Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The gameplay in Who Framed Roger Rabbit places you squarely in the fedoras of private eye Eddie Valliant, tasking you with uncovering Marvin Acme’s scattered will while keeping the ever-anxious Roger Rabbit out of harm’s way. You’ll explore a variety of side-scrolling city blocks, cave systems, and interior rooms, each filled with hidden clues, key items, and the occasional punchline necessary to thwart the Weasels’ advances. Traversing these levels requires both a keen eye for detail and a willingness to experiment, as some puzzles demand combining oddball objects or triggering gags in the correct sequence.

Interspersed between the side-scrollers is a top-down world map, where you decide whether to hoof it through the streets of Hollywood and Toontown or hail Benny the Cab for a faster—and riskier—ride. The map adds a light strategic layer, as you must prioritize which districts to search first, while always being wary that the Weasels could show up at any moment. When the alarm sounds and the cackling Weasels appear, Roger panics in the background, forcing you to fend them off with well-timed jokes or chase them away with Eddie’s trusty revolver.

Puzzle design strikes a nice balance between intuitive and challenging. Early on, you might simply need to show a photograph to unlock Jessica Rabbit’s favor; later, you’ll be piecing together bizarre cartoon contraptions from Toontown’s outlandish inventory. Although the pacing occasionally slows as you backtrack in search of overlooked items, the variety of settings—including the eerie Wilderness—keeps each section feeling fresh. Overall, the gameplay loop of gathering evidence, escaping the Weasels, and progressing the narrative remains consistently engaging.

Graphics

Visually, Who Framed Roger Rabbit brilliantly captures the look and feel of a living cartoon world colliding with gritty 1940s Hollywood. Character sprites are vibrant and fluid—Roger’s exaggerated expressions and Jessica’s sultry silhouette stand out against more subdued background palettes, reinforcing the contrast between Toons and real-world environments. Each location on the world map is distinct, from the sun-drenched streets of Hollywood to the dimly lit factories where Judge Doom’s sinister devices lurk.

The developers made clever use of limited hardware resources, employing parallax scrolling and color cycling to create the illusion of depth in city skylines and rolling hills. Animations are surprisingly smooth for a late-80s era title: Roger’s frantic hops, Eddie’s cautious tip-toeing, and the Weasels’ manic charges all convey personality and urgency. On occasion, crowded screens can suffer slight slowdown, but it never hinders the overall experience or makes platforming imprecise.

Details abound in every scene—from the posters advertising Toontown attractions to the wood-grain textures of Marvin Acme’s warehouse. Special effects like smoke plumes, lightning flashes in the Wilderness, and Benny the Cab’s dust trail add polish and help immerse the player. While the resolution and color palette may feel dated compared to modern titles, the game’s artistic style holds up remarkably well, offering a nostalgic charm that fans of the film will especially appreciate.

Story

Who Framed Roger Rabbit weaves a delightfully zany narrative that stays faithful to the film’s blend of noir intrigue and slapstick comedy. When Roger is accused of murdering Marvin Acme, you step in as Eddie Valliant, a hard-boiled detective with a soft spot for toons. Your mission—to piece together the original will that could save Toontown from the malevolent Judge Doom—unfolds through a series of cutscenes, in-game dialogue, and environment-based clues that reveal new twists at every turn.

Jessica Rabbit’s scandalous photograph and the subsequent Weasel ambushes infuse the story with constant tension, while Roger’s childlike innocence prevents the game from veering into overly grim territory. As you collect fragments of the will, each recovered piece not only propels the main plot forward but also deepens the cast’s relationships—Eddie’s initial skepticism gives way to genuine concern for Roger, and Jessica’s mysterious demeanor gradually reveals layers of loyalty and vulnerability.

The climax pits you against Judge Doom’s bizarre inventions in a final showdown that is both cinematic and interactive. Though the narrative occasionally leans on familiar adventure-game tropes—backtracking for missing items, trial-and-error puzzles—the overall pacing balances momentum and character development. Fans of the original movie will appreciate the care taken to recreate key plot beats, while newcomers can still enjoy an engaging detective romp through a world where cartoons and humans coexist.

Overall Experience

Who Framed Roger Rabbit delivers a memorable mash-up of detective work and cartoon chaos that stands out among vintage licensed titles. The blend of side-scrolling action, top-down exploration, and light puzzle-solving offers variety, while the persistent threat of the Weasels injects urgency into each outing. Despite occasional slowdown and the necessity for some backtracking, the core gameplay loop remains rewarding and seldom feels repetitive.

Graphically, the title artfully recreates the film’s iconic aesthetic, complete with expressive character animations and richly detailed environments. The story faithfully adapts the movie’s central mystery, embellishing it with new scenarios and playful interactions that add depth without undermining the source material. Coupled with an atmospheric soundtrack that alternates between jazzy noir and whimsical toony cues, the game’s production values help sustain player engagement from start to finish.

Whether you’re a nostalgia-seeker longing for a classic Disney-toon adventure or a newcomer curious about early film-to-game adaptations, Who Framed Roger Rabbit offers a distinctive experience. Its blend of levity and suspense, combined with solid level design and faithful theming, makes it a worthwhile pick for retro enthusiasts and fans of charming detective tales alike. Strap on Eddie’s trench coat, keep Roger close, and prepare for one wild ride through the zaniest corners of Toontown and beyond.

Retro Replay Score

5.7/10