# Atomic Betty (video game)

Atomic Betty is a 2005 puzzle action video game developed by Big Blue Bubble and Breakthrough New Media for the Game Boy Advance. It is based on the Cartoon Network animated television series by the same name. Players control several characters from the show to defeat the villain Maximus IQ.
The developers aimed to include fan-favorite characters with a focus on teamwork. Atomic Betty was promoted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo and had a sweepstakes giveaway after its release in North America. The next year, Atari released the game in Europe through a new partnership with Namco Bandai.
The game received a mix reception and has a Metacritic score of 62 out of 100. Praise focused on the visuals and the easy-to-pick-up gameplay. Common criticism included the limited audio and gameplay that was geared towards a younger audience.

## Development and release

Development was handled by Big Blue Bubble, formerly of the GBA team at DICE Canada, during 2005. The team included fan-favorite characters in the game and aimed to use the characters' special skills in unique ways. Teamwork in overcoming obstacles and opponents was also a focus for the gameplay. In April 2005, Namco announced that they would publish Atomic Betty in November of that year. The game was showcased at E3 2005 in May. Representatives were present promoting the game at the Preshow event, and a single-level demonstration was available to play at the convention event. Additional marketing included releasing screenshots on August 8, 2005. Atomic Betty went gold on October 11, 2005. Although the title was originally scheduled to be released in November 2005, it was released a month earlier in October. After the release, Namco announced a sweepstakes with Nintendo to further promote the game. Prizes included a week-long Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and copies of Atomic Betty as well as prize packs that consisted of a Game Boy Micro and the game. The sweepstakes website also included an online challenge game. In the May 2006, Atari announced that it entered a publishing deal with Namco Bandai to release titles in Europe. Six Nintendo games, including Atomic Betty, were planned for a release in summer 2006.

## Reception

Aggregate score :
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 62/100 |
Review scores :
| Publication | Score |
| GameDaily | 6/10 |
| GameZone | 6/10 |
| Jeuxvideo | 10/20 |
Atomic Betty received a moderately mixed reception with a score of 62 out of 100 on Metacritic. Prior to its release, staff at GameSpot and IGN drew gameplay comparisons to the puzzle-platform game The Lost Vikings. Michael Lafferty of GameZone called the graphics "solid" and praised the animation. In describing the gameplay as simple with an easy difficulty, he stated that despite being "short-lived experience", Atomic Betty succeeds at being entertaining for its target audience. Lafferty summarized his review saying that the game "does nothing to advance the genre" but is "a good fit in the 2-D platform style". GameDaily reviewer Robert Workman echoed similar comments and overall rated Atomic Betty "mediocre". He praised the visuals and called the audio "somewhat limited". Workman noted that the combination of the different genres would please some players and that fans of the show will enjoy the game whereas others "may grow slightly bored". A reviewer for Jeuxvideo.com also praised the quality of the graphics and animation. They called the gameplay interesting and easy to learn, but criticized the collision detection in the combat parts, the simple audio, and the lack of replay value.