Like them or hate them, The Raving Rabbids had become icons to kids, even before the Despicable Me Minions came into the picture. Created by gaming company Ubisoft, The Rabbids initially were side-characters to the Rayman franchise. Still, the Rabbids loud, immature, and overly insane shenanigans landed them many solo video games and spin-off shows, as well as unlikely teaming up with the Super Mario franchise for a crossover in the future. The Rabbids' first solo game, titled Rabbids Go Home, was a hit with kids everywhere, and I was one of those kids who grew up with this game released in 2009 on the Nintendo Wii. Looking back at the game, I admit it is not as good as my nostalgia made me believe it was, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I still had a lot of fun playing this game once more as an adult.
One night in the city dump, the Raving Rabbids come up with the “brilliant” Idea to build a pile of junk to the moon thinking that it’s a giant lightbulb to sleep on. The Rabbids head into the city to steal as much stuff as they can, which creates chaos among the humans. This leads to a group of verminators and their dogs stop the Rabbids from accomplishing their mission but they are soon to learn that these pesky little bunnies might be too much for even the verminators to handle.
The story is as insane as you’d think a premise like this would be. The fact that the Rabbids want to build a pile to the moon by stealing stuff from humans is absurd for a children’s video game plot. Still, I can’t help but fall for the Rabbids' chaotic ways and how they torture innocent humans in the city. It is immature and loud, but to the game’s credit, it knows that. Sometimes it is alright to take a little toilet humor and gross-out jokes. These are things that, in any other story, would be a definite no-no for me. Somehow this game is so upbeat and constantly crazy that it works despite being gross and immature. Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean this is a game that will appeal to everyone. Still, I’m impressed that this story made me feel like a wacky immature kid again despite having many tropes that I’d usually reject in these insane types of stories mainly aimed at kids.
The gameplay is straightforward to understand as the primary goal in all the levels is to collect items and XL items into your shopping cart and get them to a toilet to flush them down to add to your pile to the moon (don’t ask) while also defeating any verminators or dogs that stand in your way. The game is very accessible to anyone, and trying to use your abilities to collect random stuff and chase down humans to strip their clothes off is admittedly very amusing. Obstacles will stand in your way, and health is initially limited but can be gained by completing side challenges. Since this game is played on a Wii Console, motion control does appear, but it is used sparingly with the primary use of the button controls to make for a balanced experience. Sometimes the game will change and introduce many new mechanics, such as stealing a plane engine and boosting through the airport or using a hospital bed as a floating device to get across platforms. These are neat, even if levels using those mechanics repeat themselves too often. There are times when the game will put a Rabbid inside your Wii Remote, and you can feel free to do side challenges and even customize your Rabbids using paint, Accessories, and Tattoos, which is one of the game’s biggest highlights. Much like the story, the gameplay has a ton of fun with its ideas, even if they cater to kids more than experienced gamers. Still, even experienced gamers can enjoy the gameplay, even if it is non-challenging.
The graphics are, in a way, very cheap as the humans look like they were created on a computer that only tools a few days instead of weeks to perfect, not to mention the backgrounds can look like they were put together without having much detail added to them. Not to mention the random product placement of “Caprisun” added to some of the level’s billboards for some reason. Thankfully, the plus side is that the overall visual style is very colorful. The Rabbids themselves have very charming, wacky animations. I also admire how when each level is introduced, a 2D cutscene plays, which acts as a title card for the mission the player is about to playthrough. The level design tries its hardest to make each level stand out despite repeating many other level designs from previous chapters in the game. These are not high-end graphics, but I don’t think the average gamer won’t care, as the wacky animations and excellent color palettes are enough to suffice.
The music is interesting because it mixes overly loud brass and percussion instruments scored by Fanfare Vagabontue that reflect the Rabbids' wacky cartoony style and a mix of copyrighted songs that manage to find their way into the soundtrack of this game. It's a weird combo that shouldn’t work, and yet it surprisingly does, as the wacky cartoony brass and the copyrighted, mostly mellow songs are a nice contrast between the Rabbids and the humans. This is a combo that could have gone completely wrong, but it sort of works in it’s own weird way.
This game is clearly only for some. Older players may find the story's tone and style to be childish and immature for their tastes. It is effortless to beat and may put up little of a challenge. As a game made for its target audience, I’d say it succeeds at keeping their attention spans where they need to be. This game is simple but also isn’t without its moments of fun and excitement. It controls mostly well, and its immature tone wasn’t too grating or unbearable. I’ll say that while this game is catered more toward kids than anything else, there are worse games that a kid could play that have even more pandering storytelling and little to no interesting gameplay. This is a game I can at least say is one I enjoyed and is interesting for trying to go all big with its absurd premise. If you don’t like this game, I can understand why. The Rabbids first solo adventure was no doubt a success and whether you think they’ve gotten better or worse over the years is up to your own judgement. Still this is a game I liked as a kid and even find a soft spot for years later as an adult, despite its flaws.
(Final Grade: B)