The Adventures of Dr. Franken (1993). Play online

Summary

The Adventures of Dr. Franken is a SNES platformer where you guide Franky across twenty levels, four of which are bonus stages. Each stage hides a secret package you must locate, often behind switch puzzles and guarded by enemies you can kick away. Contact with too many foes ends the run, so timing and precision matter. Progression hinges on finding keys and special items that unlock extra rooms and give access to the next stage. The soundtrack stands out, featuring a chiptune take on Bach’s Fugue No. 2 and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, both arranged by Mark Cooksey on an Atari ST using C‑Lab Notator. Although a Mega Drive version was planned and prototype NES and Game Gear builds exist, only the SNES and a Game Boy edition saw official release, and a sequel arrived on Game Boy in 1997.

Storyline

The Adventures of Dr. Franken follows Franky, a Frankenstein‑style monster, and his girlfriend Bitsy as they plan a vacation to New York. When Bitsy discovers she has no passport, Franky devises a bizarre solution: he disassembles her and ships the pieces in separate parcels.

Unfortunately the parcels go astray, leaving Bitsy’s parts scattered across the mail system. The game’s core mission is for Franky to track down each fragment, battle quirky enemies, and reassemble his love before it’s too late.

Along the way he confronts surreal obstacles while the clock ticks toward a permanent separation, making the quest both frantic and oddly romantic.