Varmintz Deluxe

Varmintz Deluxe is probably one of those games that not a great deal of people have heard about. It was released in the early 00s on PC, before being upgraded to this “deluxe” version a short while later. It is a fun throwback to classic arcade games like Pac-Man and Frogger and it is a far more addictive game than many people realize.

Those Pesky Varmintz!

The premise of the game has a ton of charm to it. There is a group of five raccoons called, Binki, Shady, Rubin, Bean, and Lulu and all they want to do is get a load of eggs and make it safely to their den. They need your help to navigate through the levels safely and to get home. The premise in Varmintz Deluxe is great, but I feel that this game is crying out for some kind of animated cut scene to give us more information about the characters. Not just our raccoon characters, but also the enemies as well as they have a lot of charm too. I feel that if this game was to be released in 2020, it would have a ton of animated cutscenes and in all honesty, it would be better for it.

Pac-Man Meets Frogger

While the game is colorful and a lot of fun, the gameplay is where this game really shines. There are 50 levels in the game. There are 10 worlds and each world has five levels in it. Each level is played with a different raccoon. Each world is unique in its theme and enemies some of the worlds are Suburbia Derbia, Western Ambush, Marshland Madness, and many more.

Each level in Varmintz Deluxe has you moving your Varmintz around, avoiding enemies which range from people, to cars to other animals. You need to navigate each level, grabbing eggs as you go. You can also get power-ups such as one that makes you invisible and one that freezes everything on the screen. You can also pick up a timer, this timer gives you time to use in the bonus round at the end of each world. Moving around is nice and easy and there is quite a bit of skill required, but at the same time, it is very much a pickup and play style of game. This “deluxe” version of the game features smooth scrolling.

I know that on the surface, Varmintz Deluxe may look a rather shallow experience, but this is a game that is a great deal of fun. The game is so much fun that even though it has 50 levels, you will blow through them very quickly and want more! I wish there was more to this game as what is here is great. I do feel that this is in desperate need of some kind of HD remaster! Actually, this is the kind of game that would translate very well into a mobile game.

Pros:

• I loved the premise and the style of the game
• It has a ton of charm
• The gameplay is a mixture of classics, Pac-Man and Frogger
• Each world has its own theme
• The game has 50 levels to complete

Cons:

• Even with 50 levels, the game can be beaten pretty quickly
• It needed more “personality” such as cutscenes and story sections