Zool

The majority of you may never have heard of Zool, you would probably look rather bewildered if I uttered the name Amiga. If this is indeed the case then stop reading now and go back to your snazzy next generation consoles because it doesn’t matter how these games came about as long as you enjoy them right? Wrong. Infact if you haven’t heard of either it’s rather imperative you read on and discover the root to many of today’s classic platformers; yes it was partly to do with Mario, yes it was partly to do with Sonic but Zool also played a major part too.

It was a lightning fast game; faster than Mario yet a little slower than Sonic and was released around the same time as both. Zool however unlike its rivals never sacrificed speed or ability in search of a good game mechanic, instead it incorporated both nicely and this was the key to its success. It also had its own cool mascot who didn’t have a dodgy moustache and didn’t spin into some small blue ball; it did however have a wily Ninja from the nth dimension. He had the punches, the kicks, the tricks, the flicks and even the red scarf over his rather shifty looking eyes to take down just about anyone that stood before him.

While Zool looks like your average platformer on the surface if you peel away the ninja-esque layers what you will find is a psychedelic experience that will blow your very mind. No you haven’t been taking some illegal substance those really are giant sweets attacking your face, those really are hills made out of scrumptious yellow jelly and yes those really are lollipops excitedly buzzing around your crown awaiting your collection. Everything within this game bursts through your monitor with a venomous vibrancy and brings out your inner child every time your whirl your joystick.

This game is packed with seven worlds, each one as unrealistically lifelike as the next. Every course carefully thought out which results in some pretty outstanding level designs and some thrilling gameplay. There are multiple ways to play through each level and adds just enough variety to keep things interesting; this was relatively new ground for many games of this generation. Infact I would go as far to say this is one of the best Amiga games of all time, which is some going considering the system had easily over a million titles.

The game however isn’t perfect; it does have some big flaws actually and should be addressed. Firstly there just are not enough puzzles in here and sometimes the game can feel a little too run and gun for my liking; there isn’t a solid enough reward system and at times you feel like you’re collecting random items just for the sake of it and perhaps the biggest fault is the games lack of any real depth. This doesn’t make for the most intellectually challenging game; I mean how long can you whack demonic sweets for before it starts to get old? Really that long? Oh then this sounds like the retro platformer for you.

The graphics are disturbingly bright and sickeningly cheerful; at times it makes you feel like reaching for the headache tablets but you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way because while it’s unnaturally bright the graphics surpass anything seen on the Amiga before it. Everything also flows at such a smooth pace which is rather impressive considering the speeds that little ninja can reach. The sound fits right in with the visuals; an addictive blend of rave and techno style music which is complimented by some quirky sound effects. It really feels like each track was written for the levels on an individual basis, the only downfall being its tendency to grate on you after a while.

Some may say Zool didn’t break the mould; some may say "Zool? Huh?" but I disagree that this is just another platformer in a sea of mediocrity. This game is so much more than that, it incorporates thing’s its console rivals simply could not achieve. This game was the missing piece of the puzzle and just like its counterparts did just as much for the platform genre if not more; it’s just a shame it hasn’t quite lasted the test of time.