Lester the Unlikely

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Lester the Unlikely

Developer(s)	Visual Concepts Entertainment
Publisher(s)	DTMC
Platform(s)	SNES
Release date	^NA 1994 ^JPN 1994
Genre(s)	Action Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Media	8-megabit cartridge

Lester the Unlikely is an adventure game for the Super Nintendo. It was released in 1994.

The game has a unique engine in which the protagonist, Lester, is easily frightened early in the game and will act reluctantly when faced with animals, heights, etc. For instance, when the player guides Lester towards a crab in the first stage, he will at first scream and run in the opposite direction; when the player makes him walk towards it a second time he will slowly creep towards it. This coincides with one of the major themes of the game being Lester facing his fears, and these instances happen less and less as the game goes on.

Also notable are the game's rotoscoped graphics; humorously referred to in the game's manual as "Filmed in Geek-O-Vision." The manual boasts that the Lester character has over 250 frames of animation, "about twice the number of an average game."

[edit] Premise

Lester, the nerdy protagonist, falls asleep on a pallet on the docks while reading a comic book, and is accidentally loaded onto a freighter. Pirates hijack and sink the ship, and Lester swims to shore on a tropical island. It is up to the player to help Lester find a way home.

[edit] Character evolution

The first part of the game depicts Lester as a very cowardly character. Every time he encounters a new creature, he runs away in the opposite direction with a scream (temporarily removing the controls from the player's hand). Upon approaching the creature a second time, Lester walks slowly, protecting himself with his arms. Once a certain type of creature has been defeated, the player will be able to walk to this type of creature without any further sign of fear. At the beginning of the game, Lester walks in a very lazy, laid-back stance, suggesting weakness and lack of courage. However, after saving an indigent girl from a huge gorilla, the girl gives a kiss to the hero and he is suddenly changed. In the following levels, Lester has a very upright and courageous stance.