Men in Black: The Series - Crashdown

Men in Black: The Series - Crashdown is based on the animated series that followed the film hit of the same name and puts the player in the role of agents of a secret organization battling an alien threat hidden among ordinary people in a big city where extraterrestrials from other planets try to live in secret. On the Game Boy Color it takes the form of an action platformer in which agents move through urban and alien environments, use the signature equipment of the MIB organization, and face bizarre creatures drawn from the film and series mythology of the franchise, ranging from minor pests to imposing bosses at the end of each level who require a different tactic.

Gameplay is built on a combination of shooting and platforming sections, and the game tries to preserve the source material's slightly ironic, pop-culture tone even within the limited space of an eight-bit display and short text lines between missions. The visual style uses the GBC's color palette to distinguish the sterile interiors of MIB headquarters from the more colorful alien locations full of unusual creatures, and the music underscores the espionage sci-fi atmosphere that made both the series and the film famous around the world from the second half of the nineties onward. Publisher Kemco was at the time one of the most active producers of licensed titles for the Nintendo handheld and released similar games based on a range of different film and TV licenses.

Crashdown never belonged among the flagship titles of the GBC library, but among fans of licensed action games it earned a decent reputation thanks to its solid execution and faithfulness to the series, one that has held up even years later, when such games are remembered mostly on the margins. Today it offers an interesting glimpse into a period when the popularity of Men in Black: The Series drove a number of video game spin-offs across consoles and handhelds alike, and it is a reminder of just how varied the selection of action platformers on the Nintendo handheld was around the turn of the millennium.