Plok
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| Plok | |
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| Developer(s) | Software Creations (UK) |
| Publisher(s) | Tradewest |
| Designer(s) | John Pickford (Concept) Ste Pickford (Concept) Lyndon Brooke (Graphics) |
| Release date(s) | JPDecember 10, 1993 NA1994 |
| Genre(s) | Action Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: (Probably K-A) |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo |
Plok was a Super Nintendo game developed by Software Creations and published by Tradewest Games in 1993 in the United States, and later by Nintendo in Europe and Activision in Japan. The game is a traditional platform game starring a character named "Plok". Though not widely successful, the game was somewhat of a sleeper hit, and is often praised for its creative graphics, memorable characters and music, and fun gameplay.
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[edit] About Plok
Plok dwells on Akrillic, a large island in the region of "Polyesta". He was trained by his grandfather, whom he lovingly refers to as "Grandpappy", to be a powerful warrior so that he could help defend Akrillic in times of peril. Under Grandpappy's tutouring, Plok was able to become a formidable fighter, he then accepted the responsibility of protecting Akrillic after his grandfather had passed on. Whilst we never see any other Plok-like beings in the game, we can assume that Plok is simply one of many "Ploks" in Akrillic (comic-strip ads for the game showed a magician casting a spell that created the original Plok, Grandpappy, so that Akrillic would have a peacekeeper for all its rowdy inhabitants). Notice that in the later levels of Plok Town and Sleepy Dale there are signs on all the buildings "For Sale" and the windows are boarded up; its likely that with all the Shprouts and Fleas invading, the native Ploks moved away and/or evacuated. It is also safe to assume them being many different colours, with different facial features and possibly even hair styles.
Unlike most hero characters in early computer games, Plok did not fight the forces of evil because he couldn't stand injustices; he fought because he got very angry when anyone tried to mess with him, a character trait which was fairly unique for the times. He also didn't dispatch his foes by merely jumping on their heads; he did so by thouroughly pummeling them with his fists (or feet, depending on the current situation) until they simply exploded.
Plok's special power lies in the fact that he can launch any of his limbs at will and allow them to damage enemies, once the damage has been done they return to Plok until he decides to attack again. Another integral use of this ability is using it to solve puzzles that involve having to "sacrifice" one of Plok's limbs to activate switches (thus gradually decreasing Plok's mobility and his chances in battle). Plok's secondary attack takes the form of a buzzsaw-like jump that not only gives him increased speed, but also decapitates enemies. At a certain point in the game, the player can acquire an amulet that enables them to convert shells into power for this move at any time.
As in gaming tradition, Plok has a common item that he can collect throughout his travels. Plok's token pick-up are shells, which award extra lives and serve as ammunition for a special amulet received part way through the game.
Also within tradition, Plok has numerous power-ups that come in the form of "presents" scattered amongst the majority of levels. If Plok locates one of these colourful gifts he is immediately transformed into a more powerful fighting machine for a brief length of time. These power-ups include a flamethrower, boxing gear, a shotgun, twin handguns and even multiple rocket launchers. Specific presents yield vehicles that Plok can use in some later levels. Presents can be fairly difficult to find, but reward the effort made to discover them with an often much easier path through the level. One area of the game involves a flashback in which you play as Plok's Grandpappy in a black and white movie environment on "Legacy Island", to obtain Grandpappy's long lost amulet.
[edit] Storyline
[edit] Prologue
Plok's adventure begins when he wakes up one morning to find that his Grandpappy's sacred flag, a family heirloom, has been stolen. The thieves even have the gall to leave a note: the culprits are none other than Milton and Marshall, the Bobbins Brothers. The fiends were notorious for terrorising Akrillic in the days when Plok's Grandpappy defended the land, but were defeated (and in the process lost one of their kin, Irving) and banished to the nearby Cotton Island. But now it seems they are out for revenge. Utilising his trusty telescope, Plok looks towards the coast of Cotton Island. Sure enough, the flag is there. Thus Plok immediately sets off for Cotton Island, determined to retrieve his family's sacred flag and finish off the Bobbins Brothers once and for all. But all is not what it seems...
[edit] Back in Akrillic
After vanquishing the Bobbins Brothers, for good this time, Plok returns to Akrillic to find that the Fleas have taken over. He quickly learns that the theft of his Grandpappy's flag was simply a decoy to lure him away from Akrillic and leave it unguarded. Now Fleas cover every portion of Akirllic and it's up to Plok to stop them. Akrillic fleas are a rampant, blue hive-minded race that destroy anything in their path. Plok has clashed with them a few times before, hence his contempt for them, although his anger is now greatly increased. So infuriated that he has been duped so easily, Plok heads off to exterminate the Flea menace. This part of the game is considerably larger than Cotton Island, and features multiple Boss battles as well as more challenging levels. The object of the Akrillic levels is to rid the level of its infestation by destroying every single flea; this can be quite tricky, as fleas have a knack for hiding as well as attacking in groups. Plok also faces off against a number of dangerous foes during his quest to liberate Akrillic. These include Womack Spider, a large arachnid inhabitant of the Creepy Forest, The Penkino Brothers, a group of four balloon-like wizards who are hired by the Flea Queen to dispose of Plok, and Rockyfella, the gigantic earth spirit of Polyesta.
[edit] The Flea Pit
Once the entire region of Akrillic is safe, Plok decides to make sure that such a disaster can never happen again, and heads traight for the Fleas' nest area, aptly named "The Flea Pit". Here is where Plok faces his greatest challenges; toughest enemies, most infuriating levels and, finally, the Flea Queen herself.
[edit] Enemies
Shprouts: Like any plucky hero, Plok has a number of hassles to deal with as he tries to free his homeland. Most noticeable in the levels of Akrillic is the "Shprout", a hostile race that seems to have something against Plok and his people; a reasonable assumption for their contempt is that they may have gone to war with the Ploks once or twice and been bitter over defeat. Still, whatever the reason, they seem eager to destroy Plok in any way they can.
Fairly nimble and tenacious, the Shprouts are rather aggravating enemies to encounter; players must punch the Shprout once to "electrocute" it, then hit it again whilst it is still electrocuted to vanquish them. This is easier said than done however, as Shprouts do not stay electrocuted for long. As the game progresses the Shprouts get more and more "tooled up", going into battle with shields (for which the initial strike must dealt to its backside), scuba gear, parachutes or sometimes even all three at once.
Other Shprouts: Whilst most Shprouts are green, other types do exist: Yellow Shprouts; a faster variety of Shprout that is faster and capable of greater jumping prowess than normal Shprouts, which also have the annoying habit of hurling boomerangs. The final, and toughest, kind of Shprout is the Blue Shprout. These Shprouts are the fastest of the bunch and yet more difficult to hit. Fortunately they are quite rare and never carry shields when fighting.
Fleas: It becomes apparent fairly early on in the game that Plok does NOT like Fleas in the slightest. Exactly why is not known, but it is safe to assume that they have tried to take over Akrillic before and failed (thanks to Plok). The Fleas are Plok's nemesis and will do anything to stop him. Seemingly hive-minded and parasitic, the Fleas are fearsome opponents, especially in large numbers, a formation prevalent on Polyesta. However, there is more than one type of Flea.
Standard Fleas: As the name suggests, these are the most common breed of Flea amongst the flea hordes. They take 3 hits to take out, slowly changing from bold blue, to turquoise and finally green before exploding. Using the basic strategy "Strength in numbers" they often attack in groups, they can be fairly fast due to their hopping nature. Also noted, fleas do not like water and although unharmed, will jump out of water as soon as they enter it.
Flying Fleas: The only kind of Flea that isn't blue, as well as the only kind without legs. Somehow this breed of Flea has successfully developed wings, giving it greater speed and agility with the cost of some stamina; only requiring one hit in order to be killed. These Fleas are never found on the surface, only in underground caves or tunnels. It is logical to assume they cannot stand bright light due to living in caves for so long in order to evolve wings.
Gunk Fleas: Considerably larger than a Standard Flea, this breed of Flea has a rather large nozzle on its head which it uses to shoot thick globs of pus at Plok whenever he should approach. Like Standard Fleas, they attack in groups whenever they can. Fortunately, they do not have any increased abilities and require just as many hits as a Standard Flea.
Spewing Fleas: These Fleas act primarily as guards in the flea pit. Like the Gunk Fleas, these Fleas can launch pus at Plok. However, they launch it in a far more erratic manner as opposed to waiting for Plok to come close, they also have four head-nozzles as opposed to just one. This makes them difficult to deal with when situated in groups, fortunately they are incapable of moving from their spots and require the same amount of hits as a Standard Flea.
Drone Fleas: This type of Flea is only found in the final battle with the Flea Queen. The eggs she lays during the fight produce these Fleas, giving Plok extra troubles, but they only take one hit from Plok's secret "Super-weapon" to be destroyed.
[edit] Music
Composed by Tim Follin and his brother Geoff Follin, the soundtrack used just 5 channels out of a possible 8, leaving the remaining 3 for sound effects. The soundtrack is notable for having used chords as samples (voices 26 and 27 in the SPC). Also, often instead of using specific envelope types for sounds, the composers varied the envelope continually, giving some tracks a very distinctive sound, notably 'Plok's House', 'Akrillic', 'Creepy Crag', 'Beach' and 'Flea Pit'.
