The California Raisins: The Grape Escape

About

You play as a California Raisin trying to save your band from jealous musicians in this side scrolling action game on the NES. The story has you moving through five stages where you walk, jump, climb vines, and even moonwalk by hitting the select button. You shoot unlimited grape jelly beans at enemies while collecting items like black musical notes for points, sunshine icons to heal, and raisinette icons for extra lives. The first four levels including The Grape Vine and The Factory can be played in any order you choose, but you must clear them all before unlocking the final stage set in The Clouds. What stands out is how much freedom Capcom gave players compared to their other titles like Mega Man. You get to explore The Maize Maze or The Juicery whenever you want instead of following a strict linear path. The game also hides items by letting you shoot at empty air or columns, which adds a fun layer of exploration beyond just running and jumping. Since this is a single player experience, the focus stays entirely on your skill in managing those jelly bean shots and timing your jumps across the different environments. It feels like a classic Capcom platformer that trusts players to figure out the best route to save the band.