Plok!

Plok!
Genre(s): Platform Platform(s): Super Nintendo Release: NA: September 27, 1993 EU: 1 December, 1993 JP: 10 December 1994 Developer(s): Software Creations Publisher(s): US: Tradewest EU: Nintendo JP: Activision

Plok! is a side-scrolling platform game developed by British studio Software Creations and its concepts and characters were created and owned by Ste and John Pickford. It was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in late 1993 by Tradewest in North America, Nintendo in Europe, and Activision in Japan. Players portray the hood-headed titular protagonist, the king of the island Akrillic who is protecting it from fleas spawned by the Flea Queen, who is under the island's ground, as well as other bosses trying to overthrow Plok's power. His versatility lies in his four separable limbs, which can be used to shoot at targets and enemies, and several power-ups scattered throughout its colorful stages as "presents."

Plot

Plok's adventure begins when he wakes up one morning to find that his big square flag has gone missing. He then finds it on travel first to the nearby Cotton Island to retrieve it from the Bobbins Brothers. After vanquishing the Bobbins Bros. and reclaiming his flag, Plok returns to Akrillic to find that the island has been taken over by Fleas, large blue creatures that jump around. He quickly learns that the theft of his flag was simply a decoy to lure him away from Akrillic and leave it unguarded. Plok must travel throughout Akrillic, ridding the island of Fleas. Partway through the game, Plok takes a break by his house to catch a nap, during which he dreams of his Grandpappy's journey on Legacy Island to search for a family heirloom known as the Magical Amulet, which is eventually found and stumbled upon by Plok as he wakes up. After clearing out all the Fleas from Akrillic, Plok descends into Brendammi Bog, where the Fleapit, the source of all the Fleas, is located. Riding various vehicles, Plok journeys deep into the Flea Pit, ultimately challenging the Flea Queen as the final boss.

Why It's Plok!

1. The graphics are great and very colorful, even for 1993 standards, they also inspired Nintendo to make Yoshi Island have a similar art style. It also reminds Boogerman's art style.
2. The soundtrack is very impressive, especially for a SNES game released in 1993, it pushed the console to its limit and it even led Miyamoto to look if the Super Nintendo was not modified, and due to that he loved it so much the game that Nintendo would go to publish the game everywhere but unfortunately it ended up being published by them in Europe only, the boss fight music is also very impressive and sounds awesome.
   • This didn't mean the game wouldn't be released in the rest of the world, who published the game in the US was Tradewest, and in Japan was Activision.
3. Tight controls. Just like Doraemon: Nobita no Dorabian Night, Plok will not stop for a second due to how well the game is programmed.
4. Plok itself is a likable character and is even funny sometimes.
5. This game was one of the rarest SNES games to get a French language at the time which is great for French people.
6. The game has mechanics that predicted Rayman 2 years earlier because it has similar gameplay and Plok himself has a unique design like Rayman or even Dynamite Headdy.
7. The game length is pretty long, the game can be only beaten in 6 to 8 hours which was rare for an SNES game back in the day (aside from the RPG).
8. The bosses are very fun and challenging, even though they can be too hard. And the boss music fits them, even for the final boss.
9. The plot is a bit funny even though it's nonsensical.
10. The game has spawned a comix of Plok and it's as good and funny as the game, there are a lot of funny moments in this comix like a character that blamed Plok for not getting a sequel.
11. The game has some challenging levels and they are pretty fun to play through.
12. The game has an awesome presentation, especially for 1993 standards.
13. The power-up costumes are very innovative for the times.
14. The limb mechanics are fun to mess with.
15. The gameplay is extremely fun, even for a platform game, it's so fun that you might get addicted to this game.

Bad Qualities

1. Some levels are way too hard, the first three bosses are very frustrating to fight and you can easily fail to beat them the first time.
2. Despite its length, the game unfortunately does not have any password or save feature which forces you to beat the game in one setting, and due to how hard the game is, you will likely get huge trouble for beating it.
3. The story is nonsensical, even for a game like this.

Reception

Plok received positive reviews for its gameplay, it's presentation, it's colorful graphics, it's humor, and innovative mechanics.

Trivia

John Pickford and Kay had faith in Plok! being commercially successful. The Pickford brothers garnered IP ownership for the Plok character, common in other media economies but rare in the video games industry; and planned a franchise out of it, such as sequels, ports, and merchandise. A Mega Drive version was planned using a Software Creations worker's software for automatically converting SNES titles into Mega Drive games; 80% of the code was automatically converted, according to Ste, with the other 20% requiring hands-on work. Ultimately, however, despite Webb announcing the port's completion in an April 1994 interview, it was never released for unknown reasons.

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