The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper! (NES review)

Developer: Natsume
Publisher: Taito
Released: 1992

The Jetsons: Cogswell's Caper! is an action-platformer based on the animated TV show The Jetsons.

+ Level design is decent and there's some interesting ideas such as reversed gravity and switching between dimensions.

+ Opening level features some in-game tutorials to get you used to the controls and gameplay mechanics.

+ Slowly introduces new power-up mechanics to progress the gameplay, and there's some excellent boss battles.

+ Music is delightfully catchy and there's some gorgeous background sprite detail that adds depth to the surroundings.

- Core gameplay is derivative of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1990, NES) and there's little here to differentiate it.

- Controls are stiff and attempting to reverse course in mid-air or make pixel-perfect adjustments is dicey.

- Has some abrupt difficulty spikes that can quickly drain your lives, and the checkpoint spacing can be annoying.