When the Nintendo 64 was shown at Shoshinkai in 1995, we knew we were in for a 3D hit. Well, Treasure, the king of Contra-esque action games, has come in and said "Hey it can do 2D, too." But Mischief Makers, while it does show that the Nintendo 64 can indeed do 2D and do it well, is merely average.

The game starts off incredibly slow. You see your professor get kidnapped by these funky little dudes, you go to a town full of these little guys named Clancers, you walk through the town, and boom, you're at level 1-2. That's how big these levels are. They are breezed through in no more than a minute. Granted, there are more than 50 of them, but we expect bigger, more exciting levels.

Yet, strangely, the stages are the game's high point. Rather than leaning towards a straight action game, this game tends to have different objectives. Some levels might have you rescuing a mother's lost sons. Others will have you rescuing miners. One level has you playing dodge ball. And there are several other variations. But this can't disguise the fact that the levels are just way too short.

The graphics are simple yet effective. They don't go the route of rendering (Oddworld), nor do they retain a classic look (Castlevania: SotN). Rather, they take on the average Nintendo 64 look with fuzzy, bright visuals and that anti-aliased feel. The sounds are pretty uninspired. It is in the realm of other Nintendo 64 games with that boring cartridge flair.

The control is fine. The game uses the flimsy directional pad (which doesn't get much use on my controller) so it may feel a little rough. You have the basic jump, grab, and shake, as well as the ability to dash in each direction. It works but is a little loose.

When the Nintendo 64 showed itself as a premier 3D system with Super Mario 64, we were never able to go back to the old 2D way. Treasure has shown us that there's still life in this forgotten dimension but still does not manage to give us anything more than average.

Overall: 6.7