Grimace's Birthday
Menu screen
Developer(s)Krool Toys
Publisher(s)McDonald's
Designer(s)Tom Lockwood
Programmer(s)Bryan Taylor
Platform(s)Browser
Release
  • WW: 12 June 2023
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Grimace's Birthday is a 2023 online browser video game developed by Krool Toys and published by McDonald's. Developed as a promotional release, the game is an action platformer developed using software to imitate a Game Boy Color title. While the game did not receive a physical release and is not a Nintendo-licensed Game Boy game, its files are compatible with Game Boy hardware. Grimace's Birthday was released to positive reception, with several critics directing attention to the unexpected theme and medium for a promotional game, and the strong likeness of the game's visual presentation to Game Boy titles.

Gameplay

A screenshot of gameplay in Grimace's Birthday.

Grimace's Birthday is a side-scrolling platformer in which players take control of Grimace over four levels in two stages. In with the first stage, the player controls Grimace on a skateboard, and can perform rail grinds and tricks. In the second stage, Grimace moves freely and possesses a bubble power-up allowing the player to float. Each level is scored against a time limit, with points accumulated from actions such as defeating enemies and performing tricks. Throughout the levels, players can collect 40 Grimace Shakes for additional points. After completing the stages, the player can complete a bonus minigame and blow out the candles of their birthday cake for bonus points.[1] Grimace's Birthday features two game modes besides the main story mode: a "Score Attack" mode in which players are required to gain as many points as possible under a time limit and a "Freeskate" mode in which players can move freely with no time limit.[2]

Plot

Grimace is planning a birthday party at McDonald's, but his friends, Birdie, Hamburglar and the McNugget Buddies are missing. Grimace has to find his friends before midnight so he can hold his party before time rounds out. Grimace finds Hamburglar stealing burgers. Birdie tells Grimace that she is stuck in some telephone wires, but Grimace discovers that Birdie planned a birthday surprise with the McNugget Buddies. With his friends, Grimace returns to McDonald's to blow out the candles of his birthday cake, and describes the day as the "best birthday ever".

Development

Grimace's Birthday was commissioned by Wieden+Kennedy on behalf of McDonald's and produced and directed by Brooklyn-based studio Krool Toys, founded by Tia Chinai and Stefan Cohen.[3] The game was released as a promotional tool to coincide with the release of the Grimace Shake and limited-edition Grimace Birthday Meal.[lower-alpha 1][5]

McDonald's said in a press release that the promotion aimed to "pay homage" to "childhood memories (at) McDonald's" by putting a "modern spin on these memories" through marketing that meets the "intersection of nostalgia and culture".[6] Though the game did not receive a physical release, it is the first promotional title for McDonald's playable on a console since the 1993 Sega Genesis title McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure.[7]

Gameplay in Grimace's Birthday was designed by Tom Lockwood and coded by Bryan Taylor.[1] The game was developed using GB Studio, a game development tool allowing developers to create ROM compatible with Game Boy hardware.[8] The game was developed under time constraints, completed in less than seven weeks to coincide with the release of other Grimace's Birthday promotions.[7]

While the game was released only as a browser game on the Krool Toys website and not formally released as a Game Boy title, users have extracted the file and played the game on Game Boy hardware.[1]

Reception

Several critics noted the unexpected quality of Grimace's Birthday, with Andrew Liszewski of Gizmodo describing the game as a "surprisingly solid platformer"[9] and Zoey Handley of Destructoid expressing surprise that the game was "actually good".[1] Handley praised the "well-executed variety" of the game modes, while criticizing the short length of the game, writing "the really tragic part here is that the mechanics don't really get the opportunity to shine."[1] Mariella Moon of Engadget noted the game "worked smoothly", but stated she "fumbled a bit trying (to) jump over obstacles and slide across hand rails", citing her "clumsy handling of the game's controls".[10]

Many critics also commented on the game's strong resemblance to the presentation of Game Boy Color titles. Kelsey Raynor of VG247 noted that the game was developed with a "keen eye for retro games", praising the "real passion and effort gone into developing (the game)".[11] Andrew Cunningham of Ars Technica similarly called the pixel art "legitimately great" and "cleverly designed", writing "the game is so period-authentic that there's even a screen telling original monochrome Game Boy owners that the game requires a color device to play".[12] Ashley Bardhan of Kotaku praised the game's marketing, describing the official website as "part of the perfect 2000s internet time capsule."[13]

References

  1. ↑ The exact date of Grimace's birthday is unknown.[4]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Handley, Zoey (13 June 2023). "Grimace's Birthday is a new Game Boy Color advergame, and I'm kind of lovin' it". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  2. ↑ Gutierrez, Luis Joshua (13 June 2023). "McDonald's Made A Grimace Game For Some Reason". Gamespot. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Destefano, Mike (2 July 2022). "Krool Toys is Making Nostalgic Video Games Inspired By Your Favorite Albums". Complex. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  4. ↑ Astrid, Kayembe (2023-07-12). "Why was the internet obsessed with McDonald's mascot Grimace — and his shake?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2023-07-17. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  5. ↑ Alexander, Cristina (14 June 2023). "McDonald's Released a Brand-New Game Boy Color Game for Grimace's Birthday". IGN. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  6. ↑ Wanerka, Laura (6 June 2023). "You're Invited: McDonald's Celebrates Grimace's Birthday with Special Meal & Shake". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  7. 1 2 McFerran, Damien (19 June 2023). "The Making Of: Grimace's Birthday - The McDonald's Game Boy Adventure That Became a Viral Sensation". Time Extension. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  8. ↑ Paternostro, Emi (13 June 2023). "McDonald's Celebrates Grimace's Birthday with a GB Studio Game". GB Studio Central. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Liszewski, Andrew (13 June 2023). "McDonald's Serves Up a Brand New Game Boy Color Game in the Year 2023". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  10. ↑ Moon, Mariella (14 June 2023). "McDonald's just released a Grimace Game Boy Color game". Engadget. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  11. ↑ Raynor, Kelsey (15 June 2023). "McDonald's releases video game for 25-year-old Game Boy". VG247. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  12. ↑ Cunningham, Andrew (14 June 2023). "For reasons no one can fathom, McDonald's has released a new Game Boy Color game". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  13. ↑ Bardhan, Ashley (13 June 2023). "McDonald's Just Released A Game That Runs On Game Boy Color". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
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