Spanky's Quest

Spanky's Quest is a 1991 puzzle-platform game developed and published by Natsume for the Game Boy and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Known in Japan as Monkey Reflections: The Adventures of Mr. Jiro^[a] on the SNES and Lucky Monkey^[b] on the Game Boy, the player controls the monkey Spanky as they try to escape a tower created by the witch Morticia. Players are tasked with clearing rooms by using the help of a magic ball to progress. Depending on the console version, the way the player clears rooms changes.

Spanky's Quest
North American Game Boy Cover Art
Developer(s)	Natsume
Publisher(s)	JP/NA: Natsume EU: Taito (GB)
Programmer(s)	Toshiyasu Miyabe (GB) Satoshi Yoshikawa, Kenji Furuya (SNES)
Artist(s)	Tomoko Okamoto (GB)
Composer(s)	Hiroyuki Iwatsuki (GB) Kiyohiro Sada (SNES)
Platform(s)	Game Boy Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release	Game Boy JP: 26 April 1991 NA: July 1992[1] EU: 1992 SNES JP: 27 December 1991 NA: July 1992[2] EU: 1992
Genre(s)	Puzzle-platform
Mode(s)	Single-player

Spanky's Quest has received mixed reception from critics. In 2021, the SNES version of the game was added to the Nintendo Classics service.

Gameplay

Top: Game Boy version screenshot.
Bottom: SNES version screenshot.

Spanky attacks by throwing a small purple bubble. He can then bounce the bubble on his head. Every time he bounces the bubble, the bubble grows and changes color. The bubble can then be popped, depending upon the bubble's size and color, different types of sports balls will fly out of the bubble destroying enemies touched by the balls. For example, a purple bubble will release a baseball and the largest orange bubble will release several basketballs. If an enemy is touched by a bubble, he will simply be stunned and unable to move for a moment.

There are a total of five worlds with ten levels each. After clearing each world's ten levels, the player must face a main boss. After defeating all five bosses, the player fights the witch herself. In the SNES version, levels are cleared when the required number of keys unlocks a door; in the GB version, levels are cleared when all the enemies have been destroyed. The enemies in the game are generally different types of fruits, with the notable exception of the witch.

Plot

The SNES game has a storyline in which Spanky is trapped in a tower by an evil witch named Morticia. Spanky has to defeat Morticia and find his way out of the tower. Along the way, Spanky has to deal with Morticia's minions (which are shaped like an apple, pineapple, watermelon, peach, and grapes respectively).

Development and release

The Super NES game is known for its very upbeat jazz soundtrack by Kiyohiro Sada.^[3]

The Game Boy title is somewhat similar to the SNES version but differs quite a bit.^[4]

The SNES version is a tie-in game between Taro Murasaki, a Japanese monkey showman, and his monkey, Jiro.

In May 2021, the Super Nintendo version of the game was re-released on the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Classics service.^[5]

Other media

Spanky, the main player character, makes a cameo as the red corner in the Famitsu Comic '92 Barcelona Olympic.^[6]

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
	Game Boy	SNES
GameRankings	58%[7]	62.75%[8]

Review scores

Publication	Score
	Game Boy	SNES
Electronic Gaming Monthly	N/A	6.5/10[9]
Nintendo Power	N/A	3.025/5[10] 12.1/20[11]
Aktueller Software Markt	6/12[12]	9/12[13]
Joypad	79%[14]	N/A
Joystick	79%[15]	N/A
N-Force	65%[16]	75%[17]
Play Time	45%[18]	N/A
Player One	N/A	88%[19]
Power Play	44%[20]	N/A
Super Pro	N/A	44%[21]
Total!	N/A	3- (C-)[22]
Video Games	72%[23]	60%[24] 70%[25]

Reception

Spanky's Quest received mixed reviews from critics.

Notes

1. Japanese language: 反省ザルジローくんの大冒険, Hepburn romanization: Hansei Zaru: Jirō-kun no Daibouken
2. Japanese language: ラッキーモンキー, Hepburn romanization: Rakkī Monkī

References