The Adventure of Little Ralph (aka “Chippoke Ralph no Daibōken“) is an obscure 2D action game, made exclusively for the PlayStation, developed by New Corporation and released in Japan only in 1999. The game has a serious reputation among PS1 fans ‘in the know’ as being one of the best import games available for the system. And I wouldn’t disagree with that.

The game has eight different stages and is a scrolling hack-and-slash platform game. Each stage is split into two parts, with a boss battle at the end.

Aliens have invaded Earth, and Ralph wades in to teach them a lesson, but is turned into a small child by their leader. Ralph‘s mother steps in to protect him, but the alien leader kidnaps her. Luckily, a powerful magic sword appears and beckons Little Ralph to take it, and to go after his mother and save her. Thus begins the rather strange story of a child and a sword, on a quest to rescue his mother and save the Earth. At least: I think that’s what happens… I can’t tell for sure because the game is in Japanese and hasn’t yet received a fan translation (at the time of writing – I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before that changes).

The Adventure of Little Ralph features very simple gameplay that requires only the use of hit and jump buttons, and of course the d-pad.

Ralph uses the magic sword as his only weapon. Holding down the hit button will power-up the sword for a mightier swing. This allows him to knock certain enemies backwards and into other enemies for bonus points, and can even be used to ‘chain’ them together for multiple, increasing bonuses. The sword can also be powered-up by collecting special items. These allow Ralph to shoot fireballs when he swings the sword, or even throw bombs. It can also be used to strike downward.

Ralph can climb ropes and jump between them, and he usually performs a somersault when doing that. He must also deal with platforms that move, or cycle between open and closed, and the innumerable traps along the way.

You can collect fruit for extra points, and a certain number of hearts per level, to boost your bonus at the end of the stage. Levels are also timed and must therefore be completed within the time limit (otherwise you lose a life and must try the level again from scratch – if you have any lives remaining).

The game has two difficulty levels (Normal and Easy) available initially, with a third (Hard) unlocking after completing the game in Normal mode.

The Adventure of Little Ralph is a great-looking and really fun game. It’s challenging, full of quirky humour, and is exceptionally well-presented, with dynamic movement and animation, excellent ‘pixel art’ graphics, great music, and precise controls.

The game has a real sense of urgency, with Ralph constantly moving forward, even during intermissions. There are also sections where the floor collapses beneath you – pushing you forward in order to survive.

You don’t need to speak/read Japanese to play this game, because only the cut scenes are affected. Everything else is in English.

If you’ve never played The Adventure of Little Ralph before, then I highly recommend you seek it out. It’s a classic game that more people should play and enjoy.

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