WELCO METOT HENEX TLEVEL - Puggsy
Developer: Traveller’s Tales Publisher: Psygnosis Release: 1993
Have you ever heard of something called the “demo scene?” Folks who are old enough to remember trading and copying “cracked” versions of games have likely run across it.
Back in the day, when games on systems like the PC and Commodore 64 came on floppy discs, game developers created all sorts of interesting ways to protect their property from being copied. This gave rise to cracking groups, which concentrated on ways to “crack” that copy protection. If you’ve ever fired up an old computer game, or even console ROM, and seen a non-official start up screen (normally identifying the person or group that cracked said program), then you’ve witnessed a small part of what became the demo scene.
The teams that cracked those games were in constant competition with each other, a competition which included things like the most impressing intro screen, animation and music. Eventually some of these teams rose beyond simply cracking games, focusing instead on the artistry of those intro animations and just how much performance they could squeeze out of their systems of choice. These short programs were shared around through trading events, mailed discs, online bulletin boards, etc. These made up the demo scene.
What does all this have to do with Puggsy? Well, Puggsy started life as one of these demos, called Puggs in Space. It featured a little red alien who lands on earth and walks through a level interacting with various earth things. This demo in particular was created with the goal of getting development group Dionysus jobs in the industry. Audio guy Tim Wright described it in a 1up.com interview back in 2010:
“Lee Carus and Alan McCarthy decided to form Dionysus and I went back to being part of J.B.I. One day they asked me to come see a demo they were working on called "Puggs in Space." I loved the animation and ended up creating the sound effects and music for the demo. The Puggsy demo was created to showcase our talents with the ultimate goal of getting a deal to create a game.
“Later that same year, we went down to a London computer show to have meetings with game companies in the hope of snagging a contract. We met with all the big names, and although they liked the Puggsy demo, none of them were convinced it would make a good game. We had all but given up hope, until we managed to get a last minute meeting with Psygnosis, which we almost decided not to bother with, as we were all so disheartened! We met with Ian Hetherington who watched the demo and then picked up a box (I think it was something like Shadow of the Beast or Menace) and tossed it down the table and said something like, "I'm tired of this... you guys have got what we want -- something fresh and new" and our jaws just dropped.”
Psygnosis originally hired the group to expand on the Puggs in Space demo and create a full-fledged game. Unfortunately, they didn’t make the progress needed early on, and the project was handed off to a young Traveller’s Tales studio (the same studio that would eventually become the home of endless LEGO titles).
The resulting game bears little resemblance to the Puggs In Space demo outside of the character himself, although his color was changed from red to orange in order to avoid color bleed on CRT televisions.
Puggsy features dozens of levels, but all are very slow moving. Along with his walk and jump, you can control Puggsy’s arms, which can be used to grab ledges or various items found strewn about each level. Some of these are useful when you hold on to them, like projectile weapons. Others are mostly items that can be stacked to create platforms. All of them are worth points if Puggsy is carrying them when he finishes a level.
Even without a weapon Puggsy is able to attack, though if you pick up and play the game without reading a FAQ or the instruction book first, you may never know about it. Puggsy can jump on his enemies, but like Mickey Mouse in Castle of Illusion, unless you’re pressing down when you make contact, you’ll take damage. Unlike Mickey Mouse, Puggsy doesn’t actually show you that you’re successfully pushing down at the moment of attack.
The visuals are nice, but nothing too special. The boss characters are easily the most impressive thing here, as they’re all quite large and colorful. Otherwise, though, this has that very British, cartoon look that we were getting used to seeing in games like Flink and Chuck Rock back in the early nineties. It’s OK, but I much preferred a more Japanese style personally.
One thing worth pointing out is that the Sega CD version features a full-motion video introduction, and wow is it ugly. It’s got that early CGI look coupled with an extremely low resolution.
The game was also released on the Amiga and on the Genesis in cartridge form, though the Sega CD version seems to be the definitive one, as it includes extra levels and three extra bosses. It’s a decent game overall, but a bit slow and plodding for my tastes.