"Malcolm in the Middle," the sitcom from the early 2000s starring Frankie Muniz, has returned in the form of an 8-bit video game.
Although created as a tribute to the series, the game doesn't accurately represent the show but it's still very entertaining to play.
Developed by artist and game designer Alec Robbins, the "Malcolm in the Middle" adaptation is an 8-bit browser game for the PC and mobile devices.
Players take on the role of Malcolm, whose sole objective is to avoid bumping into his brother Dewey and Reese. The entire game takes place in a suburban sidewalk with Malcolm walking in between his younger and older brother. Using the right and left arrow keys in the PC version, gamers must make sure that the main character does not crash into one of his brothers.
Bumping into any one of them will cause Malcolm to fall down and restart the game.
The game may feel a bit repetitive but gamers will be kept busy and challenged by the changing speeds of Dewey and Reese's walk. In addition, the other characters will try to distract gamers with their random and funny dialogues in the form of speech bubbles.
According to Cinemablend, the game will end once players reach a score of over 100,000. This is where the game gets really weird as the sky will turn red and the characters will begin saying dark lines such as "Children are powerless" and "Television was our prison." They also beg gamers to stop playing the game as if they're being tortured.
Robbins described his creation as an existential game that was developed in two after a "Malcolm in the Middle" marathon on Netflix.
The "Malcolm in the Middle" television series first aired in January of 2000. It ran for seven seasons before ending in May of 2006. The series centered on Muniz's character, Malcolm, as he deals with the various social challenges of growing up.
As the title suggests, Malcolm is the middle child of the family with genius-level intellectual capabilities. His smart characteristics oftentimes clashes with the absurd behavior of his dysfunctional family including his parents Lois, played by Jane Kaczmarek and his father Hal, portrayed by Bryan Cranston.
Other main cast members of the show include Justin Berfield as Reese, Erik Per Sullivan as Dewey and Christopher Masterson as their eldest brother Francis.
Check out the gameplay video the Robbins' "Malcolm in the Middle" game below.
