Plok
Plok is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Software Creations and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. It is a traditional platform game starring a red-hooded character named Plok. The game is slightly noted for its difficulty as it contains some unexpected bullet hell elements in a platformer game, its level design in the later levels, and a lack of save features and "limited" continues.
| Plok | |
|---|---|
 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Software Creations |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Designer(s) | Ste and John Pickford (Concept) Lyndon Brooke (Graphics) John Buckley (Code) |
| Composer(s) | Tim Follin Geoff Follin |
| Platform(s) | Super NES |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
Plok can launch any of his limbs at will to damage enemies as projectiles from his arms and feet. Once the damage has been done, they instantly returns to Plok's body. In later levels, some puzzles involve having to "sacrifice" one of Plok's limbs to activate switches (thus gradually decreasing Plok's mobility and his chances in battle). Once a limb hits a switch, it is placed on a hanger that may be right next to the switch or several screens away; some switches also require certain limbs. Plok's secondary attack takes the form of a buzzsaw-like jump that not only gives him increased speed as items, but also dispatches enemies at the highest damage. Plok can pick up shells, which award extra lives and serve as ammunition for a special amulet received partway through the game. The amulet converts shells into power for Plok's secondary attack. There are four letters in the name "PLOK" that are appears to be dimmed at the top right of the screen, if the player either finds a checkpoint item or completed the level without dying, one of the four letters light up. Once all of the "PLOK" lights up, they will receive a continue.
There are also fruits that can heal Plok's health; the more he punches, the bigger the fruits get and more health he receives. In some levels, some fruits can either send Plok to a timed bonus stage where he must reach a goal, or a strange room where he must collect all the shells to progress. Completing these will have Plok warp to the next level - some of them can possibly skip boss fights.
Power-ups come in the form of "presents" scattered throughout the majority of levels. If Plok locates one of these colorful gifts he is immediately transformed into a more powerful fighting machine for a brief length of time. These power-ups include a flamethrower, boxing gloves, a blunderbuss, dueling pistols and multiple rocket launchers. Specific presents yield vehicles that Plok can use in some later levels in the fleas' lair such as a unicycle, Jeep, jetpack, motorbike, tank, helicopter, Flying saucer and a pair of spring pogo shoes.
The player encounters a number of different enemies, such as the aforementioned fleas. For fleas, in order for the player to complete the level, Plok have to destroy every single one them in every level (with the exceptions of Cotton Island, Legacy Island, and Fleapit) until one of them drops a flag and will levitates to its flag pole.
Plot
As king, Plok dwells on Akrillic, a large island in the fictional region of Polyesta. Plok woke up one morning and noticed that his big square flag on the pole on the rooftop of his house has been stolen and goes out on a search for it. He sails across from Akrillic to the nearby Cotton Island to find it from there. After rising up a couple of mistaken flags as it starting to irritates him, Plok encounters the two giants creatures who are responsible for placing them, the Bobbins Brothers. Plok aforementioned to them about his grandfather who gave him a warning about the Bobbins and decided to fight the two for the large flag.
After vanquishing the Bobbins Brothers and getting his big square flag back, Plok sails his way back to Akrillic until the next day, out of the blue, he find that the island has been infested and over taken by fleas with various of eggs, an annoying medium-sized two-legged blue insects that frequently hops around. He quickly learned that the theft of his large flag was simply a decoy to lure him away from Akrillic and leave him unguarded due to his obsessions with flags. Plok must travel throughout Akrillic, getting rid of every single flea on the surface in order to reclaim his island at peace. Partway through the game, at the outside of his home, Plok places the big square flag back right where it belongs and then takes a break as he sits on a foot of the statue of his grandfather Grandpappy Plok, hoping there is a useful item that will help him to deal with the fleas. He took a nap and having an odd dream of his grandfather's search for a amulet 50 years ago.
Sailing across from his home and onward to Legacy Island, Grandpappy shares the same experience of what his grandson has to in the present: traveling through bizarre obstacles, discovering wrong artifacts like a vase, and dealing with two same Bobbin Brothers, but that with their third brother Irving. After him defeating the Bobbin Brothers, Grandpappy finally dug up an amulet and sail back to his home at Akrillic victoriously. Back to the present day, Plok woke up from a dream and discovers that the amulet is located at the bottom of the statue. Plok's mission on getting his island back continues with an ability where he can turn himself into a saw.
Plok then heads into various of locations around the island while facing other creatures who also have an intention to take over the island as well: the magicians Penkinos, a large spider Womack, and a huge humanoid rock creature Rockyfella. After confronting them as he clearing out all the fleas from Akrillic and rising the flags, Plok descends into Brendammi Bog where the source of all the bizarre (yet aggressive) fleas is located, the Fleapit. There, Plok notices various presents waiting for him as he rides on various vehicles with different kinds of arsenals. Plok journeys deep down into the Fleapit, and ultimately challenging a large insect who is responsible for hatching all the fleas around his island and a ruler of the same kind, the Flea Queen. Plok eventually vanquished her with a bug spray and went back home for a well-deserved sleep on a green chair, thus saving the day.
Development
Plok grew out of an unfinished arcade game called Fleapit in 1990 under a company Zippo Games and the main character been created somewhere in 1989. Ste Pickford recounted:
The Fleapit game was developed for Rare's custom Razz hardware. It had such an odd (and brilliant) graphics system that it wasn't ever going to be possible to convert the half-finished Fleapit to another platform. We just kept working on the concept and idea after we started at [Software] Creations, looking for an opportunity to get the game made somehow. Toward then [sic] end of Equinox we presented the Plok concept to Rick [Kay, head of Software Creations]. We had our game designs, concept art, and a VHS tape of Fleapit. Rick liked the idea, and it became Software Creations' first self-funded original game, with John and I retaining ownership of the character and IP.[1]
The game was presented to Nintendo for publication, and Shigeru Miyamoto expressed a strong interest in working on the game. However, Nintendo ultimately decided against publishing Plok. Ste Pickford remarked, "I suspect Yoshi's Island was in development at the time, and perhaps Mr. Miyamoto decided Plok was too similar for it to be worth working on both."[1] The game was however featured on the Super Mario All Stars video tape - A promotional VHS which formed part of the Super NES "Mario Set" bundle in the UK and Ireland.
Other appearances
In 2009, North American company Super Fighter Team released Zaku, a horizontal shooter for the Atari Lynx which features a special guest appearance by Plok.[2] His appearance in the game was made possible with the official blessing of Ste and John Pickford, creators and copyright holders of the Plok and the characters.
The Pickfords later launched a Plok webcomic. From there, the webcomic takes place 20 years after the game as it features new characters and some returning ones like Rockyfella. The comic sometimes used pop-culture references from other games and other media, in-joke reference and commentaries on the game's development and its future.[1]
In 2020, the Follin composed soundtracks were released on Vinyl via Respawn Records
Reception
Electronic Gaming Monthly lauded the game as an exceptionally original title with every aspect done well, particularly praising the colorful graphics, the music, the level design, the secret areas, and the character's ability to throw his own limbs. They awarded the game a score of 8 out of 10.[3] Plok's soundtrack composed by Tim Follin became as popular as the game itself to the point of having a vinyl release on April 18th 2020.
The game is also featured in the book of "1001 Games You Must Play Before You Die".
References
- Bevan, Mike (December 2013). "Bubbles, Baseball and Buzz Saws...". Retro Gamer (122). Imagine Publishing. pp. 74–79.
- "Official Zaku website". Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
- "Review Crew: Plok!". Electronic Gaming Monthly (51). EGM Media, LLC. October 1993. p. 38.