Neopets is back in a big way. I don’t mean the revamped website or even the weird bit of news where Arthur lookalike John Legend has become Neopets’ first influencer. I’m talking about the games. Over 50 web browser games from the site’s past have been restored via an emulator and are playable right now.
These games’ triumphant return is a part of Neopets’ “new era” that began when Neopets’ parent company, NetDragon, allowed the site to spin off into its own fully independent company. Under this new leadership, The Neopets Team began working immediately to revive the flagging site that’s been around since — brace yourself, elder millennials — 1999. The team worked on fixing bugs, implementing community feedback, and announced it would transition away from the poorly received NFT game Neopets Metaverse. And one of the biggest, top-of-mind goals for the team was to bring back the old browser games that have languished in digital purgatory since Adobe stopped supporting Flash in 2020.
Now, using the Ruffle emulator, all your favorites — Meepit Juice Break, Hasee Bounce, Meerka Chase II, Faerie Caves II, Faerie Bubbles — are back, and by extension, we, too, are so back. (FYI: You will need an account to play the classic games.)
Neopets games were my jams. I spent so much time before, during, and after school playing games like Meerca Chase II and Hasee Bounce. I distinctly remember playing Hasee Bounce with tears streaming down my face because the little hasee creatures were so stinkin’ cute.
The Neopets Team / Neopets.com
Just today, when I heard the news, I immediately booted up Faerie Caves II and was transported back in time to my school’s computer lab filled with those technicolor iMacs. Back then, Faerie Caves’ level design confounded 13-year-old me, but now, with my adult experiences and sensibilities, I was able to breeze through the first two levels with no problem.
The restoration of this treasure trove of seriously fun games is only one small part of The Neopets Team’s new strategy to reinvigorate the brand and win back fans. But even if they do nothing else, they’ve already won me back.
