Widget

Widget is a side-scrolling action platformer that brings an unusual science-fiction hero to the NES. You control Widget, a small purple alien with a distinctive ability: he can change into different forms, each suited to particular obstacles and situations. That transformation mechanic gives the game more to consider than simply running and jumping, since success depends on choosing the right form while moving through hazardous stages.

The adventure takes Widget across a series of strange alien environments filled with platforms, enemies, hazards, and useful items. Exploration and timing are central to the experience. Some sections call for careful jumps, while others emphasize fighting through opponents or making effective use of Widget’s changing abilities. The presentation is colorful by NES standards, and the character’s unconventional design helps the game stand apart from more familiar mascot platformers of the period.

Widget does not have the immediate polish or universal accessibility of the very best NES platform games, but its flexible protagonist and distinctive setting give it a personality of its own. The controls and level layouts reward players who pay attention rather than rushing forward, and learning how each form works is an important part of making progress. It is a compact, character-driven adventure with enough mechanical variety to keep its stages from feeling completely interchangeable.

Released in 1992, Widget was developed by Graphic Research and published by Atlus. As a one-player NES game, it is best suited to a focused solo session, especially for players interested in lesser-known platformers from the console’s later years. RetroCloud offers a convenient way to play online on your browser, making this oddball Atlus release easy to revisit and compare with the era’s more celebrated action games.