Play Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Online

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure came out on the NES in 1991, published by LJN. It was one of those many movie tie-in games from that era, a time when you could count on seeing familiar characters from films and TV shows pop up on your console, though the quality varied a lot. This one tried to capture the goofy spirit of the movie about two airheaded high school students traveling through history.

You control Bill and Ted, switching between them as you move screen by screen through different time periods. Your main goal is to find historical figures like Socrates or Genghis Khan and convince them to come back to present-day San Dimas for your history report. The gameplay involves a lot of exploration and item collection; you'll pick up things like Lincoln's hat or Joan of Arc's sword to use in solving simple puzzles or trading with characters. You also have a few oddball weapons, like cassette tapes you can throw, to deal with the various enemies and guards that will try to capture you. The game can feel a bit slow and confusing at times, with some frustrating enemy patterns, but there's a certain charm in its weirdness. It feels like a clunky but earnest attempt to turn a silly movie into an adventure.