A playthrough of Tradewest's 1993 platformer for the Super Nintendo, Plok.
Plok is one of those games that, while certainly celebrated by its fans, never has been what you might call a popular game. It was widely praised by critics when it first came out, and the internet opinion has always generally been quite positive, but alas, Plok has never garnered the attention of the masses like Mario and Sonic did.
Unlike most of the mascot platformers of the time, though, Plok actually has the goods to compete with the big boys it's much more a Sparkster than it is a Bubsy.
It's a simple platformer with a few neat tricks up its sleeve. Plok has detachable limbs that he can use to attack and activate switches, and a fair number of puzzles rely on this mechanic in fairly inventive and fun to figure out ways. He can also commandeer a variety of vehicles in order to navigate his hostile surroundings, which provides a surprising amount of variety to the gameplay.
It's a lengthy game, and in its latter stages, quite a difficult one. It demands some true skill to make it through the final set of underground stages and the demanding boss fights.
The graphics are very nicely done, with all sorts of charming animation and bright colors popping off of every screen, no matter the type of environment. The music also deserves a huge mention the game is best known for its soundtrack, and the Follin brothers really outdid themselves here. The music on the Akryllic stages, though... Zelda much?
If you enjoy good mascot platformers, Plok is worth sinking some time into. It harkens back to an era where good, solid design and mechanics and a simple quest were all you needed to have an awesome time. Plok delivers in every way it counts, and if you haven't played it, you really should give it try.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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