Happyland Adventures: A Holiday Classic that Brought Joy to Gamers Worldwide

The theme music and sounds of Happyland Adventures play as we begin our journey through this beloved game. Developed by Johan Peitzof Free Lunch Design and released in 2000, it's a freeware title that has become synonymous with holiday cheer. What makes Happyland Adventures so special? Its ability to captivate gamers worldwide, despite being programmed by one person. The download size was small enough not to bring a dial-up connection crashing down, yet it was packed with an impressive amount of content.

One key factor in its success was the use of the SpriteLib art library created by Ari Feldman. This freely available pixel art set was used for many of Happyland's map tiles, and it's no coincidence that the game itself won the prize for Best Use of SpriteLib in the GameDev.net contest in April 2000. The win wasn't a fluke; Mr. Peitzof had carefully crafted each level to showcase the capabilities of the SpriteLib library.

The game's inclusive nature is evident in its features, including a level editor and custom map loading tool. These additions sparked the creation of countless fan-made creations, further expanding Happyland Adventures' appeal. The result was that Happyland Adventures became a holiday favorite among gamers worldwide, and it's time to celebrate with a special edition: Happyland Adventures Xmas Edition.

This festive update brings back memories of Christmases past as we embark on this new adventure. The experience is largely the same as the original, with a few tweaks to make it more suitable for the holiday season. The game begins with our hero, Happyland Dog, receiving a call from Santa Claus because the big man is having a terrible day and Christmas isn't going to happen unless someone steps in. The sampled music adds to the festive atmosphere, making us want to explore the land and enjoy happy adventures.

Before diving into the world of Happyland Adventures Xmas Edition, it's essential to check out the help section on the main menu. This will give you a quick glance at the animated characters, who are eager to tell you whether you're naughty or nice. After checking your list twice, it's time to dive in and experience the game for yourself.

The introductory map sets the stage for the basics of gameplay, although it surprisingly lacks any holiday theme. The graphics appear tropical, making us wonder if we've loaded the correct version. However, this is indeed the beginning of Happyland Christmas, setting the tone for a delightful holiday experience.

As you progress through the game, you'll encounter familiar gameplay elements that are sure to bring back memories of the original Happyland Adventures. It's a side-scrolling platformer with an emphasis on exploration, jumping, and collecting. The twist? Each exit within each of the 15 levels is locked until you rescue a specific number of little creatures. These small creatures are specifically referred to as "the little guys." They're not the bigger monsters that hurt you upon contact, making them a welcome addition to the game.

The gameplay is pretty much identical to the original Happyland Adventures, and that's what makes it so charming. The emphasis on exploration, jumping, and collecting is still present, but now you'll find yourself in a winter wonderland filled with snow, trees, ornaments, candy, and synthesized Christmas music. It's all quite delightful, making this holiday update a must-play for fans of the original game.

Happyland Adventures Xmas Edition is a reminder that sometimes it's the simplest games that bring the most joy. With its charming graphics, addictive gameplay, and festive atmosphere, it's an experience that will leave you smiling long after the credits roll.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en*Happyland Adventures theme music and sounds play**it's quite pleasant*Well isn’t this just pleasant!This being Happyland Adventures, developed by Johan Peitzof Free Lunch Design and released, appropriatelyenough, as freeware in the year 2000.It’s one of those titles that ended up findingits way onto countless PCs in the first decadeof the new millennium, due to its inclusionon software compilations discs, magazine coverCDs, and being widely shared online.And it’s little wonder; the download sizeof Happyland Adventures remained small enoughto avoid bringing a dial-up connection toits knees, yet it was packed with a surprisingamount of content for a game programmed byone guy.This was made possible in part by its usageof the SpriteLib art library by Ari Feldman,the creation of which is discussed in hisbook, Designing Arcade Computer Game Graphics.This freely-available pixel art set was usedfor a bunch of Happyland’s map tiles, andin fact, the game itself was created as anentry into the GameDev.net SpriteLib contestin April of 2000, where it won the prize forBest Use of SpriteLib.Nice!And Mr. Peitz didn’t just keep the fun ofcreation to himself either, since he includeda level editor and custom map loading toolswith the game, spurring the creation of countlessfan-made creations.The result of all this was that HappylandAdventures was embraced by hundreds of thousands,even millions, of gamers in a short amountof time, and you know what that means.Time for a Christmas makeover!Happyland Adventures Xmas Edition, to be precise,which is what the rest of this video willbe focused on.The experience is largely the same as theoriginal Happyland Adventures, but with therequisite holiday reskin.It begins with our hero, uh, dog.Seriously does he not have a name, I justnow thought about that.Huh.Anyway, Happyland Dog gets a call from SantaClaus because, of course, Santa’s terribleat his job and Christmas isn’t going tohappen unless someone randomdoes something about it.But that’s fine, because listen to thatsampled music!*Santa Claus Is Coming To Town plays*Ahh it just makes me want to go and explore the land and have happy adventures!But before that it might be useful to checkout the help section on the main menu, ifonly to get a quick glance at the animated characters to see who’s naughty and nice.After you’ve checked your list twice it’stime to go town with the game itself!Happyland Adventures Xmas Edition begins with this little introductory map letting you knowthe basics of gameplay, although it’s surprisinglydevoid of any sort of holiday theme.In fact, it looks confusingly tropical and actuallymade me double back to the game selectionmenu to make sure I loaded the correct one.But yep, this is indeed the beginning to HappylandChristmas, making it probably the least-ChristmassyChristmas game opening level I’ve seen.You just talk to old dudes that tell you howto play the game and you collect fruits and stuff.But that’s okay, because once you’ve breezedthrough this tutorial section it’s ontoall the snow and ornaments and holiday tunesyou’d expect.And man, it’s just so... happy!*The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) plays*Mm, the snow, the trees, the ornaments, the candy, the synthesized Christmas music, it’sdownright delightful.As for what you’re doing here, the gameplaypretty much identicalto the original Happyland Adventures.It’s a side-scrolling platformer with anemphasis on exploration, jumping, and collecting,as so many games like this tend to be.But the twist is that the exit within eachof the 15 levels is locked until you rescuea specific number of little creatures.Not the bigger monsters, those hurt you oncontact.THESE little guys.They’re specifically referred to as \"Santa’shelpers,\" so I guess in this universe the elveswon their abolitionist movement and Old SaintNick hasmoved onto enslaving cute fantasy animals.Anyway, these bouncy Happyland citizens willfollow you around as soon as you come intocontact with them, just like the Chirps inthe 1984 Sega arcade game Flicky, as wellas the flickies themselves seen in games like Sonic 3D Blast in 1996.Collect five critters at a time and depositthem at the appropriate spot somewhere in the level,then rinse and repeat.Often there are many more than five requiredto unlock the exit, and they’re sometimeshidden in precarious positions, so be preparedto be doing a lot of backtracking and trickyplatforming to get enough of them.And thankfully, these companions can’t behurt by enemies, so as long as you stay aliveyourself there’s no worrying about theirsafety.Once you’ve found and deposited the appropriatenumber of the little beasts,the exit is unlocked and there ya go.And man, hopping around collecting creatureswhile they hop around behind you is strangelysatisfying, with each level providing justthe right amount of a hassle to keep you engaged.Most often the challenge comes from usingyour platforming skills to avoid hazards andreach small ledges, but other times you won’tbe able to get where you need to go withoutunlocking something.This may take the form of a switch that opensa set of tiles, or you might need to finda power-up like boots to increase your jumpingheight.Then there are plenty of spots where the solutionisn’t obvious at all, and you’ll haveto do some wall-humping to find a hidden passageway.And yeah, if you’re into finding tons ofsecrets like this, then Happyland Adventuresis the game for you.Some levels even feature large rooms that you’llnever see unless you uncover a secret entrance,and of course this rewards the player in bonusitems which lead to extra lives, and extra time,and points, and even bonus creatures to save.If you collect every single one of them, allthe monsters turn into coins which can bepicked up and take you to a bonus room afteryou exit the level.There’s no need to collect absolutely everythingto reach the end, but if you do take the timealong the way then you’ll be rewarded nicely.This also applies to collecting passwords,which only happensif you gather five hidden blue orbs.Since there’s no saving your game and youonly get one continue on dying, having thesepasswords is kind of a big deal.Of course, you can just Google them nowadaysand not bother with the orbs at all, whichI totally did because screw password systemsand the lack of savegames.I have zero desire to play for an hour anda half and lose it all just because I diedwithout finding enough password orbs.And you know what, while we’re on the topicof irksome gameplay quirks, let’s talk aboutthe sliding move.While you don’t have any weapons or actionsto take out monsters, you can temporarilyknock them down by sliding into them if youhave enough momentum.This is super useful in some cases where jumpingover monsters is tricky, but for some reasonit was decided that using this sliding skillis essential in getting past certain areas.For instance, there are some jumps that areimpossible to make normally, so you have toslide down an incline, let go, jump, thenhold to move in a certain direction for long enough.This would be fine if the sliding move workedreliably but yeah, it doesn’t.At least I never felt fully comfortable withit in the few hours I spent playing.You have to be incredibly precise with yourkey presses in order to get the right momentumgoing, otherwise you come to a dead stop oryou jump off in the wrong direction andruauhghh.It's really, really annoying in a few spots where it’s the only wayto get to the end of the level.But really, that’s one of my only complaintsin an otherwisepleasant and enjoyable little platformer.Happyland Adventures Xmas Edition is one of,if not THE best,freeware Christmas games I’ve covered on LGR.It’s straightforward enough for kids toplay, yet still provides some additional challengesfor those that wanting a little more.And with its hours of appealing gameplay andinclusion of level editing software, it heartilyembodies what I feel is the Christmas spirit with how generous it iswith its content, while remaining completely and utterly free of charge.Happyland Adventures Xmas Edition is almosttoo wholesome for this world,and I can’t help but enjoy it.And while this may be the final Christmasvideo for 2017, there’s still plenty morenon-holiday stuff incoming in 2018!New videos show up every Monday and Fridayhere on LGR.So thank you very much for watching, and have a Merry Christmas!\n"