Plok (Game)

Plok

GAME » on September 5, 1993

Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Platform)

When the hood-headed head of the island of Akrillic gets his family heirloom flag stolen, Plok embarks on a wacky adventure in this SNES platformer.

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Overview

It's Plok!

Plok, also known in-game and in Japan as Plok!, is a comedic side-scrolling platformer developed by Software Creations and published (by Tradewest in North America, Nintendo (Company) in Europe, and Activision (Company) in Japan) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Platform) in late 1993.

Playing similar to other vibrant mascot platformers at the time, Plok stars the hood-headed hero of the same name as he ventures out to retrieve his family's heirloom flag from a neighboring island in the Poly-Esta archipelago, only to leave his island of Akrillic open for a worse situation.

Along with the game's punishing difficulty and lack of game saves and passwords (with players earning unique "Plokontinues" through exceptional gameplay, unlocking new game starting points after defeating certain bosses, and finding bonus warp points) the game is known for the protagonist's ability to throw each of his four detachable limbs as projectiles, which return back to him like boomerangs. This mechanic is sometimes used for puzzles, as he sometime has to either open pathways by grabbing onto targets or temporarily progress without some of his limbs. Throughout the game, he can also gain temporary access to various costume power-ups and, at the game's final levels, numerous vehicles.

The game was originally in-development in the late '80s as an arcade title by Ste and John Pickford (Person) of Zippo Games (Company) under the name "Fleapit", running on arcade hardware by Rare. Years after that project's cancellation, the Pickford brothers revived the game's concept while at Software Creations for the SNES as Plok.

Story

The eponymous Plok.

The game opens with Plok (Character), king of the island of Akrillic in the Poly-Esta archipelago, waking up to discover that his Grandpappy’s flag which flew proudly over his home has been stolen. Spotting his flag flying on the nearby Cotton Island, Plok sets sail to retrieve it. Once on Cotton Island, Plok makes his way through a series of decoy flags before finally defeating the Bobbins Brothers and retrieving his family heirloom.

Upon his return home, Plok discovers that the theft of his Grandpappy’s flag was simply for the purpose of luring him away from Akrillic so that it would be left defenseless for the Fleas to take over and raise their flags over the land in the place of Plok’s. Determined to reclaim his island, Plok sets out to rid the island of the Fleas and their allies. His quest eventually takes him to the depths of the Flea Pit where he must face off against the Flea Queen in order to determine the fate of Akrillic.

Gameplay

Plok engages in the game's first boss fight.

Plok’s primary ability is that he is able to throw his arms and legs in a boomerang-like manner. This ability can be used both as an attack and to solve certain puzzles which involve Plok giving up a limb in order to activate a switch. With fewer limbs, Plok is less mobile and has less “ammunition” to attack with. Limbs used to activate switches can be retrieved from a hanger somewhere else in the level. Plok is also able to perform a spinning high-jump (very similar to Sonic the Hedgehog (Character)’s jumps) which allows him to reach platforms he can’t with his weak standard jump. After receiving an amulet later in the game, the high-jump can also be used as an attack.

Plok proceeds from level to level via an overworld screen. The path is linear, but levels can be skipped by using warps throughout the game. Warp zones are accessed by hitting specific berries (usually just used to increase health) until they teleport Plok to the warp area. Once in the warp zone, a “Race Against Time” event will take place which challenges Plok to get some sort of vehicle through a special level and across the finish line in a limited amount of time. If Plok is successful, he’ll be transported ahead to a later level of the game, but if he fails, he’ll be spit back out in the same spot he entered the warp zone.

The world of Poly-Esta is filled with many different items and power-ups for Plok to collect. Shells scattered throughout each level will net him an extra life if he can get enough. They can also be used to fuel his special high-jump attack after the amulet item is received later in the game. Additionally, Plok collects the letters P-L-O-K in order to get “Plokontinues” which allow him to continue his journey if he loses all of his lives. Every time Plok defeats a Rockyfella, it will drop a ruby which grants Plok invincibility for a short time. The Razor Wheel pickup will transform Plok into an invincible spinning steel blade that storms through the world with incredible speed. Presents hidden in the world allow Plok to temporarily don one of many costumes that grant him special abilities.

Presents

Costumes

Plocky - Armed with larger boxing gloves.
Vigilante Plok - Armed with a flamethrower.
Squire Plok - Armed with a blunderbuss.
Cowboy Plok - Armed with a trick gun (which deals heavy damage at very close range)
Rocketplok - Armed with various rocket launchers.

Vehicles

Unicycle (Object) (w/ water cannon)
Off-Road Truck (w/ rocket launcher)
Jetpack (w/ laser cannons)
Motorbike (w/ grenades)
Helicopter (Object) (w/ bombs)
Tank (Object) (w/ cannon)
UFO (Object) (w/ plasma cannons)
Secret Super-Vehicle

Levels

While the game's "Normal" difficulty progresses through all levels in order, an easier "Child's Play" difficulty cuts the game down to the first 10 levels. There are certain levels that contain secret warp trials which, if completed successfully, allow the player to skip to a later level.

Cotton Island

Beach
Bridge
Columns
Log Falls
Rickety Bridge
Crazy Cradles
Blind Leap
Bobbins Bros

Akrillic (pt. 1)

Garlen Beach
Sleepy Dale
Plok's House

Legacy Island

Mace Cove
Fool's Gap
Zig Zag
Sponge Rocks
Swifty Peaks
Log Trail
Crouch Hill
Bobbins Bros

Akrillic (pt. 2)

Plok Town
The Penkinos
Venge Thicket
Dreamy Cove
Creepy Forest
Womack Spider
Creepy Crag
Gohome Cavern
Crashing Rocks
Rockyfella

Fleapit

Cycling Clever
Road Hogging
High Flying
Easy Riding
In a Spin
Real Rumblings
Silent Running
The Flea Queen

Game Reception

When the Pickford brothers were first developing Fleapit (the game that would become Plok) during the late 80’s, the gaming landscape was ripe for an inventive, cute, colorful, character-driven platformer to come along and explode with popularity. However, during the early 90’s the video game market experienced a massive flood of colorful character-driven platform titles such as Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind, Rayman (Game), Sonic the Hedgehog (Game), and Zool (Game). Thus, by the time Plok was finally released in 1993, it didn’t seem nearly as fresh as it was when development first started nearly five years ago. Reviews for the game were overall very favorable, but commercially the game was received very poorly and sales were underwhelming. There just wasn’t enough to distinguish this game from all of the others that appeared so similar. The game has also at times been criticized because of its difficulty and lack of a save or password system.

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the scores of 7,8,9 and 8 with "Sushi-X" exclaiming, "...Plok has got to be one of the most unique games to come out in a while." Ed Semrad wrote, "...while the bosses aren't anything to write home about, the actual game is visually stunning. The challenge level is really high, possibly turning off younger players, but hard-core gamers will love it".

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