Review of “Sabrina: The Animated Series – Zapped!”

A spell that throws you back to the 90s, but not like you’d expect, right? So, Wayforward. What pops in your mind? Probably those cool 2D games you’ve messed around with on your old handheld or console. River City Girls, anyone? But wait, there’s more. Dive into the rabbit hole of their 25-year history and bam! You find they dipped their toes into a bunch of licensed stuff too. Remember Sabrina from The Animated Series? Yeah, there’s a Game Boy Color game—Zapped!—that’s more than just a blast from the past. It’s kinda the precursor to Shantae. Wild, huh?

So, Sabrina: The Animated Series – Zapped! (the exclamation point got me there) is straight out of the show. You’re Sabrina, a teenage witch doing typical teenage witch things. And…oops, classmates turn into animals. Chaos ensues. You’ve gotta hop around, jumping on critters to cast spells and turn them back. Unravel new spells as you go—double jumps, controlling your cat, Salem (who, by the way, can crawl into tiny gaps), and a bubble spell to float around. I wish I had a bubble like that.

The level designs? Honestly, not too shabby. Each stage gives off a different vibe, playing with spells in ways that make you stop and think—or maybe just jump. Like this one level, super vertical where floating in your bubble is key. And hello, playing as Salem is a thing. Block-breaking spells and all that. Simple yet fun—the kind of platformer that’s perfect for a quick nostalgia trip on the Game Boy Color, with big colorful sprites and the good old password system. Remember those? Simpler times.

Okay, but hear me out. The minimal button setup on the Game Boy Color was forever a mystery. Casting spells and running, both mapped to B? Chaos! Imagine getting smacked by an enemy because you’re fumbling—hit B and oops, wrong action. Still, props to them for squeezing so much into a licensed game—it works way better than you’d think. It may not blow your mind or be as polished as Shantae, but honestly, it’s a foundation, a necessary stepping stone. Plus, it’s fun—until, like a spell, the excitement fades after a run-through. But hey, worth the nostalgia trip, if nothing else.