otherworldly menace. Performance remains rock-solid, ensuring that split-second jumps and enemy patterns stay fair yet demanding.

Despite its brevity—it can be completed in a handful of hours—Beetlejuice boasts replay incentives like hidden treasure chests and secret routes. Completionists will appreciate uncovering every collectible and testing themselves on more aggressive enemy clusters. The game’s nostalgic nod to ‘90s platformers, combined with its unique source material, makes it a standout choice for fans of Beetlejuice, classic cartoons, or simply charmingly macabre adventures.

In the end, Beetlejuice strikes an effective balance between familiar platforming tropes and inventive supernatural twists. It’s recommended for gamers seeking a concise, visually engaging, and enjoyable rescue mission that doesn’t overstay its welcome. If you’ve ever wanted to channel your inner ghost prankster and save a friend from the depths of the Neitherworld, Beetlejuice is well worth the trip.