Gremlins Unleashed

Gremlins Unleashed for Game Boy Color is a 2001 action-platform game based on the original Gremlins film. Developed by Planet Interactive and published in Europe by Light & Shadow Production, it turns the franchise’s Gizmo-and-Stripe rivalry into two distinct portable adventures. The Game Boy Color release puts players in control of either Gizmo, the good-natured Mogwai, or Stripe, leader of the gremlins, rather than following a single retelling of the film.

The game is built around side-scrolling stages and collection objectives. Gizmo’s route asks players to search each area for sunglasses while dealing with hostile gremlins. His camera is an important tool: its flash can be used against the creatures encountered along the way. Stripe’s campaign takes a different approach, sending the player through levels to gather bottles and smash lightbulbs. Those contrasting goals give the two characters separate reasons to revisit the game’s locations and make their campaigns more than simple palette-swapped versions of one another.

Gremlins Unleashed has 25 levels across its two original stories. Its settings draw on places associated with the film, including Billy’s house, the school laboratory, the swimming pool, a restaurant, the boiler room, Futterman’s garage, Mrs. Deagle’s house, downtown, the movie theatre, and the mall. The familiar Kingston Falls-inspired locations provide the backdrop, while the level-by-level targets keep the focus on navigating platforms, avoiding hazards, and clearing the required items before progressing.

Between the main stages, the cartridge also includes minigames. Its box description promoted both solo and multiplayer play, with Game Link cable support for games involving more than one player. It also advertised a Gremlins collection feature that lets players exchange dozens of gremlins with friends, an unusual social extra for a licensed Game Boy Color platform game. The use of a password system helps players return to later stages without starting the entire adventure again.

Released only for the European market, Gremlins Unleashed arrived late in the Game Boy Color’s lifespan and stands apart from earlier Gremlins adaptations by offering two playable leads and separate objective-driven campaigns. For players looking for a Game Boy Color take on Gizmo, Stripe, and the chaos surrounding the 1984 film, it combines straightforward action-platforming with collectibles, minigames, and link-cable features in a compact licensed game.