Number Munchers
PC
Nostalgia Factor:
Like many people my age, I grew up playing Number Munchers in grade school. It was the early 90s. The Internet wasn't a thing. Computers were barely a thing, but we had one in our classroom. We didn't really use it much, but over time I noticed that certain kids were staying inside during recess in order to mess around on the computer. They played things like Oregon Trail, typing speed games, and this game - Number Crunchers. Once I realized what these kids were doing, I started staying inside during recess so I could use the computer too.
I always considered Number Crunchers to be the most entertaining of all the games, and it is certainly the one I spent the most time with. It reminded me the most of the video games I would play at home. And I was good at it! I was always on the hunt to earn the highest score.
I haven't even so much as thought of this game in nearly 30 years. But here were are now, in the year 2024, and I am ready to see if it is as good as I remember. Let's check it out.
Story:
If this game has a cohesive storyline, it sure isn't explained in the game. It must be in the instruction manual. But from what I can tell, there really isn't a story. You play as green frog-looking creature, and you have to eat numbers and avoid the monsters that are trying to capture you. There is no beginning or end, and there is no real plot.
There are small cutscenes that play every time you complete five levels or so, where the monster tries to capture you by setting some kind of trap, but then it backfires in his face. Very Wile E. Coyote or Spy vs Spy-esque. But there are only about four or five unique scenes. Then they start to repeat themselves after a while.
Gameplay:
The entire game plays out on a grid full of numbers. You control green froggy man. At the top of the screen, you will see a small descriptive phrase that relates to mathematics. For example: Multiples of 2. That means you have to move around the grid and eat every multiple of 2. You'd eat 2. You'd eat 4. You'd eat 6, etc. If you eat a wrong number, like a 7, you lose a life. You have three lives. Once they are all gone, the game is over and you input your initials at the high score screen.
As you maneuver around the grid, monsters will start to come after you. If you move onto the same square as a monster, you lose a life. They appear from the edge of the screen, so you always have to be aware of your surroundings. It has happened to me many times where I am collecting numbers around the edge of the grid, and then a monster appears and eats me before I even have a chance to react. You've got to watch out for that. Otherwise, they move around the board at random, and are fairly easy to avoid.
Really, the whole game revolves around solving simple mathematic problems. A category might be: Less than 21. You'd have to eat every number on the grid that is less than 21. So you'd eat 6 + 0, you'd eat 25 - 6, you'd eat 9 x 2. You would not eat 35 - 6. Another category might be prime numbers. Another category might be factors of 10. Another one might be not equal to 12.
You can't beat this game, so the main goal is to get the highest score. I was doing pretty well when I played this game. I had no problem with the mathematics, it was trying to rush and running into the monsters that caused me the most problems. I played through every game mode, and then I realized you could adjust the difficulty. I was on basic third grade mathematics. No wonder I was doing so good. I cranked the difficulty as high as it would go. Yeah, too hard. I turned it back down again, this time fourth grade level. I did pretty good again.
I'd be curious to see where exactly it is that the game starts to get hard for me. But honestly, after sinking about an hour into this game, I was kind of done with it. It's a bit repetitive, to say the least.
Graphics:
This game looks fine, I guess? Let's be real, you aren't playing Number Crunchers to be impressed by its graphical fidelity. This is about as basic looking as it gets.
If I had to give a nod to anything, it would be the small cutscenes you see in between levels. Those are sorta fun.
Sound:
Everything sounds fine. There is truly nothing special to comment on, here. You don't play this game for its music or sound effects, either.
Overall:
This was a nice little trip down memory lane. That's about all there is to it, though. This isn't a game I'm going to come back to play, just for funsies. It's an okay game, but come on - who wants to play a game where you solve math problems?
I'm only half joking. This game serves its purpose and does what it sets out to do - to give kids a game that makes math and education entertaining. Look at me when I was a kid. I stayed inside for recess just so I could play this game. It's a fun learning tool. Heck, I'm probably going to show this to my son when he is old enough to start learning math.
But as far as video games go, Number Munchers leaves a lot to be desired. You can't put this game up next to something like Contra or Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts or Golden Axe and say that it is as fun or as entertaining as one of those games. It's not. Like I said before, I played it for about an hour and then I'd had enough. And I really don't have an urge to come back and play more. In fact, if it wasn't for my son I think I could safely say I was never going to play this game again.
This game is a nice little relic from the past. A fun educational tool, but severely lacking as a video game. I am a little torn on how I should grade this, but slightly above average will probably do the trick.
THE GRADE:
C+
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