The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy's Grand Adventure

Activision is one of those publishers that you often see taking movie-based game contracts. When The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy's Grand Adventure released in 2015, they tasked their studio Behaviour Santiago with turning the most recent 3D animated film into a game that fans of the series -- and of course children -- would enjoy. As we all may (and should) know, movie licensed games are either hit or miss, and they usually miss. Let’s see which one of those Snoopy’s Grand Adventure is.

The World of the Peanuts

If you’re not too aware of the Peanuts universe, it first started out in 1950 as a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. Over the course of Schulz’s lifetime, the entire franchise has netted him over 1 billion. It’s safe to say it’s one of the most iconic comic strips of all time, even making the four-panel gag strip the standard in America.

Fast forward to November of 2015 and a brand-new Peanuts movie is being released – the first in 35 years. With big shoes to fill, the creators of the movie tasked Blue Sky Studios to animate the film. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s premise is that Charlie Brown is once again trying to improve his odds with the Little Red-Haired Girl. Meanwhile, Snoopy is having his own adventure fighting the Red Baron to save his own love interest Fifi.

As a lot of animated films eventually do, they decided to release a game based on the movie. Snoopy’s Grand Adventure doesn’t necessarily follow the movie’s plot, but you do see signs of a connection. Parts such as Snoopy fighting the Red Baron in one of the levels, but for the most part, it can be considered its own take on Peanuts.

The story of Snoopy's Grand Adventure starts out with the Peanuts gang deciding to play a game of hide-n-seek. When Snoopy wakes up, he conjures up in his imagination that his friends are lost and he’s the only one that will be able to find them. Thus, Snoopy sets out with his trusty friend Woodstock to reunite the gang.

Snoopy vs The World

You’re first greeted with a hub that is used to travel between the different worlds within the game. As you progress, this hub is filled up with your rescued friends. It’s a neat way to navigate levels, rather than using your standard world-view map.

Within each world you enter, there is about 4-5 levels that you will need to complete. Each one has its own theme that fits the world you’re supposed to be in. These environments include the jungle, underground, space, and even a ball room. To defeat a level, you’ll be controlling Snoopy as he moves from the start to the end of a level. The end of the level is marked by his signature red doghouse, so it’s easy to spot. It’s quite simple to be honest. Run and jump to avoid obstacles and maneuver past traps. Pretty basic platforming gameplay.

There is a bit of combat that you’ll face along the way, but it’s also very simple. To defeat an enemy, you’ll jump at them 1-3 times. On top of that, the boss fights in the last level of each world are incredibly easy. In some of these, you won’t even fight, you’ll just run to the end of the stage and rescue your friend. Once you’ve rescued your friend, they appear at the hub where you can interact with them.

Collectibles are in the game in the form of jellybeans and beagle scouts. When you find all the jellybeans in the levels before rescuing that stage’s friend, you will unlock their special item. For instance, Linus has his special blanket he loves to hold. If you don’t collect all the jellybeans, Linus looks a bit sad in your hub without it. If all the beagle scout collectibles are found in a world, you unlock a member of Snoopy’s family in the hub. Both are cosmetic rewards, so it’s up to you if you feel like it’s worth it.

The most unique part of Snoopy's Grand Adventure is his collection of costumes. These change Snoopy’s look skill. Normally, Snoopy uses his ears as a helicopter to float. Now if he finds the Explorer costume, he can then climb walls. If the Astronaut costumer is equipped, he’ll float really high when jumping. These costumes open the gameplay up a bit and even unlock parts of the game you weren’t able to access in the beginning. That means you’ll have to backtrack if you want to collect everything.

Part of the Gang

You really do feel like you are a part of the Peanuts world when playing this game, I’ll give it that. The 3D animation is beautifully done, and each character is done justice. There are even small details that add to the comic vibe of the game, such as the “BONG!” or “POOF!” animations that pop up when you defeat an enemy.

My favorite part of the franchise and subsequently this game, is the music. The music more than anything, is what I think of when I think Peanuts. Well, that and Snoopy. Luckily, the fun jazzy tones in this game are very reminiscent of Vince Guaraldi’s original soundtrack from the 1960’s television specials. It’s a delight to listen to while you navigate Snoopy’s crazy imagination.

Pros:

• Great 3D animation
• Music is just how I remembered it from the previous films
• Costumes add variation to Snoopy’s gameplay
• The hub world system is well done

Cons:

• Levels are a bit too simple, with chances of you failing very low
• Lack of a true story
• Rewards for collecting all the items aren’t necessarily worth it
• Boss fights – while creative – aren’t a challenge