''Baby T-Rex'' is a

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

developed by

Beam Software Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Beam Software, was an Australian video game development studio founded in 1980 by Alfred Milgrom and Naomi Besen and based in Melbourne, Australia. Initially formed to produce books and software to be publis ...

for

Game Boy The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...

. It was released in 1993 in Europe by Laser Beam Entertainment, Beam's publishing arm. It was also released (with altered graphics and story) as ''Agro Soar'' in Australia, as ''Bamse'' in Sweden, and as ''We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' in North America, where it was published by

Hi Tech Expressions Hi Tech Expressions (later Hi Tech Entertainment) was an American video game publisher headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1986. During the course of its existence, the company published primarily juveni ...

. The following year Beam released a remake, '' Radical Rex'', for

Super NES The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Oceania a ...

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

and

Sega CD The Sega CD, known as in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory and format for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. Originally released in November 1991, it ca ...

Gameplay

In the original ''Baby T-Rex'' version of the game, players control an anthropomorphic

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...

dinosaur, who must traverse various levels in order to save his girlfriend from the evil wizard Sethron. In the ''Agro Soar'' version of the game, players control Agro as he tries to escape a "pre-historic cartoon within his own TV" in which he is trapped by Sethron after he had insulted the wizard while watching the television show ''Curse of Sethron''. The ''Bamse'' version of the game sees Bamse, the world's strongest bear, and his rabbit friend Lille Skutt rescuing the inventor tortoise Skalman from the mischievous wolf Vargen after Skalman transports them 75 millions of years back in time, to the age of the dinosaurs in a time machine he had built. The ''We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'' version of the game sees players control Rex, a ''

Tyrannosaurus rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It live ...

'' with enhanced intelligence who must rescue his three dinosaur friends Woog, Elsa and Dweeb from the film's villain Professor Screweyes.

Development

Beam actively sought to adapt the game for a number of different licensed properties in different countries around the world. Subsequently, the game was also released as ''We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'', based on the 1993 film of the same name in North America, ''Bamse'', based on the Swedish children's character Bamse and the comics featuring him, in Sweden, and ''Agro Soar'', which stars the puppet children's television show host Agro from Beam's home country of Australia. These versions changed the story and the graphics (most notably the main character sprite, cutscenes and the title screen) to fit the license but kept the gameplay, level design and music intact. Beam had also unsuccessfully pitched versions featuring the characters

Sooty Sooty is a British children's television media franchise created by Harry Corbett incorporating primarily television and stage shows. The franchise originated with his fictional glove puppet character introduced to television in '' The Sooty ...

, Hugo and

The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by ...

at various European trade fairs. A version of the game featuring

Edd the Duck Edd the Duck (originally Ed the Duck) is a puppet duck featured on the CBBC interstitial programme ''The Broom Cupboard'' alongside presenters Andy Crane and Andi Peters History Edd the Duck first appeared in late 1988 with a bald head, which l ...

was completed and reviewed by ''Game Zone'' magazine in Britain but was pulled from distribution just before release when the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

revoked the license. Decades later a ROM of the game was leaked onto the internet as part of the 2020 Nintendo data leak. The game uses an in-house developed engine that was previously used in a ''

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series ...

'' game.

Reception

All versions of the game received average reviews.

References

External links

* {{moby game, id=/baby-t-rex, name=''Baby T-Rex'' 1993 video games Beam Software games Video games about dinosaurs Game Boy games Game Boy-only games Platformers Side-scrolling video games Skateboarding video games Video games about children Video games based on animated films Video games based on animated television series Video games based on television series Video games developed in Australia Video games set in the Mesozoic Single-player video games