The Pagemaster (video game)

The Pagemaster is a platform game released in conjunction with the 1994 film The Pagemaster for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis. It was developed by Probe Software, published by Fox Interactive and distributed by FoxVideo.

Gameplay
Richard Tyler can be guided through a selection of literature genre-themed levels, ranging from horror to adventure and fantasy worlds. Magic can be used, and stomping enemies to death by jumping on their heads is permitted. Enemies include bats, flying books, giant hands, ghosts, pirates, and more.

Reception
GamePro gave the SNES version a mixed review. They criticized the poor controls and repetitiveness, but they praised the graphics for their colorful and effective recreations of the settings for famous novels. The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly also considered it a just above average game. They praised the movie-like graphics and audio, but criticized the controls, saying the character tends to slide around, and felt the game to be generally uninteresting. They held the Genesis version in lower regard, commenting that "this game would be enjoyable, but the control just isn't there". GamePro similarly commented that the Genesis version is good in most respects, but that the poor controls make it an overall mediocre game.

Reviewing the Game Boy version, GamePro praised the diverse gameplay, detailed graphics, and atmospheric music, but remarked that the poor control ruins the entire experience, noting that the game requirea excessive precision and slippery control for the jumps.

Sales
The game shipped more than 100,000 copies.