Plok

"So much fun, but mind-numbingly long"

Despite glaring flaws in the game's setup, Plok is one of the greatest platformers ever released. It's lighthearted, fun, and gives its audience enough information to understand the close little world of Poly-Esta (heh) without actually making us sit through all the boring details.

What's going on?: Plok is a bizarre little man with detachable limbs who lives on Akrillic Island in the Poly-Esta archipelago. I'd like to know why, since he's so easily damaged by water. Anyway, said archipelago also includes Cotton Island and Legacy Island. Plok has an enormous ego and believes himself to be the ruler of everything he sees; he's planted flags with his picture on them all over the place (with a very special square one for the top of his silly little house).

The store begins when Plok wakes up to find his precious square flag is missing! You may roll your eyes, but this is a big deal to our red-and-yellow hero. He thinks he saw the flag on Cotton Island and goes to get it, but it seems to have a mind of its own. After chasing it across the colorful landscape, Plok finds his flag in the clutches of a couple of lip-headed (yes, you read that right) circus freaks. He beats them up and takes his flag home... only to discover there are forces more evil than random fat lipped punks at work here, and his entire island has been taken over by fleas!

And did I mention the flashback sequence done in the style of an old movie?

(Story, 6/10. Nonsensical, but this isn't the type of game you take seriously.)

How's it look?: Excellent. Very well executed and detailed. I have to point out that Plok has about fifteen facial expressions and easy-to-read body language (nice job, especially for early SNES), plus he'll let you know when he's getting low on life by breathing a little harder.

For the most part, the game is pretty goofy and cartoonish. Bright colors, shimmering effects, creative enemy types, interesting backgrounds, and impressive bosses. Even the ground Plok walks on is detailed and vivid. With the exception of Rockyfella and Womack Spider, you've never seen anything like these big bad guys, either. I, personally, would have loved to watch the story boarding session where someone stood up and announced, ''Y'know what this game needs? Inflatable magicians with a dorky-sounding name that can dump sparkly stars of death on the hero!''

If the makers of the Final Fantasy series only knew.

(Graphics, 9/10. After all, this IS a SNES game.)

And the noise?: I'm being totally serious when I say that Plok has some of the BEST video game music you'll ever hear. It starts with a lively guitar-and-harmonica session and only gets better from there. Cheery music plays in Plok's house. The theme played in ocean levels has an intense, water-spray tension to it. The flashback sequence on Legacy Island is accompanied by the type of music you'd expect to hear while the handlebar-mustachioed villain is tying the girl up to the train tracks. One of the levels, which features Plok bouncing through about half of it with no legs (!), has an incredible bluesy tune that I still hum sometimes.

Sound effects are good too. Plok lets out a sharp ''YEEP!'' when he's hurt, and really lets you hear about it when he gets killed. The water sprays are kind of weird, sounding more like soda fizzing than water gurgling. Enemy sound are distinct and interesting, from the Gershwins' ''bok bok bok'' to the unmistakable sound of a flea jumping (?) to Rockyfella's ''OW!''.

(Sound, 10/10. Excellent.)

Tell me about the motion: Electronic perfection. I have no complaints at all. Plok moves exactly as directed, even as far as crouching and walking forward while down.

(Control, 10/10. Nothing much to add here.)

What about the fun part?: Don't worry, there's plenty in this game to love. Plok has two jumps -- a short one that allows him to fire his main weapon (his arms and legs) while airborne, and an impressive spin jump that makes him unable to use any weapons but is vital for reaching higher levels and dodging certain enemies (Plok is easier to control while spin jumping). He can throw his arms and legs around as much as he wants with little fear since they come back (unless they hit certain targets, but you can always get them back somehow; the game never strands you).

The levels are usually straightforward, but there are quite a few that have intersecting paths, so there's more than one way to play through. I like having that option.

There are also prize packages. Someone has been leaving mysterious gifts all over the islands for our hero! Inside Plok will find all kinds of great weapons, from guns that say ''BANG!'' to flamethrowers and rockets. They don't last long, however. If you're lucky and willing to sacrifice a lifeup or two, you'll get to try your luck at a difficult race-to-the-finish bonus game that let you try out Plok's eclectic set of transportation -- everything from unicycles to hovercraft. All with extra-powerful weapons, of course. :) The warp you get if you cross the finish line generally moves you up four areas.

A second, bizarre kind of warp area is actually inside those squishy fruits that Plok uses to regain his health. These are simple -- get every shell, and you don't have to finish the level.

(Gameplay, 9/10. Enjoyable, but the game loses a point because until you learn where the warps are, you'll have to ruin every fruit and hope for luck.)

So, if it's so great, why the 7/10?: This game is extremely bright and cartoonish; it looks like it was made for eight-year-olds. However, it's not an easy game. It takes hours to finish (assuming you don't warp) and individual levels can take up to twenty minutes if you stop to get everything or accidentally fall from a high point. It's easy to get bored with the game -- especially once you've beaten it and don't have the patience to sit around waiting for the spiked doors to spin the way you want or that platform to come around again.

There are also no save points. This game world is just about half the size of Super Mario World (and at least twice as difficult), but you're expected to do it all at once. As a result, I know Cotton Island like I do my own room, but I can count on one hand the number of times I've defeated Womack Spider.

There is, however, one saving grace. You get a LOT of continues. There's a meter on the upper right side of the screen with P-L-O-K in red circles. Every time you end a level, you get one Plok Token and a letter lights up. Every four tokens, you get a Plokontinue (har har). There are tokens scattered around later levels too, and one level actually has four tokens inside it -- search hard enough, and you'll have all the second chances you need.

(Overall, 7/10)

Famous last words: The game is nearly a decade old now; if you can find it at all I doubt it'd set you back more than $10. If you have a SNES and find this game, get it. It's definitely worth buying. But don't expect it to have much lasting value if you didn't grow up playing it... like I did.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/18/03