2/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of Road Runner's Death Valley Rally.

System: Super Nintendo Started: February 1, 2025 Ended: February 1, 2025 Redemption Playthrough First Attempt: 1997/1998 Road Runner’s Death Valley Rally was my very first bad game that I played as a child, and it was part of the first lineup of games that introduced me to video games. I have not really gotten very far in this game at all. In fact, nobody in my family actually got really far in that game; we mostly got killed off in World 1-2 or World 1-3 and never reached the first level boss. After all, this game doesn’t give you many lives, and it's almost impossible for any normal kid back then to actually beat this. I had to beat this game, and when I found out that there was a 75-life cheat code to beat Road Runner with ease, I still came prepared. I downloaded a map guide after hearing that you could easily get lost in those maze-like levels. I finished this disappointing game, and there are so many things to unpack about my problem with this. Who doesn't love Looney Tunes? It's still one of my favorite western animated shows and has been adored worldwide. The Road Runner shorts, in particular, feature the signature speeding bird and see Wile E. Coyote's failed attempts to catch the Road Runner using Acme Corporation's traps. Road Runner’s Death Valley Rally for the SNES was a game I really wanted to like because it perfectly encapsulates an actual Road Runner cartoon. It seemed too good to be true, but the deception lies in the actual gameplay. The good news for this game is that Death Valley Rally perfectly resembles a Looney Tunes show. The art design is perfect with its colorful desert scenery. The characters look great, and each level resembles episodes from the show. The zany soundtrack adds to the humor, and you can even press buttons to make the Road Runner do his signature "Beep Beep" noise. (Yes. "Beep Beep," not "Meep Meep"). The cutscenes are also hilarious; when you finish a level, you get to see Wile E. Coyote's failed attempts and watch his comical demise. This game has terrible level design. You may expect this game to be like a classic 2D Sonic the Hedgehog game. You may play as a speedy bird going through a linear racetrack and avoiding the Acme traps. But apparently this game is too much of a platformer like Mario. You do use your speed when you use the turbo button that lets you plow through any enemies and easily climb very steep hills. However, there is a turbo meter that runs out, making it limited. And you have to find bird seeds to fill up a little bit. Also, you cannot see what is ahead of you, and you will be stopped in your tracks by hazards and lethal critters like scorpions and snakes for a split second and take damage. It really ruins the flow of the game and feels like the designers really don't want me to run freely. And what’s worse is most of the levels are literally mazes, and it’s hard to find the exit. Because of that, you can easily get lost and stumble upon dead ends and even more hazards, and you will slowly lose all your health. There is also a time limit, but it's not really a time limit that goes to zero. Once it reaches zero, nothing happens except you lose bonus points for your score. That’s it. You do collect flags that are scattered in the levels, and you mainly use them as a checkpoint and extra points. The platforming in this game is frustratingly difficult. Even when you jump, controlling the Road Runner feels like he's in space. He's floaty and slippery, and you'll slide after landing. I constantly overshot my jumps and ended up at the bottom, landed on hazards and took damage, or even fell to my death. Other times, you have to be precise in your jumps as you sometimes jump through a platform. It's the most common reason you lose a lot of lives in this game. Plus, since the camera is zoomed in, the Road Runner sprite is so big that it's hard to avoid incoming obstacles like Wile E. Coyote with his Acme traps. This game must be played in one sitting, and thankfully it's a short game. But due to its tough difficulty, it only gives you 3 lives. And you will lose it all in no time with its terrible controls, and it's back to the very beginning of the game. There are no continues after losing it all, no password system, and no save function. That was the reason why I had to find the right time to play this game for an entire day. It's not the first time I did this when I played Hagane: The Final Conflict years ago. But at least that game lets you have infinite continues and lets you start in the later chapters as checkpoints. Road Runner’s Death Valley Rally is a prime example of a video game with perfect art design and presentation but horrible gameplay and level design. Watching a full Let’s Play video is a good way to experience the game. However, if you’re a completionist, using the 75-live code and downloading some level maps online would make it more feasible. Otherwise, playing it as a blind will make you play almost forever with the limited number of lives and cryptic map design that will drive you crazy.