Chuck Rock

"Unga Bunga!"

Chuck Rock is one of those titles that kinda fell under the radar. It was overshadowed by the greats like Mario and Sonic, and only got one sequel, and ONLY for the Genesis. But Chuck Rock doesn't deserve to be obscure- it's a fun game with top notch presentation and excellent controls.

1) Story: You play a caveman, Chuck Rock, who must travel through five worlds (jungles, fire caves, streams, ice caves, and dino graveyards) and defeat the dinosaurs along the way. That's about it. If there WAS a story here, it certainly wasn't evident in the game. This type of game doesn't really NEED a story anyway, so it's not a problem.

2) Graphics: Each of the five worlds is very detailed and colorful, animation is simple but effective, framerates are a solid 60 fps, and the backgrounds and foregrounds work together to create depth. This is all especially impressive since this game came out in 1992. SNES developers were still getting a handle on the hardware, but Core was already working wonders.

3) Sound: Dang, this title has some catchy music. If the opening rock tune doesn't get you humming, then the rest of the game's music will (in particular, the second and fourth levels). Sounds are the kind of stuff you hear in cartoons- bangs, bounces, booms, and more. Heck, Chuck Rock even starts every level by saying "Unga bunga!"

4) Controls/Gameplay: Core deserves kudos for the outstanding gameplay. The speed of the game is fast, and luckily the tight controls help the experience. Directions let you move, B makes you jump, and Y makes you belly bounce. Yep, you heard right- Chuck's attack is to thrust his gigantic belly at opponents. It makes for a nice twist and actually provides some strategy, since you have to get close to defeat enemies. But not TOO close or you'll get hit. Sometimes the hit detection of that fine line is a bit touchy, but for the most part it's fine.

Chuck Rock starts out easy enough- the first couple of levels are fairly simple and don't pose much of a threat. But very quickly, the challenge increases exponentially. It's deceptive. And because of the fast gameplay, it's addicting, too. Though the game is only five worlds long (i.e. roughly 20 levels total, including the bosses), it's darn tough to get to the end. Especially since there aren't any continues or battery back-up options. If this game were longer, like Kid Chameleon long, getting game over towards the end of the game would be horrible, but for Chuck Rock it makes the game more addicting, because you'll be doing great for the first four worlds, but then blow it on the final world. You'll think, "Gotta go again. I can do that section better. THIS time I'm gonna beat it!"

And that quality is what makes Chuck Rock a good game. Not GREAT- after all, it's only five worlds and after you beat it, there's not much replay value. But UNTIL you beat it, Chuck Rock is quite fun, and the ultra-responsive controls, nice presentation, and slick gameplay add to the fun.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/06/05