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Game Info

Cover art of Cool World

2.7 / 5

7 votes

Platform
NES
Genres
Action · Platformer
Player Perspective
Side view
Developers
Ocean · Ocean Software Ltd.
Publishers
Ocean
Release date
June 1, 1993

Summary

The NES version of Cool World brings the movie’s wild visual style to a 8‑bit cartridge, standing apart from its SNES and PC siblings. Players spend most of their time navigating four selectable stages—each packed with coin‑collecting routes, doodle‑shooting action, and a hidden fifth area that only appears after clearing the main zones. The game’s map‑piece mechanic encourages back‑and‑forth exploration, while the Popper Police cruiser adds a quirky vehicle segment that feels oddly at home among the cartoon chaos. Despite its ambitious concept, the title earned a modest two‑star rating from Allgame, reflecting a mix of nostalgic charm and uneven execution. For anyone hunting retro oddities, Cool World’s blend of film‑inspired aesthetics and NES‑era quirks makes it a memorable, if imperfect, collector’s piece.

Storyline

Cool World is set in an alternate dimension where cartoon doodles live alongside the real world. The balance between the two realms is maintained by the Golden Spike of Power, which was hidden atop the Ocean Hotel in Las Vegas. A scheming cartoon woman named Holli Would wants the Spike so she can become a real human, and she has torn a map of the inter‑dimensional tunnels into five pieces to keep the secret. Detective Frank Harris must track down those map fragments while battling Holli’s henchmen and receiving help from the Popper Police, the film’s on‑screen allies. Meanwhile, the player controls cartoonist Jack Deebs, who discovered Cool World and is desperate to escape the surreal realm and return to his hometown of Las Vegas before Holli grabs the Spike and destroys both worlds.

Edited by Maya Carter

Game Videos

Game Screenshots

  • Screenshot 1 of Cool World
  • Screenshot 2 of Cool World
  • Screenshot 3 of Cool World
  • Screenshot 4 of Cool World
  • Screenshot 5 of Cool World
  • Screenshot 6 of Cool World

Multiplayer

Game modes
Single