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Rascal for PlayStation 1
Rascal for PlayStation 1 is a three-dimensional action platform game about inventor Casper Clockwise’s son. When time overlord Chronon kidnaps his father, you travel through different eras with a Bubble Gun to find him. You explore rooms and corridors, jump across dangerous sections and shoot bubbles at opponents. A medieval castle, a pirate world and the Wild West all become part of the same journey, with items and enemies that match their surroundings.
The way forward only opens once you have collected the scattered pieces of the Time Clock. These activate a Time Bubble that provides access to the next level. Not every piece is immediately visible, so you check side paths and look back through rooms you passed earlier. Coloured keys open matching doors, while a map shows which rooms you have already discovered. Your Bubble Gun receives upgrades, and a jump can also become a downward slam.
You play alone with a standard controller or a supported analog controller. With the directional buttons, you turn Rascal left or right and move forwards or backwards; this control scheme calls for a carefully lined-up approach to jumps. You save manually at the Memory Machine in the main bedroom of Clockwise’s house. Return there after completing a level and confirm the save on a PlayStation memory card in slot 1.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Rascal for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Rascal
Traveller’s Tales developed Rascal for PlayStation, and Psygnosis released it in 1998. The studio already had experience with animated adventures such as Mickey’s Wild Adventure and tackled a fully three-dimensional world here. The young hero and several enemies received designs from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. That explains the emphasis on expressive faces and caricatured opponents, although Rascal himself is not an existing Muppet and the game tells a standalone story.
The time-travel story gave the team a way to connect very different environments. The same journey passes through historical themes, with Chronon as a recurring threat and Professor Clockwise’s house as a recognisable starting point. Collecting pieces of a clock provides the consistent task within these changing settings. This gave the freely explorable rooms a clear objective: open the next passage and get ever closer to the kidnapped inventor.
Rascal arrived during a crowded period for three-dimensional platform games on PlayStation. The combination of turning, moving forwards and a moving camera gave the game its own rhythm, which drew considerable criticism at the original release. Contemporary reviewers were particularly harsh on the controls and camera angles. That reception is part of this edition’s history and also shows why careful positioning matters so much when playing. The Bubble Gun, historical eras and Creature Shop designs remained the features that distinguished Rascal from other mascot adventures.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
Like Rascal, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos lets you walk through three-dimensional spaces, search for hidden items and line up a run-up for jumps. Both use controls in which turning and moving forwards require separate attention. Croc uses his tail against enemies and rescues Gobbos, while Rascal fires a Bubble Gun. Searching for clock pieces and coloured keys more often makes Rascal a journey through connected rooms that also calls for looking back.
Spyro the Dragon shares the exploration of three-dimensional areas and the collection of items that can be found away from the first route. Spyro runs directly through open landscapes, glides between heights and frees dragons. Rascal more often focuses on rooms, keys and scattered clock pieces that activate a new passage. His Bubble Gun makes keeping a distance during combat more important, while Spyro mainly uses fire and a charge with his horns to tackle enemies.
Gex 3D: Return of the Gecko also uses varied themed worlds and a hero who jumps, fights and searches for secrets. Gex visits parodies of television and films and collects remote controls to open new access. Rascal links his environments through time travel and searches for pieces of a clock. Gex can also climb certain walls and ceilings. Rascal stays closer to routes along floors and platforms, with his gun as the main way to deal with enemies along the way.
Crash Bandicoot and Rascal both demand well-placed jumps among traps and enemies. Crash keeps its adventure mainly on a narrow route, so the next obstacle quickly becomes clear. Rascal lets you explore more rooms and use a map to retrace where a missing piece might be. Crash spins into enemies and breaks crates; Rascal uses his Bubble Gun and searches for keys. This gives exploration in Rascal more emphasis than completing a short course.
Muppet Monster Adventure shares Rascal’s caricatured three-dimensional world and the collection of items needed to progress. Robin rescues Muppets and learns to climb and glide, among other things, through monster transformations. Rascal keeps its own hero and Bubble Gun central throughout the time journey, with clock pieces as the requirement for access. The two also connect to Jim Henson differently: Rascal uses Creature Shop designs, while Robin and his friends are familiar characters from the existing Muppet world.
