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

Oh man, stepping back into some late 90s nostalgia here. You know, it’s kinda funny how Wayforward—yeah, they’re that name you probably connect with epic 2D games like River City Girls and, yeah, Shantae too—has this whole side hustle where they churned out licensed games. We’re talking ancient history here, over 25 years of quirky titles. I stumbled onto Sabrina: The Animated Series – Zapped for the Game Boy Color the other day—no clue why I bothered, but it happened—and it’s like a little peek into Shantae’s roots.

Here’s the deal with Sabrina: It’s pulled from the cartoon (Remember watching that?) where you, as teenage witch Sabrina, accidentally turn your pals into critters. Total chaos, but she handles it. Your mission? Jump on their heads, zap them back to normal. Classic, right? As you get deeper, you snag new spells—double jumps, using Salem the cat to navigate tight spots, or even this floating bubble thing. It’s a cool twist.

What stuck with me was the tight level design. Sure, there’s the usual mix of themes, but some stages? They totally play with spells in rad ways. There’s this one where you need that bubble to climb high—a literal game changer. Or you’re swapping to Salem half the time to smash through blocks. It’s nothing that’ll blow your mind, but it’s a mini-masterclass on how GBC platformers had vibes—big colorful sprites, easy pick-up play, simple passwords for progress. Pretty sweet if you ask me.

One hiccup though: the controls. The Game Boy’s B-button does double duty for spells and running—kinda a mess sometimes. You might end up kissing an enemy instead of zapping it. But for a licensed game spinoff, it kinda rocks more than you’d expect. It’s not Shantae-level polish, but you see the stepping stone. Is it revolutionary? Nah. Fun ride anyway? Heck yeah. You might chuck it after one playthrough, but hey, it’s a neat blast from the past.